My grandfather served in the War to End All Wars (the First World War). A popular song back then was How You Gonna Keep Them Down on the Farm (now that they’ve seen Paree?). Many of those who served overseas had never before been outside the county in which they were born.
Today we are so dependent on long distance travel that we will tolerate almost any insult—being treated like cattle, being stuck in traffic for hours, lost luggage, and, of course, bodily intrusion for the sake of security.
We travel for business, education, and for pleasure. We travel in order to accept a job, leaving family and friends hundreds or thousands of miles behind. Home is wherever.
I have to wonder what life would be like today if we still preferred to stay in the county in which we were born.
sfnowak 