Empty Symbols

As I stood over the hill, I could see distant buildings stretching tall into the skies. Those distant buildings had once made me think of grand things. 

I’d look towards those buildings and lights in the distance and think of those who resided there—lives they lived, and the busyness that encompassed them. 

I’d think about the conversations that those people had: recounting the morning news, talking about their lives, looking forward to the end of their workshifts, or discussing invitations to dinners or bars for some relaxation after a hard day of work.

I’d think about the sights they saw, working high above the earth that we all tread. In those gaps between busy work and the moments they took to simply breathe and daydream, did they ever gaze outside their windows to enjoy the view?

But now, as I gazed towards those buildings, I realised that those grand ideas were not so simple, nor so positive.

Those distant buildings were simply offices. While they held life, the sparks of life and joy that I associated with those distant buildings dissipated. Did the conversations and sights I imagined those coworkers experiencing truly exist? 

Or were they simply places for business to keep chugging away, making their employees simply a part of the machine that would bring profit?

Were those conversations held only to stave off the monotony of the daily grind? To seek companionship so as to survive the otherwise lonely environment? To navigate and manoeuvre the political and tribal environment of the workplace?

Were those sights, so high above, something that the workers valued? Or did it eventually become a part of the monotony, the daily grind? Did they even have time to enjoy the sights, or did work demand all their attention? 

What had once been distant but giant symbols of life and busyness that stretched through the skyline had simply become buildings to me. They were simply workplaces. Those grand ideas had collapsed. 

It was on that simple afternoon at twilight while taking a breather from my wandering, that I had realised that those buildings were simply empty symbols. 

by William Luo