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<blockquote data-quote="Beyond Borders" data-source="post: 1122606" data-attributes="member: 2067">The first world and the developing world both have their advantages and disadvantages, obviously. I'd say that in general my friends in the developing world tend to have a steadier baseline of happiness and fulfillment, even if they don't realize it (grass is always greener, etc).That being said, there are two things to keep in mind. I agree that being a drone is far from the only way to go in developed nations. That's a drastically simplified, skewed notion that loads the entire question. The first world is a great place to be if you have the presence of mind to take control of your own life and emotions. In other words, all the material for a fantastic life exists in the West, but you've got to go out of your way to put it all together in a manner that fulfills you. People who don't realize this or are unwilling to try, which is a pretty significant population, tend to have a lonely and depressed baseline, from what I can see. Unfortunately, the gravity of this cultural feature can suck down even the best of us sometimes.Second, the developing world is a FANTASTIC place to be if you've got a relatively robust budget. All in all, I think both &quot;worlds,&quot; so to speak, could stand to learn a lot from each other, or at the least both have a lot to teach the independent thinking man.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Beyond Borders, post: 1122606, member: 2067"] The first world and the developing world both have their advantages and disadvantages, obviously. I'd say that in general my friends in the developing world tend to have a steadier baseline of happiness and fulfillment, even if they don't realize it (grass is always greener, etc). That being said, there are two things to keep in mind. I agree that being a drone is far from the only way to go in developed nations. That's a drastically simplified, skewed notion that loads the entire question. The first world is a great place to be if you have the presence of mind to take control of your own life and emotions. In other words, all the material for a fantastic life exists in the West, but you've got to go out of your way to put it all together in a manner that fulfills you. People who don't realize this or are unwilling to try, which is a pretty significant population, tend to have a lonely and depressed baseline, from what I can see. Unfortunately, the gravity of this cultural feature can suck down even the best of us sometimes. Second, the developing world is a FANTASTIC place to be if you've got a relatively robust budget. All in all, I think both "worlds," so to speak, could stand to learn a lot from each other, or at the least both have a lot to teach the independent thinking man. [/QUOTE]

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