We seem to be a mostly immobile society. In other words, we seldom and reluctantly relocate. Why can't we embrace relocation as the next chapter in our lives?
Perhaps 50 years ago this seemed practical, but in today's society of property development, cost-of-living issues, crime issues, urban issues, cultural issues, demographic issues, economic issues, unemployment issues, etc. I suggest staying in one place, when we have other options, many times necessary and/or beneficial options, it is no longer practical.
How many times does someone live in Point A, have a job five miles away in Point B, only to find that job goes away, and now the new job is located at Point C, maybe 20+ miles or one hour+ commute time from Point A?
Now if people relocate from Point A to be near Point C, how long before they are dealing with Point D and more commute times? It's a no-win situation which is why we have hundreds of millions of cars on the roads, criss-crossing from where they live to where they work and play, with people on average sitting in their cars for two hours every day! Just think about the CO2 emissions?
I read about people complaining there are no jobs in their area, they are losing their homes, going broke, on welfare and simply don't know what to do. Well...how about relocating to another location which gives them more potential?
Of course most people are going to proclaim that it costs too much to relocate, or they'll lose too much selling property, or whatever asset. Well...if most of them are going to eventually lose anyway, why not be proactive, take the loss, and move on? Easier said than done? Sure but in reality what are the choices; just keep complaining and expect everything else will change and Bam! life will be happy again? Many times the writing is on the wall and we simply need to open our eyes and our minds.
So many people believe home ownership is the best thing in life. And absolutely in many ways it is. But when home ownership creates immobility, denying other options in our lives, is it really a great thing?
Bottom line is that many of us simply are not very practical in how we manage our lives. We like to complain and we usually want everyone else around us to solve our problems. I believe physical mobility might be one of the primary options to solve many of our issues yet mobility is probably the last thing most people think about. And I understand all the excuses to stay put, but when we realize staying put cannot possibly be a solution, it's time to buy that motor-home and realize more potential and happiness...