Romy
i feel sad about living in a low trust society. japan, taiwan, and korea are all places where you can leave your laptop and wallet on an outdoor table at a cafe and go to the bathroom and not think twice. there’s virtually no violent crime, no trash on the ground (despite the lack of public trash cans!), nobody behaving erratically on the metros or sidewalks. it’s relaxing to exist in a society like this. you can walk around with your phone hanging out of your backpack pocket and not think about it. you can wander around random parts of huge cities late at night and not worry about turning down the wrong street. everyone is courteous and sane. i think this is, above all, a cultural artifact. i don’t know what it would take to change the culture in the US to resemble this but i desperately wish we could move in that direction.