I'm no an open borders loon by any stretch of the imagination. Strong borders are a fundamental, existential need for any country.
That being said, I am sad at the consequences of any borders at all. On one hand, it's cool that 1.3 billion Indians don't all simultaneously latch on to the side of a train into Europe, under the Channel and arrive in London and make themselves comfortable permanently.
But on the other hand, I can't go live in, say, Australia, or Vancouver in Canada. I've aged out. Talent visas only take you if you're under 30. Talent itself requires, well, the talent. Years of education specifically in desired fields.
These were never priorities when I was at the age I could have made these things happen. The fact is, I need to learn to love the options I've been given in life. Sure, I can really dig into the weeds, save up a couple of million dollars for a 'Trump Card' or something and move to a rainy forest-ey town bordering Canada or whatever, but by the time I've spent so long on that singular goal I'll be in my cold, cold grave.
A part of me wishes I could, by means of being British, just be accepted into former British colonies, say thanks to my ancestors, and just chill in the X-files-esque forested towns with gorgeous, cloudy mountain views.
Just a random pin drop in Vancouver. You just don't get that vibe in England.
Houses just casually existing at this size and quality? Mythical in the UK. And those that do exist will set you back tens of millions.
To have the combination of a vast forest of giant trees, a backdrop of mountains, fishing lakes as far as the eye can see, all while being practically walking distance from downtown? Genuinely non-existent.
Envy through my blood.
I get a lot of USA envy too. Americans are often mental that they 'escape' the USA because Trump is in power or whatever. And I certainly get it if you're in a political bubble or in one of those extremely deprived shitholes in Chicago or something your whole life.
But damn, Some of those towns (which I have explored in the past here on Hive) are just unimaginable levels of peace and beauty. I moaned about my USA envy before here.
I'm often reminded, then forget, then remind myself again, how uniquely beautiful the UK can be. But at this point in history, you need to be seriously wealthy to really get to the quality of life an Average Australian has.
Here's a random pin drop in one of the most famously beautiful areas of the UK, Keswick:
I can't say I'm feeling particularly envious.
I guess we're all given a lot in life we'd rather not have to some extent unless you're one of the 0.001% extremely lucky folk out there. Best to make the best of what we got, eh? Strive for greatness, but don't sulk when it don't happen.
Besides, it ain't all *that *bad.
