He had made up his mind that he wanted to know what it would feel like. He left the train and sought a locker at the nearby bus station, where he locked inside his wallet and keys. In his pocket he placed a folded$50 bill. Then he walked out into the big city streets on a warm summer night.
His walk took him up and down Michigan, State and Rush Streets, ending near the Cabrini Green neighborhood as the sun had completely set. Walking along on the dark concrete, he knew full well that when it occurred he would eventually fork over the $50, but not after engaging the desperation of the request. The fear of the mugger was equal to his own. Of this he was sure.
Why? Why was this for any reason in anyone’s best interest? Agreed, it was not. Yet, he needed to feel the sense of powerlessness that occurs every day among the lower income strata.
Eventually he was stopped by locals from the neighborhood. Many times actually. Some folks asked him if he was nuts to be strolling in the area after dark. There were concerned for his welfare. Others asked for a cigarette light, or for the time, in an attempt to size him up. A few he spoke with awhile to the point of laughter.
Later, while riding the train back to the suburbs he contemplated his evening. The intention may have been indulgent and littered with self-interest, but in the end he learned more about the unnecessary and unfounded fear in wayward environments. Trust in the natural world, the nature of humans. Lack of is less than, and less than no longer satisfies.
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