Built, Not Building: A Manifesto.

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I've noticed how they call them buildings even when they’re done! That’s strange. You walk past a house and think, “That thing isn’t building nothing’. It’s just being.” It’s like calling a cooked steak a cook. “Do you want a medium-rare cook?” No, I want a steak. That’s been cooked. By a cook. Not a cook that’s a steak.

I think we should rename buildings to builts. As in "meet me in that built over there.” Sounds efficient. Sounds like it’s got its life together. A built pays taxes. A building’s still figuring things out.

Then there is the ongoing building work. That’s just a building that’s still trying to become a built. It’s like puberty for concrete. You walk past it and it’s got scaffolding and acne. “Don’t look at me, I’m not a built yet!”

I once tried to compliment a building. I said, “You’re a nice built.” The building said, “I’m still building.” I said, “You gotta believe in yourself,. You’re already built in my heart.”

That's why I maintain, I live in a built. I sleep in a built. I dream of a world where buildings stop pretending they’re still building. Be proud. Be a built.

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