Shadows

While I was living in Milan I stayed in an area designated as Comune 9. In a report released by the city council it stated that Comune 9 suffered from an integration problem regarding the resident immigrants (comprising about 30% of the local population) and as I was walking around I wondered what the equalizers of men might be. A lot of the fear surrounding immigration seems to be about what’s different from the local culture, that which seems so distant, unknown and uncomfortable, yet so many elements of the human condition are universal. So, even though it might not be one of the most important elements I couldn’t help but notice that all around us were our shadows, fragments of ourselves containing a hint of our essence that’s impervious to ethnic or class discrimination so I tried to weave a small glimpse of the stories that unfold there daily and as we stare into those shadows we find them staring back at ourselves and those dark, primal places in our minds that hinder us from building bridges with one another and our shared common experiences.