In the footsteps of others

I remember walking through the intersection of 15th Street & JFK Boulevard some time ago, walking either to or from Philadelphia Family Court one morning.

I observed the multitude of people walking in and around the intersection at that time, including people passing through LOVE Park and others walking into or out of Dilworth Park outside of City Hall.

And I remember thinking to myself: a hundred years ago, none of the people walking here were even born, yet this intersection existed then, and probably a lot of people walked through it back then, on a day similar to today.

And in the same way, a hundred years from now, a whole bunch of people who have not yet been born will be walking through this very same intersection, going about their business and their daily lives, most likely without any thought to the many people who walked the same steps and crossed the same streets before them.

Just as this is our city now, it belonged to others before us, and it will belong to others in the future. Those others in the past and future may have been our forefathers or may be our progeny. But some of those others may also be people from other lands, who come here and adopt this city as their own. Just as many of us, including myself, have done here today.

Let us remember that, and trust that the city will continue to evolve, thrive, and exist, just as William Penn prayed that it would.