Broken Roots

It seems that a lot of younger people are opting out of the normal trappings of society completely. Instead of going to college (or even finishing high school in some cases), they are leaving home, opting to have no home, and just wandering from city to city, squatting where they can and taking what jobs they can.  They don't plan on ever buying houses, or even owning more than what they can carry in a backpack. They don't plan on having kids or back accounts or any kind of roots. They just want to explore the world until they die.

It's a dangerous way to live. Homeless people are high targets for violent crimes. In some ways, it helps that the people who are in this group are younger and often not mentally ill, but sleeping out in the open is never easy. When one is living illegally in a house, it's difficult to go to the police if you get raped or have your stuff stolen. If you can't find a place to stay, you're at the mercy of the elements.

Even still, to some people, this seems like a better deal than living a life of debt and financial uncertainty. They've watched their parents lose jobs, homes, cars, and everything else. They've watched careers that seemed stable and secure disappear into nothingness. They've watched people work their whole lives and nothing to show for it.

For the longest time, there was this basic belief in the US that people would grow up to be more financially stable and successful than their parents. I never thought I would live in a time where that wasn't the case, but that's where we are now. It's sad and it's really scary. I wish those on the road safe journies.