In a world where there are not enough houses for everyone, and what is out there is so expensive, the second and third home people just infuriate me. This is coming from a mother of two adults who are really ready to leave this house and make their own, but finding it difficult to do so. So yes, I might be a bit biased.
But the flip side of this is that I feel bad for those people. I wouldn't say that I live in an ideal area-there are plenty of problems here-but years ago I realized that eventually a person has to make a stand where they are and just be happy. The endless chasing of "something else" is sad and kind of pathetic. It's that infinite clawing of more and better that got us into this mess, after all. What the hell happened to "good enough"?
I think there may be a subtext for all those people building their own personal enclaves in rural areas. More than 7 million people are here illegally. Some were deliberately released from prisons in other countries. Many are being trafficked. Many are working for drug dealers spreading Fentanyl. They have migrated to sanctuary cities, like San Francisco and New York. The result is a slow motion destruction of those cities. People living there could be motivated to create a refuge to escape to on weekends, with the idea that if things get too bad they can bug out. Of course it’s the elites that are doing this. Their wealth gives them a sense of entitlement, as well as a complete disregard for those whose lives they are disrupting. Having all these new semi-residents puts pressure on the infrastructure of the community for resources like water and electricity. Worse, it will bring in Walmart and the other big box and fast food stores which further damages the community. I fear it is another symptom of the decline of Western civilization, which has left this aging Boomer wondering where it all went wrong.
Great to see you back here JM, encompassing a previous mode that attracted me to your writing back in your Medium days. So many big truths in this piece. My head continues to be rattled by the many unconscious others in our midst. Me, Me, Me, is the curse of our times. The future is not looking so bright, except in the small corners of our individual worlds. Those worlds created consciously. Looking forward to seeing you here more often. Glad your physical challenges are diminishing. Take good care, my friend.
I also wonder how much of this is due to people redeploying some of their assets, with the stock market at all-time highs. It is terrible to see locals priced out of their own homes. When I lived in Chicago in the mid-80s slowly but surely neighborhoods would become 'gentrified' and eventually people who owned their houses free and clear had to move because they could not afford the increased property taxes.
In a world where there are not enough houses for everyone, and what is out there is so expensive, the second and third home people just infuriate me. This is coming from a mother of two adults who are really ready to leave this house and make their own, but finding it difficult to do so. So yes, I might be a bit biased.
But the flip side of this is that I feel bad for those people. I wouldn't say that I live in an ideal area-there are plenty of problems here-but years ago I realized that eventually a person has to make a stand where they are and just be happy. The endless chasing of "something else" is sad and kind of pathetic. It's that infinite clawing of more and better that got us into this mess, after all. What the hell happened to "good enough"?
I think there may be a subtext for all those people building their own personal enclaves in rural areas. More than 7 million people are here illegally. Some were deliberately released from prisons in other countries. Many are being trafficked. Many are working for drug dealers spreading Fentanyl. They have migrated to sanctuary cities, like San Francisco and New York. The result is a slow motion destruction of those cities. People living there could be motivated to create a refuge to escape to on weekends, with the idea that if things get too bad they can bug out. Of course it’s the elites that are doing this. Their wealth gives them a sense of entitlement, as well as a complete disregard for those whose lives they are disrupting. Having all these new semi-residents puts pressure on the infrastructure of the community for resources like water and electricity. Worse, it will bring in Walmart and the other big box and fast food stores which further damages the community. I fear it is another symptom of the decline of Western civilization, which has left this aging Boomer wondering where it all went wrong.
Great to see you back here JM, encompassing a previous mode that attracted me to your writing back in your Medium days. So many big truths in this piece. My head continues to be rattled by the many unconscious others in our midst. Me, Me, Me, is the curse of our times. The future is not looking so bright, except in the small corners of our individual worlds. Those worlds created consciously. Looking forward to seeing you here more often. Glad your physical challenges are diminishing. Take good care, my friend.
I also wonder how much of this is due to people redeploying some of their assets, with the stock market at all-time highs. It is terrible to see locals priced out of their own homes. When I lived in Chicago in the mid-80s slowly but surely neighborhoods would become 'gentrified' and eventually people who owned their houses free and clear had to move because they could not afford the increased property taxes.
Thanks for this, JM.