As I think about the reasons why we decided to try out life in Mexico, it all comes down to quality of life.
Economists have long-since attempted to separate externalities from the economic policies that create them.
If the gas company puts toxic waste in our water, that is an externality of the process of making money in the capitalist system. It doesn’t count - not the cost, no the negative affect it has on the rest of us. That company passes on negative affects like disease, cancer, and literal retardation to us, the people who live on this land, and somehow don’t have to factor those costs or ramifications into their production or pricing.
Our life & death is not factored in.
GDP goes up (a notoriously bullshit unit of measure, especially when trying to indicate quality of life) and we all stomach the negative affects of other people making money.
McDonald’s poisoning our bodies, Honeywell making cluster bombs, BP spilling its oil in THE GULF OF MEXICO (not the Gulf of America, fuck off Donny)… etc etc etc etc.
Since our founding as a country, the United States has been a playground for investment of capital and the accumulation of wealth. To say it is anything more is dishonest propaganda. That is why those white guys fled other white guys that wanted to tax them - they wanted no checks & balances. They wanted to be free to harvest all the benefits and pass off all the negatives.
This is the problem with unbridled capitalism.
This is why the United States is not the best in anything other than making and using weapons of war. Wait, we are also pretty good at habitually underinvesting in infrastructure so massive corporations can make that much more money.
Tax the billionaires marginally more and reduce the warmongering, and it’s all doable. Don’t tell me about anything else - it’s all rationalizations for this fucked up status quo.
The reality, is that the United States ranks very low among other global nations in almost every single indicator that we use as barometers for quality of life.
The things the USA is unequivocally #1 in, is defense spending and children dying due to guns. We are also a good place to invest, build wealth, and start companies, but even so, we are not #1.
The reality is that the USA is ALL branding.
Since the second we popped out our mama’s bellies we were regaled with stories of our unbridled and almost god-given exceptionalism - which is most obviously brainwashing.
If China was doing the same thing, Americans would call it what it was……
You don’t wanna leave, they say! There is no better place on earth! We are the (undisputed) best! That is what propaganda is - the incessant messaging of certain falsehoods in an effort to make them seem real.
It really has everything to do with our long yet short history of being the modern capitalist extension of the European colonialism that looked to vacuum up resources form other lands to sell and leverage at home.
Period.
Check this wild shit out… I have spent over a quarter million dollars in health insurance premiums over the last 10 years. I got nothing in exchange for that… other than delaying/precluding my financial success.
I have not received quality care in any sense of the word. In fact, I have had to pay above and beyond that to find support for health issues our family has endured, and any gain has always come outside the traditional medical establishment.
The USA ranks 48th in life expectancy.
What fucking good is freedom if I am sick or dead?
When are we going to question the stories we are told about what our culture is and say enough is enough?
When will our paltry indicators in these important areas like health, education, environmental protection, and equity, finally come home to roost?
Since moving…
My budget has shrunk 40%
My children’s education has improved by at least 20x
My digestion and stomach issues are much better because I am not eating processed food
We found a doctor that is actually helping us improve our health
I’ve lost 10lbs because I walk everywhere instead of sit in my car all the time
I have tapped into the things I don’t actually need, that make life in the USA stressful, rushed, reactive, and unhealthy.
This CNN article explains how we spend the most on healthcare in the US yet have the worst results of any wealthy nation. Not a fan of CNN? I am happy to send you 10 other sources for the same info.
This is because in the USA, we are meat for the grinder. We are fuel for capitalism. Don’t tell me capitalism is the engine of innovation - horseshit. Does Comcast act like they have any incentive to give you better service? Of course not. They are trying to reduce costs and keep you on the chat line with someone in Bangalore while they email you fine print that says you’re fucked.
These questions are helping me figure out where myself and my family fit best…
What do we actually need?
What DON’T we need?
Can we slow down?
Is the story we are being told bullshit?
We all don’t have to move to Mexico for 5 months to start decoupling from the insanity… but my experience is certainly making the contrast all the more obvious. Maybe it’s an Amazon hiatus, a new walking routine, finding someone reliable to help with our health & wellness, or cutting out a range of processed foods from our diet…
It is harder to view things clearly from inside any bubble.
And now that I am outside it, this is hard to unsee.
I also know that if I am not shaping my life in intentional ways that I can’t expect others to.
Change certainly does start inside us…
So what about living in the USA do you want to change most??
Reply to this email with the #1 (2 or 3) things you’d change about life in the USA and I will use it as data for creating some type of offering that highlights tips & strategies for decoupling from the insanity of modern American life.
One step at a time, amigos…
Time to think big.