It's Not Worth The Commute

I visited my brother for a priority situation on an afternoon weekday recently. He lives approximately 43 miles from my house. The drive time during non-commute is 45 minutes. My drive time during commute was 1 hour and 40 minutes. The increase was 122%. Ridiculous. There was one minor accident my judgment said no increase in driving time. My brother told me he knows people who commute up to 2 hours from his neighborhood to Silicon Valley pending accidents.

Fortunately, my brother works in the same city he lives. His commute is 5-10 minutes. He's lucky. The unfortunate people who commute at least 43 miles to work may be gaining short term financial gains living in a cheaper cost of living region. I believe the long term costs are more than money. Let's say the average commute from my brother's city to Silicon Valley is 1 hour and 30 minutes or 90 minutes to make the numbers easier to calculate. Multiple 90 minutes by two for a round trip workday. The commuter drives 180 minutes or three hours a day. Multiple 180 minutes by five for a work week. The commuter sits in his car driving 15 hours a week to and from work.

15 hours a week in a car adds stress to the person physically sitting down, mentally concentrating on the road especially after the workday is completed, emotionally feeling to unwind, spiritually desperate needing rest, and financially paying the costs of the car. The person spends too much time on the road. It affects well-being. There is too much time on the road for which it can be spent on personal fulfillment. For example, more time to sleep, more time to learn new job skills, more time to socialize, and more time for physical fitness. If the person is a parent, then more time spent raising children.

Money means nothing if a person is in no condition to live a good life. I fail to see people driving long commutes living a good life from the middle years to later years. The commute hours add up. We're human. The body can take so much inactivity in a car. I don't see myself living miles away from work just to save a few bucks on cost of living. The present moment living in an affordable house or affordable living region may cost the future a higher rate of aging due to lack of physical activity, lower mental endurance, poor sleep, and smaller circle of friends. Money sitting in a bank is nothing. It's not worth it.

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