#31. Staying in one place or moving in search of another place?
While moving to a new place can be a traumatic experience, especially for children, I believe that in the end its benefits outweigh its drawbacks. Moving to a new place to live increases a person's understanding of the world, offers new challenges and opportunities, and does not preclude putting down deep roots at some point in the future.
One of the greatest benefits of traveling is learning about a new and different place. Traveling to a new place to live deepens and enriches the sense of newness and learning that a visitor might feel. A new place means a new, perhaps different job, and new and different friends. Learning the diverse viewpoints of a new place not only presents totally new information; it also casts a new light on old viewpoints. Often moving to a new place teaches people more about the place that they are from. Old, seemingly mundane foods, customs, and language are suddenly new again viewed in the context of a radically different environment. Through comparisons of old and new places, friends, and ideas, people become more knowledgeable about the world and about themselves.
A new place offers interesting possibilities for personal and professional development. Even though in a new place people lacks deep connections, they also lack prejudices and rivalries. Often people move to new places to escape uncomfortable situations that have hampered their personal growth. If I have a long-standing feud with my neighbor, I might eventually move to a new place to start over in peace. New places naturally have their own local politics, but learning about them and finding a way to prosper is like starting life with a clean slate. Every opportunity is available to newcomers to pursue because the local people do not have preconceived ideas about them.
Some people would say that truly settling down in one place and making deep and lasting connections is preferable to moving every few years. I say that true friendships can be maintained over distance, and that people will be happiest when they discover a place that is truly the best for them. How can people really know what place is best for them if they have only lived in one place and have no basis for comparison? Moving once, or even several times does not mean that a person can never settle down in one, but it does ensure that he/she truly like and understand the place that he/she does settle down in.
31. 留守一地还是远走他方?
虽然搬到一个新地方对人们尤其是小孩子来说会是一段痛苦难忘的经历，但我认为最终它还是利大于弊。搬到新地方居住能够增加对世界的理解，带来新的挑战和机遇，也并不妨碍将来在某地扎根。
旅行的最大好处之一就是可以对一个新的不同的地方有所了解。行至一个新地方居住深化丰富了游客可能感到的新奇与见识。新地方意味着全新的、可能是不同的工作和朋友。了解新地方的不同观念不仅展现了全新的情况，也对旧观点有所启发。经常搬到新的地方使人们对原来居住的地方会更加了解。在完全不同的环境下看来，旧的、似乎是普通的食品、习惯和语言突然间又一次变成了新的。通过对新旧地方、朋友和观念的比较，人们会加深对世界和自身的认识。
在个人和职业发展方面，新的地方提供了有趣的可能。尽管在新的地方一个人缺少深厚的关系，他们同样也不会有偏见和竞争。人们搬到新的地方经常是为了逃避阻碍他们个人成长的困境。如果我与我的邻居有夙仇，我最后很可能会搬到一个新的地方平静地重新开始。新的地方自然会有他们自己的地方政治，学习它们并找到成功的办法就像从清白的历史上重新开始生活一样。对于新来者每个机会都是可以去把握的，因为当地人对他们没有任何先入为主的看法。
有人会说真正在一个地方安顿下来并建立深厚持久的关系比没几年就搬一次家要好。我认为真正的友谊可以跨越距离，当人们发现一个地方真正最适合他们时他们才会最快乐。如果一个人只是住在一个地方而没有比较的根据，那他如何知道什么样的地方最适合他呢？搬一次或几次家并不意味着永远不在一个地方安顿下来，但这确实可以保证他或她安顿下来的地方是他或她真正喜欢并理解的地方。
- traumatic ［trɔ:ˈmætik］ adj. 痛苦难忘的
- knowledgeable ［ˈna:lidʒəbəl］ adj. 知识渊博的
- outweigh ［autˈwei］ v. 在重量或价值等上超过
- prejudice ［ˈpredʒədis］ n. 偏见，成见
- preclude ［priˈklu:d］ n. 排除
- hamper ［ˈhæmpə］ v. 妨碍，牵制
- put down roots（人）扎根（某地）
- prosper ［ˈpra:spə］ v. 成功，兴隆
- cast a light on 使有新认识
- clean slate 清白的历史
- mundane ［ˈmʌndein］ adj. 世俗的，平凡的
- feud ［fju:d］n. 不和， (部落或家族间的) 世仇
- context ［ˈka:ntekst］ n. 上下文；背景
- preconceived ［ˌpri:kənˈsi:vd］adj. 先入为主的
- radically ［ˈrædikəli］ adv. 根本上