So many people encourage others to “go where the jobs are.” Algorithms and artificial intelligence aside, the concept of picking up and moving without sufficient income is daunting. More, there is nothing more stressful than moving to completely different areas when considering everything involved. In theory, people can hire movers, or they have plenty of time to sort and toss. However, what if work destroyed time, and only one element made moving possible: having a car?
Breaking down one’s life in a location takes several steps, long before cutting off utilities and finding a forwarding address. First of all, dealing with stuff is a major challenge, especially when considering a highly consumptive society. Easy, right? Just purge the majority of it? Well, are you throwing all of that stuff into the garbage to create more waste? Likely not, so donating requires more sorting, but also time and energy to bring to a donation center–which is much easier with a car.
Second, if someone wants to avoid a total financial loss, maybe one can sell things. Unless an apartment bedroom can turn into a fully staffed warehouse, selling belongings can become a job in and of itself. Assume someone buys something. Now the seller has to get to a shipping center, arrange the item(s), and pay for shipping. Imagine doing that with public transportation. Those who do not need to imagine have probably been retraumatized with how stressful such a task is.
Finally, if there is still stuff left over, there is the daunting task of finding one location for all of it. In theory, one can find several, but then there are the logistics of retrieving them. The best option is likely to store everything, but that includes maintenance fees and insurance. Again, all of this is without a car.
The damage that consumptive car culture has done for those without means is genuinely staggering, especially since people buy cars the way they buy real estate–for “passive income.” It is a complete mystery why anyone looking at such a situation would fail to be remorseful. Consequently, more people are refusing to buy things, since the only thought in the end is that there will be nowhere to put it.
Chasing A Dying Empire 