As I walked up to the tunnel that's quite literally been haunting my mind for months, I remembered the legend. That there once was a man, just minding his own business who walked the road at night and accidentally created the legend of Green Man's Tunnel.
His different looks were the only reason why he ended up as this legend. He changed his daily walk schedule because people felt uncomfortable looking at him, and he didn't want to deal with that. So he walked at night and even then, he still ended up as this haunted legend.
He just wanted to take a walk and now he will forever be known as a not-true legend.
I've tried to grasp how humans have no regard for other people or their feelings, but I never can quite manage just how mean people are. So let's move on.
The real problem I have is this tunnel and the hellish Corvette Tunnel next to it.
As I was taking these pictures, all I could hear were the horns of the cars cautiously driving through the Corvette Tunnel. Within moments of taking pictures, I forgot about the Green Man and the people the mean people who inevitably started the legend. I was fixated on the blaring noises of those horns.
I thought once again about the lack of signs warning drivers to honk before entering the tunnel, but how it was an unspoken rule amongst every driver who passed.
It was fascinating. That people so easily adapt to these unspoken rules. That we don't stop to question the rules that are handed to us or even the stories that people tell. We just accept it and continue on with our lives, holding that information in the back of our heads.
The Green Man's Tunnel is a legend, but its one that many Pittsburghers remember. They don't quite know all the details, but they get the gist of the story.
This is something we often thought about or considered in class. The fact that people just accept legends. They just go along with them and keep that general knowledge (although the details are often skewed).
Some people visit this spot to remember the legend. But for the most part, people drive by and forget about the story unless it's brought up in conversation. You can Google this location and see pictures of the "Green Man" and read about the legend. It'll take you to this weird blocked off tunnel next to Corvette. What you don't get to see is the residential areas that are nearby, that do not think twice about the legend in their day-to-day lives.
What I realized from this experience, is that it's not just legends. There are other things we learn that we keep in our minds and go along with. Again, the details may change (like some people hold their horn down all the way through the tunnel while others periodically honk as they drive through).
Overall, people accept what they are given. They adapt to the rules and legends and culture they learn until it becomes apart of their routine. It is what you make of those experiences and stories that change the way you lead your life.
With that, I'll leave you with a (semi) positive picture. This is one of the few spray paintings I saw that were good (there were a number of not-so-great symbols throughout the tunnel).
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