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The Tube

The Tube in London, just like any train, metro or bus today in the world is usually more a place of loneliness and separation than conviviality.

It is not the same in every country. From my experience, in South America, in the Indian sub-continent and in the Middle East it is still possible to make a connection with a stranger during such a ride. In Europe it is a bigger challenge, and in the Far East, in countries such as Japan and South-Korea, you simply don’t see people anymore. You just see smart-phones and have to guess that there are people hiding behind them.

But children don’t follow the conventions and rules of the adult world, especially when those are unnatural. Children act according to their heart and need, and both of these deliver a message of union.

Indeed, in these days when we experience growing fractures and a lack of understanding, when democracy has become nothing more than the expression of subjective opinions, there is a strong need to keep the union, and to create or recreate a dialogue with others. There is a need to remember that a “stranger” is often just a brother or sister we don’t know yet, and that all of us share a common destiny despite of our possible diverging opinions.

It is urgent then to maintain the heart of a child. But how? And is it really possible?

Yes it is, because the age of our heart is not measured in biological years, but in hope, imagination, and creativity. As long as we dream and don’t give up on our dreams, as long as we believe we can make a difference in this world, as long as we wake up hungry to discover what the day will offer, we are young.

That is why some of us are still young at 80 or older, and why we can find old people who are 20 years old or younger. Being young is a way of life, and the Golden Aphrodite, eternal youth, is offered to everyone.

But being alive also means being a rebel, and not everyone has the will and the courage to live.