Should you Wander the World or Build a Home?
Comment from Should you Wander the World or Build a Home? on Scott H Young’s blog:
I’ve spent my twenties living in various locations for periods of time. I’ve been bartending to support myself, and although I’ve gone to college and earned a degree, my gypsy lifestyle has prevented me from beginning a “career” other than bartending (I also didn’t really know what I wanted for a career). Now in my early thirties, my peers are in the midst of their careers and settling down, buying houses, getting married, having children, and I am starting from scratch all over again. It never bothered me before, because I always looked at it as one big adventure, but the last time I moved it frustrated me not to have a built up social network that allowed me to maneuver easily around town, not to mention learning the streets and people of this particular place. I came home, where I grew up, to get grounded and grow roots because for me it’s time.
I have had wonderful experiences along the way, have met wonderful people, and there are places that I will miss. The reason I chose to wander was because I wanted to do it before life’s more extreme obligations inhibited me. However those people that have remained where they are have built up wonderful social networks of people that have taken an entire decade to build. They have found people they can rely on and it makes life much easier and more fulfilling in the long run. These people are not unexperienced. They are world travelers who have made it a point to take vacations and explore the world. The one lovely thing is that they have a place they can call home.
The wonderful thing about my experience is that I’ve gotten a deeper perspective on what other places are truly like. When living in a place you learn so much more about the culture and lifestyle of the people than when just understanding a glimpse through a visitor’s lens. However, you can’t live everywhere! And there is only so much a person can absorb until you must find a place that suits you and call it home.
As you said, there are advantages and drawbacks to both options. I think a bit of living in other places is good for you, and offers perspective that few have the opportunity to attain. But ultimately, I believe that a place to call “home” is of greater value. There is still the option to visit places and gain incredible experiences, it’s just nice to have a “base camp”, if you know what I mean. So go, travel while you are young! Follow your heart and your dreams, especially if you have the ability to do it while earning an income (I think that’s everybody’s dream, really)!! But think of a place where you will eventually call home, even if you haven’t found it yet. I believe there is a greater value in quality over quantity, because ultimately it is the more meaningful connections you make in life that truly matter.
Aloha
Tao Te Ching – Lao Tzu:
Knowing others is wisdom;
Knowing the self is enlightment.
Mastering others requires force;
Mastering the self needs strength.He who knows he has enough is rich.
Perseverance is a sign of will power.
HE WHO STAYS WHERE HE IS ENDURES.
To die but not to perish is to be eternally present.