This place isn’t real!, I tell my brother on the phone. And the most amazing part is that it is. It is as real as my life back home, but I still can’t believe it.
I started to think what amazed me the most, either the clean air, the clean streets, the bus, the mountains, the cars that did stop in the stop signals, the recycling bins or the snow. I couldn’t choose a winner; Why do I have a feeling back home we are living on the Stone Age?
I wondered why everything looked better, even when I know my beloved Mexico doesn’t have to prove the world how magical it is. Mexico owns such a unique, mysterious and joyful beauty painted in lavender jacaranda colours, seasoned with salt and lemon (real lemons), spreading effortless beauty. Kept thinking about it for a while. It’s not that we are cavemen, it’s that we really live in a different world, a developing one.
Acknowledging the importance of taking care of the planet, for a person who is used to take extra precautions in their daily life to survive, recycling may not be their concern number one. May sound a bit strange but we have adapted to live in constant danger. The relevance of the problems here and in Mexico looked so different, but they aren’t. They are both vital for human survival, the difference is the emergency level of each of them.
The main difference relies on the time frame we are focused on. While Mexicans live on a day to day basis, First world efforts are dedicated to future generations. It’s understandable, they haved surpassed survival mode and can focus on cultivating themselves, art and technology. We need people to stay focus on long term goals.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure crimes are committed all around the world, but I bet most people in developed countries don’t have an extra wallet and a fake phone on their cars to give in in case of an assault. They don’t change their parents’ name on their cellphone so if it gets robbed the thief wouldn’t identify their numbers. They have higher odds to arrive back home safe after a party.
The beauty of the Mexican is that even in those harsh conditions, we look for joy. We have so many emotions inside us that we end up craving art, culture and fulfilment, against or even because of the way we have lived so far.
Just as Maslow’s pyramid show, with guaranteed safety, you end up having lots of spare time to focus a bit further on the steps. There is time for science and art, for exercise and friends, for culture and knowledge, for purpose and future goals. There is enough time to care about long term goals.
As different as both realities may seem to each other, they both exist. And I’m sure there are as many realities as people on the planet. Our task now is understanding each individual’s perspective to work towards a common goal.
I love that you still embrace your roots despite all the challenges your culture brings upon your life and I love that you acknowledge/are aware of the this perspectival difference in how you think about the world because of your culture. It’s something I really resonate with and respect. I’m just a huge sucker for ‘culture’. It is SO fascinating to learn and see how people on the same planet can behave in different ways and have values that are completely different. It’s also crazy to see the impact of cultural differences in emotions. I loved your part on how through all the chaos and harsh conditions your country endures, your culture is one that still seeks for joy. I’ve always wanted to look into this more. I want to learn how people find joy despite the negative circumstances they might be in. Ultimately, I want to know how different cultures seek happiness. It’s a weird thought and a very privileged thought (I mean the fact that I can even have time to think of happiness versus survival), but is the source of happiness for someone in South East Asia, for example, or Africa, different from mine? And if so, how different? Or do we all find happiness in the same things?
Thank you for your comment Rachel!
I’m not sure if we as a culture are constantly seeking for joy, despite or precisely because of, the sometimes harsh conditions that we live in. If you are interested in multicultural happiness, there is an amazing study called the “Happiness Report” that is done every year across countries. The report outstands the high level of happiness of Latin America, despite the high corruption rates, violence, and sharp disparity of income distribution. The study suggests Latin America happiness is founded on “the abundance of family warmth and other supportive social relationships”. I’ll attach a couple of links that I think you will like 🙂
Happiness Report: http://worldhappiness.report/ed/2018/
Latin America Happiness Report: https://s3.amazonaws.com/happiness-report/2018/CH6-WHR-lr.pdf
And finally, a link to the award-winner director Guillermo del Toro’s interview “Because I’m Mexican”: https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/guillermo-del-toro-mexican_us_5a551394e4b0efe47ebdaa32
Hey Ana!!!
Your blog post about first world problems is so enlightening! Being born and raised in Vancouver, I’ve never really known what life was truly like in other parts of the world. I truly appreciated your outlook of the city that I call home and would absolutely love to visit your part of the world some time in the future! I love how you embrace the differences between Vancouver and Mexico. I still may not know what it means to be in a “survival mode” but I certainly got a little glimpse into what it may entail through your blog post. I believe there is a lot of benefit from living in a “day to day” time frame as opposed to one that is future oriented. To me, living in a day-to-day timeframe means that you’re living in the moment, being present in all that you do. I’ve always felt that people in “first world coutnries” are less happy than developing countries because they’re focused on things that may not even manifest into fruition, worrying and stressing over petty things. Thank you for sharing your perspective, I truly appreciate the insight that you’ve broughten me through this blog post!
-Kevin
Hi Ana,
I just wanted to focus on the first 2 paragraphs of your post, as they really struck a chord with me!
I completely relate and empathise with this. Coming from a developing country myself, I think I have come to appreciate the fact that environmental responsibility and sustainability are often linked to economic stability, income distribution and privelege! For many people back home, the first instinct and need is survival, as you stated above- anything else comes second.
Hi Ana,
I loved your blog posts about the differences you notice between Canada and Mexico. I find it very interesting the cultural differences between living day to day, and then thinking long term into the future. I personally think living day to day is more fulfilling, and I agree with you – you get to feel a lot happier! Whereas looking into the future and the long-run, I find myself stressed, anxious and less happier. I appreciate Canadians dedication to the future, but wish we paid more attention to the present and found a bit more happiness in our day to day activities, instead of being stressed out the future. There is so much we can do right here and now for ourselves and the planet, and I hope Canadians can learn this and act on it.
Hello Ana,
I had a similar experience when I first arrived at Vancouver about three years ago. I remember being surprised and amazed by the exact same things as you: the clean water, the mountains, the recycling bins and the visible change in seasons. As you mentioned in your post, Mexico does have its own unique beauty; it is hard to describe or compare to any other country. However, it does have a long way to go if it wishes to become a first world country like Canada. It is always a shock for me to go back home and not having the freedom that I have grown accustomed to having here. It really makes me appreciate the life I have here. Nevertheless, it also saddens me that Mexico is in the state it is when it has the potential for so much more.
Hey Ana,
I am so glad you decided to blog post something about how life is in Mexico and the actual problems people face. As I am getting used to living here, theres plenty of news about how great the city is and how sustainable it is as well. There isnt much news about people feeling insecure and actual problems we face back home. However, as I am getting used to life in Vancouver, there is nothing that compares to Mexico. We need to see the beauty of living in a place that may not have things we have here, but it is beautiful in its own way. I get how the Maslow scheme is important, but from what Ive seen first hand there, people are actually pretty happy.
FedeVZ