Why Cities Have Tall Buildings, A Story

🦁 🛖 🦁

Many years ago, when humanity was a child, life was lived on the plains. Lions also lived on those plains. Because of this, people had to look out for lions.

One person said if I pile dirt into a heap and stand on it, I can see farther.

One person said I want to stand on the heap with you and look for lions also.

One person said I want to stand on the heap with you and look down on my neighbors who are not on the heap.

One person said if I pile this rock on top of that rock, I can build a higher heap.

One person said I can move these rocks wherever I want and build a heap at the top of a naturally occurring heap so that I can see for miles around and be seen from miles around.

One person said if I climb to the top of my rock heap, I will stay safe while I burn down my neighbor’s house.

One person said if I combine coal, limestone, and iron ore, I can make my heap really high.

One person said I can make money on stores and offices and bedrooms and observatories in the really high heaps.

One person said since the steel heap is supported from the inside, I can have glass all around the outside. I can seen everything everywhere.

Many people said, we want to live on that very high heap.

And that is why cities have tall buildings. Because inside each of us is a 100,000-year-old ancestor looking out for lions.

🏙️ 🦁 🏙️

Afterword

Inspiration for form. The story percolated in the the same “ridiculous fable” space as last week. The result is not really a fable and not really ridiculous, but that was where the idea began. Therefore, a second thank you to Imperfect Patience: YOU MIGHT TEACH WRITING & Imperfect Patience: FRAMES & RLP. [How The Computer Keyboard Got Its Numbers]

Inspiration for content. New online class, UC Graham: From Istanbul to Cairo: The City in the Historical Novels of the Middle East. Expect to hear more about Cairo, Istanbul, and cities in general.

The bit about burning down the neighbors came from Florence, care of Professor Palmer, “These all-stone buildings were also fireproof, leading to a terrible but effective tactic: take your family, treasures & goods up into your tower then set fire to enemies’ homes and let the city burn around you while you sit safe above.” Ex Urbe: The Lost Towers of the Guelph-Ghibelline Wars.

Onwards!
Katherine