As a society we’ve resisted the urge to become fixed.

As people transitioned from a hunter-gatherer to a sedentary lifestyle, we developed tools that still allowed us to project ourselves. If things weren’t working out in one location, then we moved to another.

Sometimes we are forced to move due to conditions such as war, famine, poor farming conditions, or more opportunity elsewhere. Families often move to be closer to other family members or to take new jobs in other cities, states, or countries. Generations ago, you may have only moved when you needed to, but presently it’s acceptable to simply go where you need to go. The actual movement across great physical distances doesn’t seem to matter.

Shifting across cultures, however, is more difficult for people to do. Moving from a place where there was one way of seeing, thinking, and doing to another can be intimidating. It requires a flexible worldview and a strong sense of self. There is also the possibility that you may not be welcome until people develop a better understanding of who you are. The more time you spend in a foreign country, for instance, the more you will start to be like that culture. It becomes a part of you.