Person to person

The onset of online reference sources such as Wikipedia is far cry from authentic, person to person story swapping. Josh and Tess from the UK passed through this evening. As we communed around a delectably healthy dinner at Treehouse followed by sinful desert at Ted Drews much was discussed. Comparisons of salaries for teachers, governmental policies, experimental theater, rents; which by the way, for an apartment half the size of my own in the outskirts of London costs them approximately $1,600 per month. Similar in age, their concerns compared to my American counterparts are more centered around global issues. I have found this often through hosting travelers from other nooks in the world. Another recent traveler from Germany, Torsten, is also an avid conversationalist. Our talks though more serious in nature cycled around researching the historical context of urban and community development as a spotlight into the modern-day. He reminded me of the various ways in which we human beings choose to organize ourselves. From communal egalitarianism to capitalistic resource grubbing machines to feudalistic empires. We're at a place in human history where these systems are not only intertwined in a global context, they are without mercy or leadership. There is truth I feel in that corporations and systems have become human-like in their nature while benefiting some on the backs of others. My perspective in these conversations has included observing the caste-system in India, a situation where "climbing the ladder" of opportunity is impossible for those on the lower rung due to the restraint of  religion, cultural beliefs, and lack of eduction to the extent its become oppressive. Getting to solutions isn't possible in an evening but it certainly feels like a more productive use of time that taking up shots at the local bar while catching up on neighborhood gossip. Funny how gratifying having a space such as this can be at times.