FEW AND FAR BETWEEN

In 2200, my city, Vancouver, is more highly sought than ever before. The real estate market, after centuries of accumulation and foreign investment, has become the most expensive and coveted form of luxury one can afford. Entire swathes of houses, neighborhoods and communities, once accommodating many students, now lay empty, unused. The University of British Columbia, receiving massive endowments for its cutting-edge research and development on climate-centric initiatives, quickly became the most prestigious university in the world. As such, its admissions were at all-time lows. Programs became smaller, more specialized and more demanding - not everyone could make it through a degree, let alone get accepted. I was one of the lucky ones - I suppose. Everyone made it a big deal once I got my letter, but I don’t know... Apparently, the university was once a hub of lively and vibrant interactions between people. Nowadays, I can count on one hand the amount of times I’ve talked to someone other than myself in the mirror.

But I do remember every single time I met someone new. Everything about them. It’s pretty amazing how things change, how eager people are to talk and share now. Everyone on the outside knows this is an opportunity of a lifetime. Everyone is making someone proud out here, but no one knows what it’s like from the inside. But we do, and I suppose that is what unites us. It doesn’t seem to matter where you’re from, what you believe in or what you want to do after this. Everyone wants connection, everyone wants love. Sharing laughter, breaking bread, looking out for each other, this indescribable feeling of warmth in your chest when you can talk and people listen, people pay attention. They empathize, they seek to understand rather than presume. Why even discriminate? Why wouldn’t you just take the time to learn other perspectives? It seems obvious to me, but I read that in the 2000s, we were apparently complaining because there were too many people, or that they were too different. Imagine that! You had the ability to really learn about the world, get to know people, where they come from, everything that makes the world so beautiful and vibrant. It would have been so easy too, just go outside and talk to your neighbor. Who knows what kind of crazy stories they would have. Now you have to travel an hour whichever way to meet with people. Some might say it’s unfortunate, but alas, c’est la vie.

Scarcity creates value, as classical economists would say. And people are scarce in Vancouver now. But there is a certain sense of comfort in knowing I’m not alone in this expensive graveyard. Although things are a lot more different now than they used to be, people have never felt closer.