The phrase “digital nomads (游民)” suggests joyful people who escape their daily work to travel the world, working with laptops on beaches. Relevant statistics regularly made the headline “There will be one billion digital nomads by 2035”.

I started researching digital nomads in 2015, and it took me three years to develop an understanding of what might be going on. I’ve met hundreds of people who think of themselves as digital nomads and many more who have dreamed about becoming one. The first thing I learned is that how people feel about the label “digital nomad” changes over time. People starting out often assume it’s a permanent lifestyle, but that’s rarely the case. One of my respondents explained, “I don’t go around calling myself a digital nomad now. It’s a bit silly.” Indeed, there’s still debate about whether it’s a buzzword (时髦用语) or a real phenomenon. Some have even tried to figure out how “authentic” a digital nomad is, by how much they move from place to place. And there has been heated debate online about who’s a real digital nomad, and who is merely self-promoting.

Most of the digital nomads I spoke to, who once had well-paid jobs, told me that they were escaping from deeply-rooted problems in the contemporary Western workplace. One of my respondents, Lisette, a skilled translator from Hamburg, Germany, is able to produce high-quality work quickly. She is soon tired of the culture of presenteeism (出勤主义) at her workplace. She explained, “I’m efficient and I like to get the work done and leave on time. Others were obviously scared to leave first, so they would sit at their desks and play with their computers.”

Nearly 40% of British adults believe their jobs don’t make sense. Their housing is of poor quality and too expensive, and the economies don’t provide young people with wages they can live on. With these challenges, it’s hardly surprising that those new to the world are already desperate to escape. Yet there are certain complexities that come with living as a citizen of the world. As Lisette said, “Digital nomads can quickly become isolated.” Digital nomads have to shoulder responsibility for almost every aspect of modern life: their mental health, daily routine, income, safety and shelter. Most digital nomads travel on tourist visas, which requires them to move regularly-an experience my participants have described as disorienting (使人迷失方向的).

Being a digital nomad can be rewarding and offers an escape from the boring office hour. But it’s important that digital nomads think deeply about the importance of community and mental health in their lives. Freedom does not mean the same thing for everyone.

When it comes to hobbies and career, all of us have our own stories. As a little girl, my favorite thing to do was read — same as today. So I figured I’d be a librarian when I grew up. 【小题1】 The library had a two-book limit, but she knew I’d blow through those in just a few days, so she always let me check out a big stack.

Time passed quickly and I was in fourth grade. Our school librarian, Mrs. Ketelsen, sent some poems I’d written about dinosaurs to Highlights magazine. 【小题2】

At the University, though majoring in journalism, I quickly learned that I did not want to be a newspaper reporter. 【小题3】 It amuses almost everyone who knows me and thinks I’m outgoing. (I am, but only with people I know!) So I was thrilled when I was selected for a summer internship at Reader’s Digest.

Ten years after that, I came back to RD to work as an editor. 【小题4】 I’ve worked at other magazines too, but I’ve spent most of my career here, reading magazines, newspapers, websites, and books for stories we could condense (简缩); writing articles; even choosing jokes.

【小题5】 “The Tractor War” takes me home to the Midwest. “Something to Sneeze At” reminds me of all the sneezing I did when I moved to New York City and was suddenly allergic to grasses and trees... I relate to lots of our stories this month, and I hope you do too. Enjoy!

Keeping the spirits up

NASA has a new job listing, and it’s no joke. The US space agency (机构) is looking for a “joker” to join their planned mission (任务) to Mars.

A mission to Mars is no laughing matter. On average, the red planet is 140 million miles (225 million kilometers) away from Earth. A trip there would take around eight months in a small spacecraft. And Mars has a communications delay (延迟) of 20 minutes. This means that astronauts will have to wait 20 minutes for a reply, when an emergency happens.

“When you’re living with others in a confined space for a long period of time, such as on a mission to Mars, problems are likely to occur,” Jeffrey Johnson, a scientist at the University of Florida, told The Guardian.

This is probably why NASA wants an astronaut with a sense of humor. “These are people that have the ability to pull everyone together,” Johnson said.

In stressful situations, perhaps humor is a way to know we aren’t alone. By laughing together, we share our stress. Then we can focus on our jobs instead of just worrying.

There are other examples of team “clowns”. One example is the journey to the South Pole (南极) led by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. It was a difficult journey, full of danger. Adolf Lindstrom, a cook at Amundsen’s team, was a “clown”. He made people laugh through the whole journey. Amundsen later wrote that Lindstrom was the most valuable member of the team.

But if you’re hoping that your favorite TV comedian (喜剧演员) will fly to Mars, that probably won’t happen.

“Being funny won’t be enough to land somebody the job,” Johnson said. “They also need to be an excellent scientist and engineer.” Besides, they must be in top physical condition.