When I heard her say these words, I was shocked. I shouldn’t have been, with our history, but having known her for over a decade I never knew she had such strong feelings.
She told me “It is not that I hate America… I don’t… but I hate what it has become and it tears me apart to see it in person and to watch what is happening.”
And she didn’t have to say anymore because I knew exactly what she was saying. And the sad part is that there are millions more that feel the same way… but they have no way of “escaping.”
I really only became aware of how truly divisive the U.S. has become about five years ago when I returned to the States after being gone for almost 15 years.
I had never heard so much anger and rage in my entire life. And that is NOT an exaggeration.
I didn’t know the “whys” or the causes… after all, I had been gone for well over a decade except for occasional visits.
Everything I read was negative… everything I read was anger… and it became very apparent that no one trusted any longer… whether it was banks, the government, the business, our elected officials… it was almost everything.
Some people blew it off and paid no attention… it had become just “the new generations whining”.
But make no mistake… the United States was as divided as it has ever been.
And it wasn’t until a recent post of mine caused an outpouring of negativity and personal “bashing” that I realized … not only WHY it had occurred but why all of the negativity and toxicity was “suddenly” surfacing “back home.”
It wasn’t SUDDEN and it wasn’t happening for “no reason at all”.
And I remembered something that happened to me well over 20 years ago: And actually it had its roots back when my sister and I were in college over half a century ago… The Vietnam war was just heating up and there were demonstrations everywhere (remember, this type of thing was “new” back then and NO ONE demonstrated against the government).
Most of the guys were committed to going if they were called but everyone else was violently against it.
My sister was one of them. My father saw her face on the news. He cut off her tuition.
Dad was former Navy and his ship was strafed and he ended up in icy waters near Murmansk, Russia and was lucky he didn’t die. A week later he relented.
But… nearly 20 years later, he admitted to me that he shouldn’t have done it AND he admitted that he was wrong about the war.
I was shocked. And that brings me to today.
…and the fact that the past two generations may just have some legitimacy to their anger.
I don’t like the fact that the anger exists and that no one seems to compromise or even discuss issues … that to me is the worst part.
I know that millions are not only angry and disillusioned… and no compromises seem to be in sight.
My friend that is not returning home and swears that she will live her life out in a place that makes her happy and content…
Yes, that place is Costa Rica.
Three months ago I wrote about a small town that my wife and I discovered on one of our “road trips.”
And I described it as well as a property that I thought would be perfect to live in.
I was overwhelmed with “where is it… tell me more… I would love to see it… when can I visit…”
And I realized that damn near everyone today want to escape like I described.
Costa Rica gets plenty of raves… and with good reason…
But many people are looking for the impossible… and want Costa Rica to “fix them.” Those of you who know Costa Rica well know that it has plenty wrong with it.
But it is easy to be “at home” in Costa Rica… to see the beauty and the diversity… and somehow the problems “back home” seem to hurt a lot less and they seem to fade when we are here.
Is it really escape?
It is for a lot of people…. And I keep coming back to what my wife always told people when they asked if Costa Rica really was a paradise…“paradise is what you make it.”
If you are looking to escape… to find a haven where all of the problems of the world don’t seem as bad….Talk to people who live there.0It is not for everyone… not everyone can live in a totally different world…
But…
It just might be your escape too.
