hamilton

i get frustrated sometimes. i love hamilton. the city comforts me, not in sense of feeling warm and fuzzy, but in the sense of feeling called to be in the city. i know in my heart that much of my story is in hamilton. i see a lot of beauty in hamilton. my frustration comes in when people insult hamilton - say it's "sketchy and dangerous". sure, if you're dealing crack.

also, people say it's run down, and ugly. yes, parts are run down, but nonetheless, there is beauty within. i like to share in the beauty of places with people, be able to go "look, look how beautiful it is". enjoy a common moment of thinking "holy crap, God made that beautiful". i see that and feel it all the time, but quite often find myself with people who say "holy crap, that's crap".

one of my favourite lines of all time in a play is made by a dead woman named emily gibbs. she goes through her life, dies, then continues her role in spirit form. she does go back as a twelve year old for a short, unsatisfying, and frustrating sojourn wherein she attempts to appreciate life with her community, but finds nothing but apathy. then she says the line: do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?—every, every minute?

i don't think we do. i mean, she dies, and then realizes what she's missed. realizes the beauty that surrounds her, and it's so easy to ignore our surroundings. hamilton is a gorgeous city. the lights at night... are so gorgeous. out of the 6945 years i have lived, maybe fourty eight hours did i fully appreciate my surroundings, i mean actually praise God for how gorgeous, and beautiful he has made the world. i read the psalms admiring nature, God's creation, and think "yeah they're right" but rarely do we look at our surroundings, whether it's on a farm, in the suburbs, or in downtown hamilton and praise God likewise.

i think that's negligence.