Why do Americans think that the United States is the greatest country ?

[my life is trash]

As A Canadian this baffles me.

[Gregoryjuddy]

What if the very act of leaving America is just a temporary fix for deeper emotional issues? Can you truly find happiness and fulfillment abroad without addressing the root causes of your discontent, or is the allure of overseas life just a distraction from personal growth?

[Winston]

What if the very act of leaving America is just a temporary fix for deeper emotional issues? Can you truly find happiness and fulfillment abroad without addressing the root causes of your discontent, or is the allure of overseas life just a distraction from personal growth?

If you go abroad like I did in 2002 you discover all that we talk about for yourself and in person. I don't trust anything the media says either, both the mainstream media and independent media. First hand experience is what counts. The root causes are with the culture and environment, not with us. So to address that, we simply go somewhere better. Why fix a place if it can't be fixed? That's like trying to save the sinking Titanic rather than leave the ship. It's foolhardy and doesn't make sense. Of course traveling is a temporary fix, but if you move abroad then it is a permanent fix. Location matters. The self help movement never tells you that. That's why we are here.

[Rygar1]

What if the very act of leaving America is just a temporary fix for deeper emotional issues? Can you truly find happiness and fulfillment abroad without addressing the root causes of your discontent, or is the allure of overseas life just a distraction from personal growth?

If you go abroad like I did in 2002 you discover all that we talk about for yourself and in person. I don't trust anything the media says either, both the mainstream media and independent media. First hand experience is what counts. The root causes are with the culture and environment, not with us. So to address that, we simply go somewhere better. Why fix a place if it can't be fixed? That's like trying to save the sinking Titanic rather than leave the ship. It's foolhardy and doesn't make sense. Of course traveling is a temporary fix, but if you move abroad then it is a permanent fix. Location matters. The self help movement never tells you that. That's why we are here.

Win, I always wondered if you've ever noticed a change in overseas countries. We agree that american culture has gotten considerably worse over the decades, but do other countries still hold thier own two decades after you had your 'awakening'

[vlkmo]

I think the negative culture stuff will eventually fatigue and collapse on itself, the real question is what cultural things will replace it? It can't indefinitely sustain itself.

[Rygar1]

I think the negative culture stuff will eventually fatigue and collapse on itself, the real question is what cultural things will replace it? It can't indefinitely sustain itself.

I wonder that as well. Was there ever a point when it was 'ideal'? Many people point to the 50s and 60s for example. I wasn't alive then, but it seems reasonable. I remember the 90s being pretty good. Societies change and evolve over time, often for the worst. Technology certainly plays a big part, imo. Many folks realize you can't control much and put their faith in God, for example, Mr Man.

[MrMan]

As A Canadian this baffles me.

This was a more common belief in the past, I think, and probably not as common among Americans on this forum.

The US has the largest economy and the largest military, so it can be seen as 'greatest' from that perspective. Americans have historically gotten some measure of indoctrination into the greatness of their country at school, though the last decade saw some self-loathing or loathing of whites in the educational system.

[Gregoryjuddy]

Is the pursuit of happiness abroad a form of escapism or a genuine path to self-discovery? As you consider leaving the familiar behind, what fears or unresolved issues might you be trying to escape, and how do you envision confronting these challenges in a new environment?

[Mercury]

As A Canadian this baffles me.

Because Americans are brainwashed to see all other countries outside the USA as iron-fisted authoritarian dictatorships, like North Korea for example. To Americans, all "monarch" countries are dictatorships, and "monarch" is merely another name for a dictator that rules with an iron fist. Also, Americans are brainwashed to believe that all other countries outside the USA are crime and gang ridden ghetto countries, overflowing with violent gangs, murders, shootings, robberies, assaults, lawlessness, cocaine, heroin, marijuana, trafficking, terrorist bombings, and other violent crime, and that social atmospheres breed violent crime. And Americans are brainwashed to believe that, if people don't go to jail for talking to strangers in a non-business format, America would become another war zone, like even Syria or Iraq.

[vlkmo]

Maybe that's an exaggeration and a caricature. Americans are nationalistic or patriotic, yes, but I doubt a lot believe that Western Europe (except for in the last two decades) was a totalitarian state.