February 23, 2010

Poor countries are not that poor and rich countries are not that rich

***Poor countries are not that poor and rich countries are not that rich.

The media in most rich countries likes to present a sorry picture of what life is like in the so-called poor countries. People are portrayed as living in slums, starving and dreaming of emigrating to a richer country so that they could live a better life and greater freedom. What they do not tell you is that while people would like to go to a richer country, most often than not, they would like to return back to their country to live once they have more cash.

Why? Well, for the simple reason that there is no place like home. Home is where feelings are. That is the place where you grew up and formed attachments to people, streets, language, culture and music and a myriad other things. That is the place where you feel more or less comfortable with the world around you, where things are known and possible future events are predictable, where you had your first love and where you have family and friends. You know the rules of society there, the do's and the don'ts in most social situations and this is probably where you would like to be if various social, political or financial situations would not chase you away in search of economic opportunities.

For those who do not leave the poorer countries for greener pastures, life is still not so bad. Unless you have actual war and starvation or genocide going on or unless you are a member of a hated minority group that is constantly harassed by both the people and the government, you may not have such a bad life.

If you are a poor man in many poor countries, you will have many advantages that poor people in the West do not. For one, since there are not that many opportunities to advance, there are many other poor people around you who will provide you with sympathy and camaraderie. Unlike in the West, you will not be ostracized. Since you are in it together with millions of other not-so-rich folks, you will have friends and be able to find a lover, often quite attractive, from millions of working poor women. Unlike in the West, these women will not be stuck up and not dreaming of marrying into a rich family since there are very few rich families to marry into.

If you work hard enough, you will be able to start a small business and since poorer countries are less regulated than richer, developed countries, you will most probably be able to start by setting up a small stall and selling fried chicken to the local poor. All without having to apply for business and health permits and without having to have huge amounts of capital as you would in the west.

In slums, particularly in those located in tropical countries, life is not as bad as the Western media would like to have you believe, either. You either pay no rent or pay very little. There are plenty of humble, friendly women to date and you do not need a car to take them out. You can just walk to their house. Neighbors will help you with food and small loans if you have no money. Children can play without the fear of being chased away by the cops for loitering or obstructing traffic. There are few laws that regulate the lives of the slum people. If the slum is near the sea, you also have access to fish and various seaside type entertainment such as swimming, snorkeling and just basking in the sun. Therefore, if you ever end up in a tropical slum of a poorer country, you will often notice that the people there are among the happiest and friendliest people on earth.

If you go to the countryside you will see that people are even happier there. They have their own land, free and clear which provides them with basic necessities all year around- fresh eggs, fresh bananas and fresh air. Whatever consumable items that you cannot obtain directly from the land you work on, can be purchased cheaply and easily from local stores. No mortgage, no taxes and even if there is crime, it will be minimal as everyone knows each other and a suspicious stranger will be watched very closely. People that are not strangers will have little impetus to commit a crime as everybody knows your every move and you will be quickly denounced, punished and chased out of the community.

People, particularly women in such a healthy environment will be largely free from mental disorders as well as character disorders such as arrogance, greed and selfishness. Also there is no paranoia that comes with thinking of where the next paycheck is going to come from for you to pay your mortgage, insurance and taxes.

People in such places are generally religious, traditional and obtain solutions to their problems through daily communion with nature, God and other generous and humble people around them who are willing to lend a helping hand and advice based on folk wisdom. Women coming from families in places like these will most probably make the best wives one can imagine. They may not have the sophistication of some slick city girls but whatever knowledge they need to make you happy, can be taught by you later. What is most important is that the fundamental character will be very wholesome and everything else can be built up on top of that.

Because in many poorer countries basic commodities are cheap, many people do not have to worry about not being able to afford clothing, matches or soap.

Of course, there are exceptions to the rule- there are some countries where things are quite expensive- but in most poorer countries, they are not.

Believe it or not, there are even organizations that measure the happiness level of nations. Based on some surveys the happiest people seem to be in poorer Asian countries- Indonesia, Bangladesh, Philippines. The least happy seem to be in Japan, Hong Kong and other rich countries. So, being developed is not a guarantee that people will become happier. Maybe, it is a sure way to render the society even less happy.

Those who have lived in poorer countries for a long time and watched them develop into newly industrialized nations would often notice that as the economic and technological progress would set its foot in the country, so the spiritual and social characteristics of the nation as a whole would go in the other direction. People would become more selfish, less helpful and develop sever mental problems. The ones who would become richer, would also become more arrogant and less sociable. Such rich people appear happy but in an unhealthy, abnormal and smug way. Their "happiness" is often just the sense of power that they can have over the masses of the poor people underneath them.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I don't think all people in poor countries are kind and honest. Eg. there is a HUGE amount of petty crime in Eastern Europe, as almost all people know they will never improve their lives & Police won't help average people. However, I can live with being pick-pocketed, but I cannot live with being rejected by 100% of people in the US, so I basically agree with your article.

Anonymous said...

Great article. Helps make the point that the US feminists are wrong when they imply a good woman will marry an American man she doesn't like in order to "escape" a place like Eastern Europe including Russia, etc (the IMBRA law implies all foreign women may as well be child prostitutes in that they supposedly do not have the power to decide for themselves whom to marry and where to live because their conditions were too "dire" and "horrific" back home). IMHO the quality of life in Russia is better than in the USA. Maybe the hospitals are better in the USA but, then again, I have seen rich friends and family die in the US because greedy doctors wanted them to be operated on and given incredibly expensive chemotherapy.

I was pick-pocketed once in Poland 10 years ago and a taxi driver never tried to find me after I left a 100 Euro cell phone in his cab a year ago. But that kind of crime happens in New York just as much (especially the non-returning of left items).

Anonymous said...

I have lived in both Ukraine and Philippines. First a comment to Ann. Ukraine/Russian has an idea of just look after oneself and their immediate family. They have a word "clever" to mean making money at someone else is expense. This is thought of as good. The wealthy care very little about the poor.

Most people don't want to leave their country. I have been seriously involved with women from both countries and neither was in any hurry to immigrate to a rich country. They were perfectly happy for me to live in their country with them.

The USA should worry less about the "poor" Russian women who are not desperate, and more about their own love struck desperate men who get used and abused by these conning women. For every man that takes advantage of a Russian there are 100 Russian scammers that are taking advantage of Western men at all level. Just look at the explosion of Russian dating sites. Things are much better there than they were 10 years ago, but what has happened is the Russians have learned they can be "clever" on all level so this makes a real good business.

On the happiness surveys Russia and Ukraine score at the bottom. Which I believe is because most everyone is out to be "clever" at expense of everyone else.

Countries in SE Asia and Latin America score the highest on these happiness surveys. Much of this is because of the lack of materialism. They have shown that countries as they become more wealthy the people are not happier because they always compare themselves to their neighbors.