Sanders explains how the very core of society is on the belief that “our promised land has always been over the next ridge or at the end of the trail, never under our feet.” (6-8). He uses historical anecdotes to show that the human race has always had “restless movers” and that “this nation is comprised of those restless movers.” (2-3). He reminds us the Spaniards devastated Central and South America because of their desire to discover new lands and conquer them. Sanders shows us that the Dust Bowl was caused by farmers bringing crops that were not suitable for the terrain. He compares the need to move and society’s worst fate to be “in some dead-end job or unglamorous marriage of played-out game” (15-17). Sanders explains that human are trained to believe that if they should “stand still, you die” (17). He shows us in this quote how society views resting in one place for too long.
Sanders also informs his audience of the environmental and special harm that comes from migration. He explains of how “in [the northern] hemisphere, many of the worst abusers – of land, forests, animals, and communities – have been carried out by people who root themselves in ideas rather than places.” (44-47). Because of migration, Sanders argues, some of America’s worst tragedies have come. When colonists came to the new world, they brought with them “slavery, smallpox, and Norway rats” (55-56). Sanders states that the worst problems in