Get Me Outta Here

I cannot shake this feeling that the world and I are at odds. Everything about it feels like the opposite of how God intended for us to live. Some things just feel out of sync.

Take an average, American work day: Waking up, usually in a rush, sitting in traffic, staring into a screen, returning home. Repeat. The emptiness of this life can, at times, feel soul-crushing.

Modern America promotes a cruel and cyclical kind of loneliness that feels challenging to escape. Our consumerism is a perfect distraction from the ongoing, global conflicts that have not yet inconvenienced the American middle class.

The world and I are at odds. I no longer enjoy going outside. Spending money feels like a very deep inconvenience and living in the United States is very costly. I’m finding that most people are in a deep, deep state of slumber: a passive acceptance of the very somber atmosphere that has covered the nation.

I’ve been allowing myself to indulge in the fantasy of moving outside of the United States to another country. Through some internet research (YouTube), I’ve learned that there are American expatriates (people who reside outside of their native country) in many places, all over the world. Places like Portugal, Mexico, Spain, Panama, Costa Rica, South Africa, Ghana, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and the Philippines host many Americans that have decided to exit.

I have been feeling trapped in this country. The atmosphere has felt somber and sad. I feel tired of living this American life. I want to travel and, maybe, find a new home, that can be a place for me to experience the freedom, joy, and community that I crave.

Ashley D. Chandrashekhar