“You are a champ. Most of us, even if we did find the holy grail would either be too selfish or more likely shy and embarrassed to ever come out publicly the way you have. Your generosity of spirit is truly amazing.” – John, New Zealand
SECRETS the US media NEVER tells you about!
If you are an average American, here are some truths and comparisons that the US media is not telling you which you probably don't know, but are important and relevant to life. Most Americans subconsciously think that they are in the best place in the world and therefore, whatever problems they have must be the same or even worse in other countries. They could not be more wrong...
The following is common knowledge among American and British expats but unknown to the US mainstream population. Some expats prefer that these truths remain secret for selfish reasons, but I believe that a good thing should be shared and discussed openly, so that ignored problems are understood and dealt with, not denied.
- America is one of the worst cultures (if not the worst) for Social Life, Dating and Mental Health. (See here for an expanded explanation) This is very easy to prove, but very HARD to say, because it's so taboo. While America is a great country with technological advancements, well-meaning people, and offers many nice luxuries and amenities, what it does NOT offer is a culture and environment conducive to natural healthy relationships, friendships and self-esteem/mental health, but instead offers the exact opposite. Its socially dysfunctional culture has left many lonely, isolated, alienated, insecure, dateless and sexless. All of this is ignored by the US media which focuses on economic issues, feeds you terrible news about the world, and tells you to keep working and consuming in order to be happy. Going abroad has been the only real effective solution that has worked consistently and naturally for the average person.
- In America, people have this box or bubble around them. "Every man is an island", so to speak. There is no sense of human connectedness at all. People don't talk to strangers unless it's business related, and when you go out, generally no one talks to you unless they want to sell you something. Most people do not know their neighbors. The culture and values inherently divides people and doesn't unite them. Social division is everywhere in America and is the norm. As a result, many naturally feel disconnected, fragmented, insecure, unworthy, depressed, isolated, alone and lonely. But of course, they blame themselves for it, rather than the culture or the environment, which keeps them from discussing it. For some reason these things are never discussed publicly, only privately. Most people are in denial about it, afraid to talk about it, or assume that it's normal. Thus there is a deafening silence about something so obvious. But in most other countries, there is a much more natural sense of connectedness. You don't have to feel this, you just know it. People do not carry around a thick psychological wall or bubble around them. They aren't as anti-social, reserved or stuck up. Instead, they talk to strangers like they already know them, with an "instant familiarity" vibe. As a result, human relationships, friendships and dating are much healthier and more natural. Mental health and social life are generally much better outside North America. See my article about this here.
- The above is especially helpful if you like to meet beautiful girls. When you see a girl you like in most countries, you are allowed to meet her and express an interest in her. It is acceptable and not seen as "creepish, inappropriate or out of bounds" like it is in the US. In other words, when you see an attractive girl, you are allowed to do something about it, instead of just watching her pass into oblivion like you're forced to in the US. See my approachable faces gallery for examples as well as my photo collage.
- In most other countries, dating happens naturally and smoothly without effort. Boy meets girl, they flirt and express interest in each other, go out, hold hands, say "I like you" to each other, kiss, cuddle and so forth. But in the US it is awkward and unnatural. It does not happen easily and men feel like they have to have "game" or master some "techniques" to get women, all of which is unnatural and mostly fails anyway. My photo collage demonstrates how easy and natural this is in other countries.
- In most other countries, attractive girls do not always tell you that they are taken, like they do in the US. You can always find plenty of attractive girls who say they are single, available and want to get to know you.
- In most other countries, people do not go to therapists or mental health professionals when they are stressed or burdened by problems like in America. They have many close friends to talk to and their social environment is not as dysfunctional, isolated and fragmented as in the US. Going to a therapist or psychologist is mostly a US thing. It's not normal in the rest of the world.
For some reason though, when you openly mention any of the above descriptions and comparisons, people are shocked, offended or delighted (if they agree), depending on their inner state of affairs. Or they get defensive and deny it all or resort to attacking and ridiculing you. It's as if mentioning such obvious things violates some kind of unspoken boundary, as if such things are forbidden and taboo to point out. But the truth is, mental health, self-esteem, social life and love are very IMPORTANT areas of life that contribute to one's happiness and well being, and hence anything that affects them ought to be very RELEVANT to us. Therefore, placing such truths into the "forbidden" category is just plain wrong to me. But our society, media and culture instead prefers only to focus on economic issues that involve jobs, money, business affairs, etc. Thus economic concerns are considered the only relevant issues in life, and people are programmed to think that. They are the only safe and normal topics that we are supposed to discuss, and most conform to that. But that is not right in my view. Just as the body needs a balanced set of nutrients, a person's soul, quality of life and psychological well being also has a balanced set of needs which are not limited to financial or monetary concerns only. Happier Abroad is one of the few sites out there that helps correct this, bringing light and attention to such ignored but important areas of life.
If you're interested in these truths and how they may change your life, feel free to browse the rest of the site content on the
Home Page.
Otherwise, you can return to the fake world of the US media where you are fed mindless entertainment, terrible stories to keep you living in fear and paranoia, and told that working and consuming alone makes you happy.
