Ever since the first one of my friends said “I’m buying a house” I’ve had a strange sinking feeling. A vague unease that I haven’t been able to describe. I haven’t been able to express my displeasure with the concept, or why it just wasn’t quite right.
Something just screamed out to me: Wrong, we’re doing it.
As i suspected, his purchase sparked a buying frenzy.
Now nearly everyone owns a house.
We sit alone in our houses and spend less time hanging out with each other, and more time doing house stuff.
So I asked myself, what is the purpose of buying a house, or not even buying a house, but moving into one.
Primarily it provides shelter, but I can find shelter almost anywhere, for more affordable prices without a tremendous initial outlay of cash.
So if not shelter, then what else should houses be important for?
I think back to my childhood. Houses were happy places where people lived together. My house was always full of family activity. When we went to visit my great grandmothers house it was the same. The house served as a constant social gathering place.
And it was constant, there were always people coming, going, living their lives. Our family got together in huge groups for the holidays, but more importantly we were together almost all the time in varying group sizes.
Now I think about what I would do if I bought a house.
I would sit alone.
I would wake up alone, not make breakfast because I don’t like cooking for just myself, sit quietly in front of my computer, shower, go to work.
Come home, sit alone, play some video games.
If this is buying a house, I’ll pass.
Life as an individual is a pretty bland experience. Sure it’s great to “know yourself” and be self sufficient, but without your friends and family, who are you?
We define ourselves in relation to the people we surround ourselves with.
If we surround ourselves with no one, what does that say?
The point is that just buying a house for the purpose of having a house doesn’t seem to make sense. It might make good financial sense maybe, but that’s not enough motivation for me to do anything.
Ever since people have broken their bonds of family / friends in favor of financial good thinking, I’ve just felt strangely uncomfortable.
So if you want to come start a complex or small community of friends living in close proximity let me know. I’ll buy a big house and you can all move in or build a guest house in the back.
Until I have the people to make the house a home, I don’t think I want any part of it though.