America: A Rootless People

A conversation has been going on in America regarding the “national” well-being and lack of cohesion among the populace.  I’ve been thinking on this topic, but one aspect of that “well-being,” which is a bit easier to discuss, is the issue of rootlessness within a society. This is manifested in the most banal way possible and here’s a very pedestrian example – people who don’t root for their city’s sports team, but instead for a team halfway across the country.  

A large part of this rootlessness tracks with another issue, which is that people, themselves, are moving frequently. I consider myself somewhat rooted in Dixie, but even I have lived in several different states and my family moved a great deal over the centuries we’ve been on this continent. Granted, we have always been somewhere in the South. Still, these trends are in contrast with folks in Europe (until quite recently), many of whom have been living in, not just the same country, but within the same county for hundreds of years.

There’s a Kenny Chesney song called “American Kids” that hits the nail on the head regarding our rootless society.  He sings, “Momma and daddy put their roots right here ’cause this is where the car broke down.” Their roots aren’t hundreds of years. Their roots are leaving their own parents hometown (and, who knows how long their own parents were there) and finding another. This well encapsulates American history. It was settled by people leaving their homeland, where their ancestors had been for a long time, to come across the sea. Not only did the settlers seek a new land, but after a generation or two, their own children would follow suit and move further west (which plays into why Americans have nuclear families, rather than an emphasis on extended family networks).  

This nomadic lifestyle has increased over time. In fact, 1 in 4 Americans have moved in the last 5 years, with a little more than half saying they’ve moved for work. Another study showed that 10.4% of people leave their native state after college, with even more leaving their home towns for a bigger city within their state. Granted, that stat is recently on the decline, but that is more a symptom of the economic reality of 1 in 4 college graduates moving back home because they can’t get a job (or can’t find a job which will cover their insane debt) rather than a sign of people choosing to stay.   

Another issue with social cohesion is the fact that so many of us live our lives on the internet. This is an isolated existence, despite talking to people online (which causes various problems and ruins, in some cases, our ability to communicate in person).  These two issues are undoubtedly linked. After all, why get to know people in your local community if you’re just going to move soon and when all your friends are online? Now, I’m not doing the “Boomer thing.”  I understand your online friends are actual real people. But, as someone who has moved a few times, it is difficult to get emotional and meaningful communication even with people you know in real life when you can’t physically be with them. I had a skype call with a buddy of mine the other day, and it was great to speak to him, but if most of my interactions with people were that way, I’d go insane.

So, what’s the solution for this lack of cohesion? Can we rebuild civilization by just staying put? No. Many communities are already gone and if you’re living in a hellscape like San Francisco or Detroit, it’s best to move. I’m not even saying don’t move for the job if it’s the only one you can find. I am saying that if you still have a community where you are and it’s possible for you to stay in your home area, do so. Foster those roots. Have an extended family network that can help you out. Don’t be in a situation where the only time you see relatives are weddings and funerals.

To those who emigrated to different countries, consider going back home. If you’re Greek, Hungarian, Japanese, or whatever, I’m sure you don’t feel as good as you would in your own homeland. Poland is trying to get their young people back with tax incentives and Hungary has offered to pay young people to move back. While Japan has not offered any programs that come to my mind, they objectively need more young people to come home, as their birthrates are at historic lows.

This isn’t my “we don’t want you, go back to where you came from” rant, but rather me trying to remind you (1) who you are and (2) that your roots are elsewhere.  I’m sure Greek Independence Day, St. Stephen’s Day and the Cherry Blossom Festival are wonderful things to see, and I’d love to see them, but they don’t have any spiritual connection to me.  Those are festivals for the people of those nations. To the Greek, you have no link to the Parthenon in Nashville, but your ancestor may have laid the stone for the original in Athens. To the Hungarian, your ancestor rode with Atilla or Árpád, not George Washington or Robert E. Lee. You have a genuine link somewhere else going back hundreds, or possibly thousands of years, but your link here is, at most, a hundred or so. 

Going to distant lands is fun for a while, but when you take a moment to reflect and look down at the dirt under your feet, you realize something is off and it’s not your home. Where does the line get drawn for how many generations it takes for a place to be your homeland? That is a tricky question, but if you are concerned more with the well-being of another country, rather than your own, or get emotional when you sing a folk song in a foreign tongue, you probably already know the answer.

-By Ethan The Autiste