Blank Society

There are too many people here. I had a job interview today in Waikiki for a "Hiking-Cafe," which takes guests on hikes and then brings them to the cafe for lunch. It would be the Perfect job for me, because I wish my current jobs didn't take away so much of my hiking-nature time. It was worth the traffic and disastrous parking at Ala Moana, but I'm starting to feel almost agoraphobic. As I was taking the Waialae exit to get to Kahala, there were about 50 cars back up along the shoulder. The shoulder! I'm not even sure if that's legal. There's no space to sit anywhere, and there are so many people walking around without a sense of direction or destination, most of them with blank looks on their faces and the lingering feeling of some trauma. I don't like this. It's one thing to be surrounded by relaxed afternoon-strollers but when the majority of the people wander aimlessly like zombies I start to get concerned. What are all these people doing in the mall anyway? I found a random wooden seat– not quite a bench though– to rest my butt on, and a film crew rolls in above and around me with their cranes and whatnot, to make a commercial for... the mall? Why, why do more people need to come here? What is the point of this building anyway. Everyone looks like they're eating the wrong foods and learning the wrong things. About a hundred brain-washed, technology-addicted elementary school kids are staring with frosty eyes into the screens of the apple-store, the clerks at Barnes' & Noble no longer offer the newest paper-backs but Nooks and Kindles. I'm all for rainforest preservation, but not at the cost of millions of brain cells gone to waste. As I turn my head in all possible directions from my central spying point in this bizarre place, I form a disgust, a genuine repulsion towards our society. What are all of these people gaining by strutting such hollow strides through this carpeted, artificially lit and cooled zoo?

 A man walks out of the candy store with a clear trash-bag full of rainbow-colored, sugared popcorn. Another man stands up and says to his colleague: "I'm confused, I thought it was Thursday...". A gaggle of pimply middle-schoolers pass me, all holding jumbo-sized Taco Bell soft drinks staring at me blankly, a hit of frustration written upon their faces.

What is wrong with all these people? Why don't they get out and breathe some real air, walk barefoot across the slippery stones of riverbeds, get their manicured gel-nails into the dirt and doing something real? There is neither creativity nor joy coming from these people. Most of them don't look stressed either, just bored, wandering, lost. There's a fake palm tree, shading me in my spying spot from the glare of store signs. This is disgusting. I want to take off my shoes and blast a hole in the roof.

A girl on a stretcher just rolled by me, carted along by her waddling, obese mother... And people carry bags and bags of useless items that they've been tricked into thinking they need. Strangers don't stop and introduce each other, or share their ideas. Kids don't even mingle with other kids. Everyone wears sunglasses...indoors.  What happened to culture? What happened to humans? Why are we doing this to ourselves.

I'm done with this crap. Time for the conversation with the friend who I came here to meet. Then time for an evening hike in the mountains, that I might just not come back from.