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The New York Times’ columnist, Nicholas Kristoff, has an interesting “fluff” piece about happiness assessments in this morning’s edition. You can read it at: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/07/opinion/07kristof.html
It’s interesting to note the level of happiness of Costa Ricans living in a country where, according to one of our Forum members, “brutality and home invasion are the norm”. I wonder who is closer to the truth.
“In the meantime, I encourage you to conduct your own research in Costa Rica, exploring those magnificent beaches or admiring those slothful sloths. It’ll surely make you happy.”
Don’t misunderstand I am positive about CR or I wouldn’t own a home there. That being said, a one week tourist visiting the beach and rain forest has no clue about everyday living for gringos in nice houses and what they are encountering. You don’t find the ladrones issue discussed on the travel info sites writing about a 1-2 week stay. You do find it discussed among full time and temporary residents who have taken further steps by putting down bricks and mortar and encountering serious problems that are getting worse. We try not to wash our dirty linen in public. Pura VidaDavid,
Thanks for the interesting article on Costa Rica. Like everything else in life, its a matter of perception. Having been a former hippie in the 70s, I finally found my paradise in CR.I was interested to note how positive Kristoff was about life on the coasts while he overlooked life in the Central Valley where most of us, Costa Ricans and expats alike, actually live. The coasts have their attractions, there is no doubt, but so do the other areas (with the possible exception of San Jose).
David: What has been your (and your friends) experience with theft in the Grecia area? How have you dealt – or not dealt- with this concern?
let them all move to the beach area where they can swim in sewage. jejeje i am always amazed at peoples’ perception of this place, and what about it will fulfill them. usually, they are clueless about real life here and arrive with distorted perceptions. then when reality hits, they are upset that it wasn’t the paradise that they had hoped it would be.
thanks for posting the article. it is more fodder for the one i am writing on the myth of paradise.new note:
after a second reading of the article, i think it is completely misleading to pretend that CR is an ecological paradise when its rivers and streams are polluted, and the persistent use of pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides on our foods here is a great concern to all of us who are health conscious, especially since many of those chemicals were banned in the US 30+ years ago. i guess they’ve stopped spraying bananas with Bordeaux Mixture, but who knows what they are using now in place of that chemical cosh that sickened workers for decades and made the land unusable for any other crops. so there may be a lot of happy people here but CR has a long way to go to live up to its paradise label. i did see an article this morning that said the beaches in tamarindo were cleaner. cleaner than what? and why aren’t the hotels who continue to pollute the ocean with their sewage shut down until they clean up their act? that’s the part of this picture i just don’t get.
[quote=”sueandchris”]David: What has been your (and your friends) experience with theft in the Grecia area? How have you dealt – or not dealt- with this concern?[/quote]
Sue, we (Marcia and I) have had no experience with theft whatsoever. We did meet some folks (tourists) whose possessions were stolen from their car, and we have friends whose car was stolen. We know of two other cars having been stolen as well. That’s four and a half years of direct experience.
We lock our doors when we’re not at home. Our car, which is worth protecting, gets a steering wheel Klub-like lock and a transmission lock. And we have a Lo-Jack locator installed. The latter qualifies us for a substantial discount on our theft insurance which almost pays for itself.
“according to one of our Forum members, “brutality and home invasion are the norm”.
LOL@DavidWe just returned, we should have stopped by (David and Marcia) to say hello. Unfortunately I almost broke my back surfing in Hermosa/Jaco and barely made it home! Its getting harder and harder to leave, hope to have our little casa built in a year or two!! Had a great time though and paid our property taxes myself this time. What a breeze, took five minutes at the municipality in Jaco.
[quote=”maravilla”]let them all move to the beach area where they can swim in sewage. jejeje i am always amazed at peoples’ perception of this place, and what about it will fulfill them. usually, they are clueless about real life here and arrive with distorted perceptions. then when reality hits, they are upset that it wasn’t the paradise that they had hoped it would be.
thanks for posting the article. it is more fodder for the one i am writing on the myth of paradise.new note:
after a second reading of the article, i think it is completely misleading to pretend that CR is an ecological paradise when its rivers and streams are polluted, and the persistent use of pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides on our foods here is a great concern to all of us who are health conscious, especially since many of those chemicals were banned in the US 30+ years ago. i guess they’ve stopped spraying bananas with Bordeaux Mixture, but who knows what they are using now in place of that chemical cosh that sickened workers for decades and made the land unusable for any other crops. so there may be a lot of happy people here but CR has a long way to go to live up to its paradise label. i did see an article this morning that said the beaches in tamarindo were cleaner. cleaner than what? and why aren’t the hotels who continue to pollute the ocean with their sewage shut down until they clean up their act? that’s the part of this picture i just don’t get.[/quote]
What country suits you? You seem very unhappy in CR.
i love costa rica, warts and all. i just wish that the country that brags about being eco-friendly would shut down the people that pollute our oceans, rivers, and streams. how does having a social conscience translate to my being unhappy? do you want to eat foood that is sprayed with toxic chemicals? i certainly don’t, and more than that, i would like the people who work to produce my food to be able to work in safe conditions. do you know what Bordeaux Mixture was/is? would you be okay with eating bananas that had been sprayed with this stuff and which caused the workers to have a host of illnesses, one of which was having their skin turn permanently green? i think that if we are going to pretend we’re living in paradise that we should actually work on making it so, not just stick our heads in the sand and repeat rhetoric from some journalist who was here on a two-week vacation and only saw a part of costa rica.
[quote=”*Lotus”] we should have stopped by (David and Marcia) to say hello.[/quote]
Yup, you should have stopped. We’d love to have seen you.
Maravilla: I too have noticed that you have a very negative view of the country. This impression has been formed over a very long period of time while reading your posts. I also noticed your solicitation for an article you are writing and it seemed to be particularly soliciting opinions where people where dissatisfied with their life in Costa Rica.
I am glad now to read that you actually DO love living there, because I think newcomers (or even “old-timers”) to the Forum would have a very different impression.
All of the issues you cite are certainly true, but I find just as many issues (albeit different) in our state, which is constantly touted as one of the “best places in the United States to retire”.
i think i am more realistic than negative. in the five years i’v lived here, i’ve discovered that people only want to hear that things are great and wonderful not that there are endemic problems, or crime, or bad politics, or or or anything that will dispel the notion that they are in paradise. of course these same problems exist everywhere, but for now many of us are here and have to deal with the reality that is it not perfect, that often the weather sucks, that there are attitudes that make some gringos feel less than welcome, or that bad things happen to good people in the place billed as a paradise. it’s a question of perception, really. if talking about having been robbed sounds negative, well, it’s not an uplifting experience, but it wasn’t as bad as having a .45 at my head in a robbery in manhattan. or having my house broken into in new jersey. bad things are a fact of life, even here, but i think that a lot of us are willing to take those licks in exchange for the beauty and tranquility that costa rica has to offer. some of the best experiences of my life have been here, and those experiences far outweigh any niggling problems that intrude on the myth of paradise.
Subject: Important Warning- I AM INFECTING YOU WITH HP101…..
HAPPINESS PANDEMIC (HP101) Hits Worldwide!
A Worldwide Epidemic is spreading with enormous speed.
The ‘WWO’ (World-Wellness-Organisation) foresees billions of people becoming
infected within the coming decade!Here are the most prominent symptoms of this wonderful enlivening ‘disease’:
1). The tendency to let yourself be guided by intuition instead of acting
under pressure of fear, forced ideas and pre-conditioned behaviour.2). A total loss of interest in:- judging others, convicting yourself and
preoccupation with things that create conflict.3). A complete loss of the capacity to worry: This is one of the most
serious symptoms!4). A continual pleasure in appreciating humans and things the way they are,
which weakens one’s tendency to want to ‘change’ others.5). The desire to change oneself so that innate thoughts, feelings, emotions
and bodily matters are managed in ways that facilitate only Health,
Creativity and Love.6). Repetitive attacks of smiling – a smile that says THANK YOU and
stimulates being at-one with all those around.7). A growing openness towards childlikeness, simplicity, laughter and
happiness.8). More frequent moments of communication with one’s Soul in non-duality,
that in turn creates the pleasant feeling of fulfillment and joy within.9). Finding pleasure in acting as a Healer who spreads Joy and Light,
instead of criticism and indifference.10). The ability to effortlessly live alone, as a couple, with family, or in
a community on the basis of equality, without any need to play the role of
executioner (or wanting to be sacrificed!).11). A feeling of responsibility and joy to share with the world one’s
dreams of an abundant, harmonic and peaceful future for all.12). Total acceptance of one’s own presence on Earth and the will to choose
each moment only for what is gracious, good, truthful and alive!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you want to continue living in fear, dependency, conflict, dis-ease and
conformism? If so, then at all cost avoid people who display these symptoms;
this disease is very contagious! Medical treatment can temporarily repress
the symptoms, although the progress of the disease has very often been
inevitable.There just isn’t an ‘anti-happiness’ Vaccine’!
Because this Happiness Pandemic causes a loss of fear of death, the central
pillar upon which the beliefs of materialistic modern-day society rest,
there is now a risk of societal turmoil with a complete loss of interest in
warfare and the necessity to always be ‘right’!Gatherings of happy people who sing, dance and celebrate life, the emergence
of people who celebrate their physical and spiritual healing, crises of
extreme joy and even Séances of collective emotional vent, are all now at
hand!(May you infect others with ‘HP101’ where ever you go…)
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