I stepped out onto the street with my umbrella. It was raining above. I pushed and squeezed, trying to find a tiny gap through the crowd. I was already growing impatient—endless throngs, big and small, kept streaming past. Even the minuscule opening I’d managed to spot was quickly swallowed up by them. Everything was so muddled that I could hardly make sense of it; all I could do was politely take a step back.