Growing up on Long Island in New York I began to notice early on in life that there were a lot of people living in one place, at the same time. The same conversation went on between my parents, between neighbors, and even between people who didn’t really know each other that well. That conversation was that of traffic and the never ending hustle and bustle of Long Islanders commuting to and from one town to the next. Why are there so many people living in one place? This is what I have been wondering for years now. Since being away at college, I’ve used the countless hours I spend day dreaming to come to a conclusion which is simply that people don’t like change, even when grand opportunities smack them in the face.

Long Island is an awesome place, don’t get me wrong. A train ride from the city, amazing pizza and bagels, stores everywhere, nice houses, and a culture all its own. Yet these are the very reasons for that same traffic issue I was discussing in the previous paragraph. Through the past 100 years, tangible items have become more readily available for us and stores have become more convenient for the crazy days having to go from one place to the next. When this occurs there is a type of comfort that evolves where people are just content where they are and have no desire to leave.

Over the past fifty to sixty years this content-ness has shaped a generation of people that don’t embrace change and sort of conform to the reality that is around them instead of branching out and trying to live in a different environment. For long islanders, it’s been that very sedentary nature that has been the gorilla glue that binds people to where they grew up. It’s where family is, where the jobs are, where the entertainment dominates. But at what cost?

From what I have noticed, not experiencing change can really be detrimental on mental, emotional, and even physical health. I couldn’t find some scientific article to prove this to you but believe me when I say that multiple generations staying in the same place that never branch out and live somewhere new form problems within the person and the community. People feel regret for not trying somewhere new to live, the environment becomes overcrowded, and anxiety splashes through the street as there are just so many people around you, all the time.

 

So what I am trying to get across to you my friend is that you should get out there, live somewhere new, experience a new culture, and bloom where you are planted. Change is the best thing you can do for yourself. It will keep you happy, healthy, informed, and well cultured. Get out there and change the world where ever you end up.

Peace to all,

David Gambino