No that's not it. The point is that we constantly chest thump about how great we are, "American Exceptionalism" and it's just not that true anymore. We are still probably the best country in the world, and it's only because we have more resource and money but we have many, many faults that calling anything we do exceptional, (except the stock pile of weapons we have made in fear and to expand our corporate interests) is ridiculous. And then considering that we have all that resource and we squander it mostly for corporate profit and other superficial and greedy endeavors, and will do whatever it takes including invading sovereign nations under the pretense of freedom, makes us the utter douchebags of the world.
Our schooling sucks. It's fallen behind to many euro nations. Our employment obligations border on medieval, while the euros are as concerned about their people (especially children) as their profit, because they realize that the people cause the profit. We waste everything. Everything.
Tell me that you would mind a 70% work schedule and four to six weeks of vacation that no one gets upset about if you take it? Do you know how much more life I could live if I only had to work 28 hours a week? And, that is all I would work. I don't need the money, I have more than enough. I really don't care that much about material things, never have. I have everything I need and most of what I need is free.
Never wanted fame, never wanted riches. I'd much rather do things I love to do around the people I love. I hate work, to me it's just another evil necessity. But, I am happy, very, happiest I've ever been in life, mostly because I became wise enough in my years to choose to be and I have a partner who understands that and doesn't get in the way. Life is too short to always want, sometimes it's just good to sit back and enjoy what I have. Which is daily.