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| Above-ground subway station in Brooklyn |
1. Near & Far
The line is straight for several miles so those rails seem to go out into space, to the horizon. A tired early-morning commuter can find them inspiring because they show we are connected to the faraway even as we stand, maybe holding our coffee and just waking up. What is near is joined to what is so far away in a way that is pleasing, even beautiful.2. Sameness & Change; Narrow & Wide
Meanwhile the tracks themselves are narrow, confined. The distance between the rails is unchanging, with a constant width; so we are affected by constancy and narrowness while our gaze follows the rails far down the line.I have learned that asking about what opposites are present in any situation or event brings to a person both more wonder and more exactitude about the world. It makes one feel both composed and excited, which reminds me of a definition Eli Siegel gave of happiness - "dynamic tranquility."
