A trip to Italy stirred something in me. I walked through the streets and, yes, I saw the big brand names and the gleaming luxuries. But along those same streets I also found small boutiques, family-run restaurants, and little galleries tucked away like secrets.
And I couldn’t help but wonder: why does progress have to mean more?
Why do we measure evolution and civilization in square footage and price tags? Bigger buildings, glossier malls, more luxurious brands. A phone, an Apple Watch, a flying car, a branded sparkly timepiece is this really the definition of being civilized?
In Bologna, the concept of joie de vivre came alive before me. At noon, not everyone was rushing on their lunch break. Some were strolling slowly, others sitting in cafe enjoying a pastry without guilt, without the treadmill waiting as penance.
I saw people lingering in conversation. Eating. Kissing. Hugging. Drawing. Reading. Writing.
I saw stationery stores revered like churches, some standing since the 1800s, never needing to become chains or global sensations with followers and TikTok strategies. They simply existed. And people cherished them.
I saw people simply living.
And I can help but feel: maybe we got it all wrong.
This realization nagged at me: we are the only species on earth that must pay to survive. To have water, food, a place to rest things that should be our birthright. And worse, we’ve taught ourselves that creativity only has value when it’s monetized, commercialized, or commodified.
But isn’t the simple act of creating value enough?
When I think of this, it’s not only my head that aches, my heart too. Especially when I remember the famines, the poverty, the cruelty. All this suffering in a world that is, in truth, abundant enough for everyone.
And so my soul longs for another way of being. Not disruptive. Not rebellious. Simply fair, normal, and kind.
A way of living where joy is found in the simplest corners of our lives. A life we don’t feel the need to escape from.
Don’t you think another way is possible?
Love
Yara