What do you remember of your history lessons? More specifically, of Pre-History? Still in our teens, we learn about the customs of the first human beings to inhabit the Earth. Many of those customs have been changed nowadays, while others persist, even after thousands of years. One of them is nomadism, in which groups wander in search of natural resources, staying in one place until the resources are depleted, then moving on in search of a new home.
Adapting this to the present day, we continue moving, either for economic reasons or for comfort and convenience, for instance. From caves to digital times, moving is good. Let’s analyze moving from two different standpoints: moving from necessity X moving from desire.
In the first case, you must leave your home on the way to another one. The prevalent verbs are “need”, “change” jobs or post (in another district, state or country), “separate” (from parents and friends), or “feel” that it’s safer, or emotionally beneficial to move.
In the other situation, the verb that defines the move is “want”. In that case, even without the need to move, since the place where you live offers comfort, safety and convenience, you still want to move house. This desire is inherent to human beings. It’s natural to want novelty. It is Plato’s Eros: Swinging between the frustration of loving and desiring what we don’t have, and at the same time becoming satiated when we achieve the object of our desire.
In both cases, moving house always brings benefits. If you’re moving because you “need” to, it’s normal to be afraid and be attached to the past. Therefore, the tip is to understand that “My home is where my shoes are/ A little bit in every spot and place” (as the Sa and Guarabira song says). You will be able to build an even better new home in a new place, for sure!
At the same time, moving because you “want” to is the opposite: fear of the old, need for the new. Or, quoting another song, “navigating is necessary/ living is not”, by Caetano Veloso (based on Fernando Pessoa, the great Portuguese poet). Proceed happily on the way to your new home, even if nobody understands your need to move.
