Globalisolation

Credit photo : Lindsay Pasarin

I have started wondering more and more what was this all about. My generation is the first one really experiencing globalization and its effects on our lives. Traveling all over the place, going from one country to the other, ignoring boundaries, erasing borders.

We are all eager to explore the world, we discover it with an extraordinary energy, that would be more than enough to change it all for a new one, if we put it all together.

But this way of life has also a major consequence, it pulls people apart. It exhorts people to follow their interests individually, and therefore undo all the bounds you may have the chance to build before you are old enough to fly away. This globalization gives us the chance to see the world, to experience it, and to grow thoughts and intellectual views beyond and further what our parents could ever dream of. We are completely free. Of any social link. Centered on self-accomplishment. Individualities matter so much that human connections do not seem to weight anymore.

Seriously, take two minutes to think about it : what do you picture when you think of a successful person ? Probably someone who traveled everywhere, owns 3 different super-successful startups, is full of money and spends one day out of two in a plane.

How is that possible to build life-long relationships when you don't know in what country you will be in 6 months ? When your boss is very likely to send you thousand miles away to satisfy needs of the company in another branch, to achieve the flexibility and fast-adaptability your company is known for ?  

Not surprising that Facebook was invented, and had such a success. It brings virtually all the social life you can not have, all your beloved ones being far away from you. It helps you keeping track on them, without even having to make the effort to call them every now and then. A wonderful tool to follow passively what is going on in the world. And to live friendships through a computer screen.

This tremendous life scattered all around the planet is a common dream sewed too deep in our common imaginary. As if happiness could be measured by the number of places you've been or the number of things you have achieved. And we suffer when we realize that this dream needs painful sacrifices.

I firmly believe that happiness is an inner state firstly and mostly conditioned by the people surrounding you. By this feeling of belonging you have when you feel understood, deeply connected.  Incompatible with this fast moving world. True happiness is a sum of small little moments, and can only be achieved with stability, peace and stillness. It takes a lot of time spent at the same place. It takes a lot of memories to share and projects to build.

You know what is my favorite time of the year ? It is not when spring comes and I can jump into my first skirt, ride my bike to work and enjoy sun and bursting flowers. It used to be the first bath I would have in the sea, when summer officially arrives. It used to be June's solstice, I was thrilled and fulfilled by the chance of seizing the longest day of light.

I now cherish more than ever Christmas period. Despite of the cold and the rain, it is the only warmth  I get during the year. The only time where I can meet together with my family, and with my good old friends. Where we get to do things together, where we get to share more than facebook "likes" or skype-calls squeezed into the few suitable hours we have in common per day to talk to each other because of time difference. Because it's the only time of the year that I feel that this is exactly where I have to be, at this exact moment. That I feel that I belong.

But I guess it is too late now, I already made too many special friends that do not belong to anywhere either. And maybe after all that's the beauty of it.  Let's keep on moving.