“Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.”

One day, I stare outside my window and see little children from my neighborhood monkeying around in the park. The next day, those children could be full grown adults, going on with their lives, and the playground left barren. In order to survive it’s new world, the playground is rebuilt into a garage. To simply put it, the world around us is always evolving, not one day like the other. That’s the impression I received when reading The Syntethic Sublime by Cynthia Ozick. “Often New York… means to impress the here-and-now…Gone is the cleaner and dryer; gone is the shoe-repair man. In their stead, a stylish boutique and a fancy-cookie shop.” (949). Ozick’s words reminded me of the park scenario described above. New York is a living creature; growing, expanding, changing to survive the needs of society, consuming, and producing. It is, as if, New York is evolving. What you would of found a 100 years ago, would barely be found in the city that is now. Is that a good thing? Yes and no, at least in my opinion. Yes because, as humans do, the city must adapt in order to thrive. However, this changing city wipes out the marks left by it’s past inhabitants. As Ozick put it, that shoe stand or bakery residing in the village, is now replaced by something more current. The mark of the past is forever wiped out. Does that mean when I pass, my mark on the world will be reduced to nearly a tombstone?

Ozick also mentions in her essay, “Neighborhoods are sealed off from one another by the border police of habit and mindset and need and purpose.” (948). This reminded me of the various different neighborhoods that exist in New York alone. There is Chinatown, Harlem, Bowery, etc. All of these sections do have something in common, they are divided based upon race. Harlem, populated by Hispanics and African Americans, China Town by Asians, etc. One reason there seems to be a concentration of particular races in particular sections would be people feel more comfortable around the same culture they represent. However, aren’t we all from the same place? We all are New Yorkers and Americans. If someone is Hispanic, Asian or Caucasian, it really shouldn’t matter. We are all humans living in the same place, we should be able to integrate together. Hundreds of years ago it was understandable to be in your own “territory”. People “Fresh Off The Boat” needed to adapt to American life-style, and seem to have clumped together based upon race, as a support system for one another. Now its a hundred years later and we have grown as a society. We seem to be able to live with one another, as a whole. However, there is one thing the same about New York. Sections of the city are still populated primarily by a certain ethnicity.

Ozick also brings up a chilling, but candid thought that “In New York you cannot lose sight of the poor…” (953). Whether I’m on 24th and Park or 57th and Madison, the poor are everywhere. The homeless find the concrete sidewalks to be their beds, the trash as their supermarket, and the people as their income. Wherever I am, I am struck with the sight and I am deeply sadden. But what am I suppose to do? I give my spare change or food that I carry when I can, but there’s always so many homeless I come across. It makes me upset that there’s no way to escape the sight of poverty in New York. There’s so much one person can do.

(I picked this picture to lighten up the mood a little)

Finally, when Ozick comments that “What old money brought into being, the new money… refurbished.” (955) it reminded me of The Great Gatsby. All I could picture was west and east egg, the valley of ashes, and that floozie Daisy. I wasn’t the biggest fans of the old money side, or even the new money side. However, there was one thing I got out of it. That old money can create things, but they can also destroy anything without a care in the world.

In the end, the city is always changing. The things you see today will not be there tomorrow. It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes. “Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.” – Bil Keane.

Ann Privorotskiy says:

September 12, 2014 at 8:53 pm

Firstly, I’d just like to say how I really like the title you chose for your post! Then, when you rhetorically question what becomes of someone after they pass, it also made me wonder if there will be anything more than a tombstone. I also picked up on Ozick’s mention of the separation between Manhattan neighborhoods. I agree strongly with the picture you posted about everyone being the same on the inside, despite their ethnicity or beliefs. I think I’ve seen the man holding the sign somewhere before. It is horribly upsetting to see how many under privileged people are trying to make it in this city and how there’s only so much one person can do. Lastly, I like how in your final sentence, you connect back to the title of your post.

anandpoonai says:

September 13, 2014 at 9:41 am

The introduction to your blog brings about a pathos driven writing piece. You appeal to the reader’s emotion when you point out how time flies by and children leave the playgrounds. It’s really unpleasing how the playgrounds, which hold such nostalgic significance, are turned into “garbage” all because of New York’s demanding changes. Your line, “New York is a living creature; growing, expanding, changing to survive the needs of society, consuming, and producing,” really stood out to me. First off, your metaphor of New York City being a living creature is pretty ingenious and I got the comparison right away. Sometimes, I feel like we, as a society, change the society we live in, but sometimes it can be the location that alters our perception on many aspects in life.Your interpretation on that diversity aspect of New York City really added to the body of your blog. Like Ann also said, your quote that you included by Bil Keane supplements the bigger picture of this story. In the end, we all have to live in the present and make the most of what we have now.

stephenesses says:

September 14, 2014 at 9:58 am

Just focusing on the idea of the poor, it has always amazed me how many there are around the city. It saddens me because in New York there is so much extravagance and waste and to see people that can’t even have a roof over their heads is always sad. There is such a contrast in any one place. You can see the rich living with it all and the poor sleeping on the streets all on the same block. In other cities as Ozick mentions, the poor are not seen in the nicer areas of the cities but in New York the sight of the poor in unavoidable.