Paris: Leaving An Impression

Paris has been compared to NYC for similar conclusive concepts, and I'd concur its not too far off. Of course Europe has older "skyscrapers," and specific cultural differences. Such as, if the space of passing is even slightly intimate (in a hall or in a quiet alley) locals will always say "bonjour." "Au revoir" and "merci" are just as common. They say 'goodbye' after saying 'thank you' more often than the states. But even with these generally slight deviations, the trip has strengthened my suspicion that humans are more so alike than different. SO much so, that it strikes me with a strange punch of awe and distaste. There's only so far contrasts will take me ("Do we smile more in the U.S.?") before I fall into a comfortable understanding that whatever the human tendencies are, they're meant to be a reflection of oneself in order to love others. I’m reminded of a passage from Henri Michaux’s Ecuador, “and you end up exclaiming, ‘This trip passed like a dream.’ Exoticism has played a trick on us.” The bluff is that exoticism never existed. We’ve always been here before, just the same as we are always new and recreating a moment. It's a working oxymoron. Sure, a smell will remind us that we’ve never bodily existed in the exact longitude/latitude of a space, but a familiar sound will put us in the ease of presence. You suddenly know where you are, and it feels precisely natural. The peculiar craft of candle lighting may flicker in a different corner, but the patterns of fire and shadow move the same way. The dancing picture has many songs. I’ve been ambushed by unknown rhythms and have come back with a few notes left to make my own.