Do we have a chance?

[sobester]

The Scandinavian countries are universally considered the happiest and best places to live. With our younger generation seemingly having similar values, could we get there in 25 years? More? Less?

 

[mcmurtry66]

The Scandinavian countries are universally considered the happiest and best places to live. With our younger generation seemingly having similar values, could we get there in 25 years? More? Less?

We lack the homogeneity and when they grow older and informed and pay bills they’ll become pubs. Rinse repeat.

 

[sobester]

So you’re saying liberal social policies and universal healthcare won’t create the same nirvana here because of lack of a homogeneous society?

 

[Marvin the Martian]

The Scandinavian countries are universally considered the happiest and best places to live. With our younger generation seemingly having similar values, could we get there in 25 years? More? Less?

Americans are never satisfied with where we are. We buy a BMW and are happy until our neighbor buys a Ferrari. Our 75 inch TV is great, until we have a friend with a 100 inch. We really require an overhaul.

I had a buddy wonder why people get so angry when they find out a coworker makes more. He suggested if we were happy with our pay before finding out someone makes more, why should that make us suddenly unhappy with our pay. Our pay hasn't changed. He suggested we should be happy for the other person.

We need to learn to be happier with where we are. I've listened to some conversations about the younger generation. One was by a Libertarian about how the job market is changing, many youth work for 6-8 months in a gig economy, then quit for a month or two and travel the world and then get another gig job. That may well be a more mentally healthy way of doing it as I'm not sure the rat race really works for our mental health.

 

[sobester]

Americans are never satisfied with where we are. We buy a BMW and are happy until our neighbor buys a Ferrari. Our 75 inch TV is great, until we have a friend with a 100 inch. We really require an overhaul.

I had a buddy wonder why people get so angry when they find out a coworker makes more. He suggested if we were happy with our pay before finding out someone makes more, why should that make us suddenly unhappy with our pay. Our pay hasn't changed. He suggested we should be happy for the other person.

We need to learn to be happier with where we are. I've listened to some conversations about the younger generation. One was by a Libertarian about how the job market is changing, many youth work for 6-8 months in a gig economy, then quit for a month or two and travel the world and then get another gig job. That may well be a more mentally healthy way of doing it as I'm not sure the rat race really works for our mental health.

The materialism in the U.S. is a problem. It goes hand in hand with our apparent need to hoard wealth.

 

[hookyIU1990]

We lack the homogeneity and when they grow older and informed and pay bills they’ll become pubs. Rinse repeat.

I think the homogeneity plays a role. They're not nearly as divided as we are. We're not so much a melting pot anymore. but rather an increasingly balkanized society.

A buddy married a Swede, and they moved back about 8-10 years ago. It's an entirely different ball game there, according to him.

 

[jet812]

Americans are never satisfied with where we are. We buy a BMW and are happy until our neighbor buys a Ferrari. Our 75 inch TV is great, until we have a friend with a 100 inch. We really require an overhaul.

I had a buddy wonder why people get so angry when they find out a coworker makes more. He suggested if we were happy with our pay before finding out someone makes more, why should that make us suddenly unhappy with our pay. Our pay hasn't changed. He suggested we should be happy for the other person.

We need to learn to be happier with where we are. I've listened to some conversations about the younger generation. One was by a Libertarian about how the job market is changing, many youth work for 6-8 months in a gig economy, then quit for a month or two and travel the world and then get another gig job. That may well be a more mentally healthy way of doing it as I'm not sure the rat race really works for our mental health.

We should probably quit keeping score in sports too, huh?😉

 

[dbmhoosier]

This thread reminds me of that debate moment. You almost got there Tim.

 

[sobester]

We should probably quit keeping score in sports too, huh?😉

Not relevant at all. Scandinavian countries are very competitive about things like that. Watch the Tour de France. They just don’t see status symbols as victory.

 

[hookyIU1990]

This thread reminds from that debate moment. You almost got there Tim.

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it's the Amish problem isn't it? Finland doesn't have any Amish mafia presence.

 

[mcmurtry66]

I think the homogeneity plays a role. They're not nearly as divided as we are. We're not so much a melting pot anymore. but rather an increasingly balkanized society.

A buddy married a Swede, and they moved back about 8-10 years ago. It's an entirely different ball game there, according to him.

definitely. i have a close buddy lives in sweden. played soccer in college then went to work for schering-plough in europe

 

[larsIU]

We're not so much a melting pot anymore. but rather an increasingly balkanized society.

What does it mean to be an American?


We lost that somewhere. I used to know, now i don't. Our homegeniety should be based on common ideals about freedom, liberty, and being able to work your way up the socio-economic ladder. A lot of people have helped to kill this:

-Corportations by moving jobs
-SJWs by driving division
-Nativists by responding to the SJWs and creating slogans like America First (but really just the white ones)
- and on and on