Trains

The truth is, there is something special about trains. It may be the feeling of collective solitude that they convey; a person is never as lonely as when riding an overwhelmingly crowded train. Or it may be the never-ending scenery flying by through the windows; shall we never forget that our lives are all but just an instant that passes us by in a flash. It’s a constant déjà-vu where people enter and leave. Sometimes you might exchange a word or two with someone but in the end, the longer you ride the train, the more you realize that on this trip you’re on your own.

The other thing about trains is that they always offer a way back. They provide hope, that regardless of your final destination you will have a way out; because of this, trains may be greater than life itself. But this is merely an illusion. Wishing to fast forward towards the future while keeping an open door to come back from where you came from; it’s just running away from the present. You’re escaping from yourself.

And trains, as wise as they are, have a way to deal with this; a way to bring you back into the present. If you look carefully through their windows but stop yourself from gazing too far into the future, and ignore any other passing train going back to the past, you might be able to find yourself. The hidden reflection of your soul looking at you from within the glass, reminding you that in this very second you are and you exist. That even if you’re on this trip on your own, you’re (not) alone.