they call it "flexibility"

It's a bit of a joke really.

You can read European writers describing their connection to a place, its language and people.

And I can hear students virtually convicting me for possessing no tender feelings toward my "nation"....(As if to love one's family is not enough!).....

Yet, as I think of my life:  where was I supposed to put down roots?  And when would I have formed the deep attachments that Europeans feel?  It wasn't possible.

I moved from one region of the country (with a distinctive accent) to another (with a very different regional accent) when I was five.
I attended a university far from my family.
I attended a second university even further away.
And, as a professional, I could not secure a job in one location, but was
forced to move yearly--with the exception of an illusory four-year stay in one Midwestern city........

So, my life was perfectly executed so as to prevent any deep connection to a place.
You cannot miss something you have never had.