Those Who are First Will be Last

Where I live, people live in big houses, with big cars, big garages and a big fences. When neighbors come home in the evening all one can really see is the tail- lights of the cars going into the garage. If one is on friendly terms with the neighbors there will be a wave before they turn in. But that's all. Sure, in three seasons out of four you will see people go for a walk or a run, but in the winter you will see no one. Like everywhere, children of course brighten up the space, in big houses as well as small. You meet the community on soccer and baseball fields; many people coach and organize games; and on the field there is no visible difference between wealth, profession and status. But children grow older and at some point during their teenager years they also grow more distant; they prefer to hang out with each other instead. It is then when the parents realize that they are increasingly alone. Believe it or not, I have heard colleagues say that they want to buy a bigger house to ensure that the group of teenagers would hang out at their place instead. Well, even that strategy will only work for a couple of years, eventually children will go to college and then the big house will be empty.

Just imagine you lived in a giant house, perhaps with a spouse, with maybe some helpers around but otherwise completely alone.  As long as you work you have all the social connections you need, but once you stop working you realize how isolated you suddenly are. You think you have these connections at the golf club instead, but after a couple of years you find out that it is just not the same. Being poorer probably forces you to work longer.  You probably curse your limited resources from time to time, but you know what? Being in fact forced to do what you love to do could well be a blessing in disguise. They say having meaningful work makes you healthier and raises your life expectancy. But you have to have a meaningful job; best perhaps, make your hobby your profession as well.

My hunch is that something is changing.  These days jobs can be found for the young folks but it takes a while before they are able to make a true living for themselves. Finding a reasonable space to live in is expensive these days, especially if you live in a vibrant urban center. So they may have to rent with roommates instead or life with their parents again. Perhaps your children return after college,  maybe your parents are still alive. If you have the financial means you can have nurse visits and care for your patents at home. Perhaps we turn back the clock to the olden days where we fill up our houses again with an extended family. It my be out of economic necessity, but chances are we are better off because of it.

What does it mean to be poor these days anyway? We wear the same stuff; we could even eat the same food as long as we don't aspire to go to fancy restaurants all the time. We can have access to the same health insurance if Obamacare makes it.  Sure, some folks drive Jaguars while others drive Hondas but do these cars really differ that much except for their price tag? More than that, in a decade or two, communal cars will drive around driverless. You put your destination into your app and slide your credit card to pay for the trip. All the cars will be powered by solar-charged batteries anyhow so even with transportation you can't distinguish status any more.

I remember statements of colleagues who grew up behind the iron curtain who said that no one had much during those days but that everyone shared resources and services. You did ok under communism when you had friends and connections. I have the hunch the same will be true for us in the not so distant future.  Who knows, perhaps technology will allow us to live the utopian dream that a group of likeminded live on farmlands with robots doing the owing, planting, harvesting, building and cleaning. Our job will be to be creative, collaborative, to educate each other and just hang out with your friends. If true then not much will have changed over the last 4000 years. That is what the Greeks used to do, that is if you belonged to the ruling class and not the slaves.

Perhaps we are going back to our roots. And perhaps we find out in the process that the bible had it right after all: those who will be first will in fact be last.