Love
There is a measure of love that can be seen amongst the local people in Mexico City; a type of love that has no structure or coordination. It flows like a river through the city, free flowing, without mechanical or forced instigation. It reaches the masses of people to then filter and flow among each other. It’s quite magical, a natural cycle stemming from its hydrating and life-giving core – the heart. It’s what supports the city but take what I say with a grain of tajin (a popular Mexican seasoning) because there is a dark side too. There is always a dark side; there is lust living in the heart too.
Lust
To get by in a lower socio-economic world, you must be tactful, perhaps even deceitful. It’s a way to live. To thrive, to find safety, to survive. This is not to disrespect the Mexican people, this is intended to state exactly how it is, and some locals will agree with and tell you of this notion. As the saying goes, “You gotta do what you gotta do”. Except, I’ve come to know that it’s not necessarily done with a heart resolved by darkness; there is light to be found. You only need to open your eyes to see it.
Light
Now that I’ve seen the light, I know not to succumb to the darkness. Don’t allow it to happen because the darkness is an expert at consuming people’s fears and inhibitions. Remain open, let your light permeate the hearts of the Mexican people. This is how they live, exchanging light in a mutual understanding, ignoring the darkness yet conscious of its existence. In New Zealand we have a combination of both, but the light is weak, and it needs sustenance. It needs authenticity. It needs validity, awareness, somewhere from where the darkness may bloom so one can truly understand where pain came from. Pain can be lonely, as is experiencing loss.
Loss
There is a lot that can be lost while in Mexico City, whether it’s items, your health, your privacy, or an old version of yourself that is better off left in your past. Let’s look at what is left behind in New Zealand. There is a sense of privilege that accompanies you (or you witness seeing it in others) before you may or may not decide to leave it back home. This is owed greatly to the way we grow up in New Zealand. We learn to understand the world with less comprehension, less awareness of how the world really is beyond the seas of our home. Besides seeing it in the media, there is no exposure to the outside world. We are confined to a utopian-like bubble. This can become isolating, especially when there is too much to gain. When you gain so much, you lose so much, too.