It's a Wonderful Life

Most urban dwellers exist in a hell of their own making. Marx talked about the alienation of the laborer from the commodity or product of their creation. The metropolis can be fun since it creates its own artificial order comprised of composites and  simulations--a horse and pony show that supplants a once quasi-natural order. Still, instead of plutocracy, oligarchy or kleptocracy, human existence once provided a window into nature. It's a Wonderful Life is one of the first movies to deal with parallel or alternate universes--in particular during the scene where a guardian angel, Clarence Odbody, shows George Bailey what the world would be like if he didn't exist. Life turns out to be a sad place with a Walpurgisnacht/purgatory that's a clear prognostication of dying center cities. George may have had a hard time but what would life be like him? It's turns out to be a lonely funhouse filled with pseudo joy of the virtual reality and AI variety. Humanity is the ingredient that's missing. Take a look in the mirror one day when you're rushing to brush your teeth and get out of the house. You might not recognize who you see.

read "Pet Buddha" by Francis Levy, Vol. 1 Brooklyn

and read "Ultimate Rejection" by Francis Levy, The East Hampton Star