When I was completing my requirements for my business minor, I enrolled in a 200-level organizational analysis course. I immediately dropped it when I found out the grade was based on a single essay; however, I did sit through the first lecture.
In this class, I was introduced to a revelation that was incredibly obvious but had not been fully realized in my head. I was introduced to the idea that nothing lasts forever.
What is the one thing in your life that you expect to be around in the distant future? It's not going to be your house, it'll fall apart eventually. It's not going to be big businesses like Microsoft, the Hudson's Bay Company is a shell of what it once was.
My answer to that question was Canada. I can't imagine Canada going anywhere. I can't imagine our polite, neutral-but-siding-with-America stance ever changing. But the professor pointed out that that was a fallacy. Look at the Roman or British Empire; no one, at the time, would have predicted that either of those to fall apart. But they did, like everything else.
Apply that to our own lives and the results are a bit depressing. I love my toys like my iPhone but I realize that one day it will stop working. I love my friends, but people get busy or they move away and, suddenly, the people you spend every day with are people you see once every few years. I love my family but they won't be around forever.
Every time I reflect on the idea that nothing lasts forever, I go through the list of reasons why I'm still in Edmonton. Every bullet point in my list are things that will never last, that will change at some point in time. Why do I dedicate my life to things that are volatile? Why not move to a city that has a personality that better reflects my own? Why am I not moving to Korea?
Of course the question then becomes, when nothing in your life is worth staying put for, what is? (That was meant to be philosophical, not dumb and contradictory.)
I think things like friendship, love, and wisdom last forever. Once you die, those relationships technically last forever, because they never broke. As for wisdom, I mean things like literature and intellect, which is passed down from legacy to legacy.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you shouldn't ask "what is worth staying put for". Try to ask "what is worth keeping with me always". I try to define "home" as the minimal set of things which I need and care about. Most of those things are highly mobile. If I had to count it up, over half of the things that define "home" for me are my personal values, and Skype.
ReplyDeleteYou only have to stay in a fixed location if those things are unable to move with you. In my case, the one thing holding me to Edmonton is Emily (to be precise, Emily is movable, but I am highly unwilling to make her move away from Edmonton because I would lose part of my personal values in the process).
I have no real insight to give but had a few points to add:
ReplyDelete- Why don't you move to Korea? You can't speak the language. I think you'd get mighty frustrated with that.
- There's nothing stopping anyone from moving, inversely, nothing telling people to not stay put. Before moving, consider why you're moving. Most likely, the reasons why you're going may be as "unlasting" as the reasons you're going for.
- In general, my rule of thumb is I will do what I feel most matches what I treasure. It may not be the same thing all the time. I agree with P's comment that it's important to find those few things that define "home".
Well, if nothing lasts forever, we may as well enjoy it while things are still here. ;)
ReplyDeleteSorry for not being able to come up with something physical that will actually stick around for close enough to forever besides cockroaches.
If you're not sure about the reasons you stay put for something, try going away from it for a set time and see if you come up with reasons for missing it.
Offering a somewhat related thought, I encourage you to visit Korea (perhaps as a mini vacation). I write that as a homebody who lives vicariously through her friends but also as a friend who thinks you'll get something out of it. You'll find out if you can carve out a new life out there. Plus, think of the ladies!
ReplyDeleteWhatever you choose, and whenever you choose it, be safe. Although we don't see each other often, I'd miss you if you're gone.
If you honestly have nothing holding you back, I would suggest moving to Korea. At least for a little while...even if you hate it, at least you will have lived your life with no regrets. That being said, what are you probably going to be doing there? Teaching English...and I don't think it pays as well as what you're currently doing. Also, not all Koreans, but some can be extremely xenophobic even to other Asians, so keep that in mind.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a heavy topic for you because you treasure routine and commitment in your life: Sports, Family lunch on Sundays, Citadel shows w/ Nicole... I imagine you have a huge emotional attachment to the things you love.
ReplyDelete