Where do you find your prowess? What brings out your inner tiger? When I was younger I used to say that when I grow up I wanted to be a tiger because of their captivating eyes and the way they complete any and all missions they set out to do. The most impressive trait they have is that they do these things with admirable elegance. I’ve only felt these powers in New York City. The place where no one cares who you are unless you make it known. The place where the weak simply cannot survive. The place I call home.

Tigers make up nine scientifically verified and recorded subspecies. Four of these species are already extinct, which means a little over half of the species of tigers are still here. The most common species, the Bengal tiger, exists with a world population size of less than 2,000. This number decreases every decade. Some link this directly to anthropological influence while others argue that though anthropological factors may contribute to the decrease of the most popular species of tigers, climate change coupled with the natural course of time also contributes to the gradual end to the animal I want to be.

Consider tigers as people and the media as the anthropological influences that endanger tigers. Media tears away at the homo sapiens species. From the Cold War to the presidential election… I would even add police brutality and the prevalence of discrimination across the USA... media has always been around to strip away at our intuition thereby clouding our judgement. The very core of who we are as individuals is challenged and many are “killed’ for blindly believing in the things they see on their rectangular boxes. New Yorkers on the other hand, are the strongest tigers. They are hard to “kill”. We criticize the media and rise above it by simply using our head. We have programmed ourselves to operate with a survival mentality and nothing -- not you, not your mother, and definitely not the media, can sway the way we think.

It is safe to say that New Yorkers are always on the grind, and because of this we often come off as intimidating or rude. When we are quiet, it just means we are on the prowl. We are always aware and attentive, even when we appear relaxed. We see everything as they are. We see the walking dead… the people who are products of climate change (the people who are molded by the media). We simply keep pushing on with unbothered grace that’s often misinterpreted as arrogance.

The thing is, we know our nature. We know we are intimidating, and we love it. The thing is, when I’m on West 65th and I’m rushing with my headphones in and I’m strutting in the crowd of angry menacing go-getters, I smile, because in that moment I am living my childhood dream. In that moment I know that there’s nothing here for me but survival, and my eyes are focused. The thing is, we take this attitude wherever we go. We know our kind anywhere we go and we internally encourage each other -- sarcastically of course.