Why Don’t We?

The City of Everywhere1 is an allegory about a man who looks his responsibility clearly in the face, recognizes it, and then refuses to accept it. The City of Everywhere, the author says, is the tale of a man who might have been I, for I dreamed one time of journeying to the town. Continuing, he says,

I arrived early one cold morning. There was snow on the ground. As I stepped from the train, I noticed that the baggage man was dressed warmly in a heavy coat, scarf and gloves, but he wore no shoes. Boarding the streetcar, I saw that my fellow passengers also were barefoot. When I arrived at my hotel, I found that the bellhop and all the guests were without shoes on their feet. I found the hotel manager (who also had bare feet) and asked, Why don’t you wear any shoes in this city? Ah, he replied, that’s it. Why don’t we? Then I asked, Don’t you believe…