If I were living in a one-room apartment with a squat toilet and shared showers back home, I would probably be in the depths of depression. But only because I would be surrounded by friends who own houses or rent large apartments. I would feel “poor” by comparison.
But over here, everyone is in the same boat. All of my friends are on the same scholarship, so we are all forced to share the same standard of living. We all live in one-room apartments. We all pull in the same income each month. Some of my friends live in places where they share kitchens and toilets. I feel rich by comparison. It’s all relative.
This comment from Sarah Marchildon in Kyoto really, really struck me. How much of my desires around our house shaped by our actual needs, and how much by comparison with the homes of friends and peers?
You know, I just may give up on the three-room Wii parlour. Maybe.
Posted via web from robcottingham’s posterous
