Living Simply & Happily in Costa Rica. Thoughts on Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau believed that “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation.”

“Most men, even in this comparatively free country, through mere ignorance and mistake, are so occupied with the factitious cares and superfluously coarse labors of life that it’s finer fruits cannot be plucked by them.”

“I am convinced, both by faith and experience, that to maintain one’s self on this earth is not a hardship but a pastime, if we will live simply and wisely…”

And Thoreau certainly practiced what he preached because by working about six weeks in a year, he “could meet all the expenses of living.”

That sounds like a great idea and may have been possible in the 1840’s but I doubt that it would be possible today. We should also remember that although Thoreau lived a fairly simple life, he died at the ripe old age of 44.

I don’t honestly know who to thank in my life for allowing me to think differently, but if the “mass of men” are leading “lives of quiet desperation,” unless misery is our goal, then clearly you and I need to think differently.

Admittedly I work long hours by choice but have never had so much fun. I always try to do the right thing with positive intent and choose to do business with people who think the same way to help our VIP Members and, at the end of the day, I spend less than I make and normally sleep like a baby.

With the ongoing kerfuffle about how Obscene Public Sector Salaries Contribute To Costa Rica’s High Cost Of Living and my response at Public Sector Salaries and Private Salaries in Costa Rica Must Be Linked To Productivity, one can’t help but think of the average Tico.

As an example, in our condo community, the maids and other maintenance workers earn about $20 per day and the security guards earn about $585 per month so you know the “mass of men” here in Santa Ana simply must live “simply and wisely.”

An OIJ investigator – which is Costa Rica’s equivalent of the FBI – earns around $1,500 per month which would be considered serious money in the private sector workforce and they are expected to take more risks than most workers. A regular Police Office with Fuerza Publica would earn about half that…

The family of a Tico chef are not living luxurious lives on $23 per day, which is less than many of my friends in the US pay for health insurance alone, but I know that more happy, smiling faces walk past me here every day than I ever saw living in the US or the UK.

We all have responsibilities however surely one of the greatest responsibilities we have is to ourselves in choosing the life we wish to lead, and we can choose not to live a life of “quiet desperation” wherever we may be…

Interested VIP Members can download the Costa Rica Minimum Salaries For 2015 here.

Written by Scott Oliver, author of 1: How To Buy Costa Rica Real Estate Without Losing Your Camisa, 2: Costa Rica’s Guide To Making Money Offshore and 3. ¿Cómo Comprar Bienes Raíces en Costa Rica, Sin Perder Su Camisa?

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.