That's a harsh reality that I fully accepted last night.
It may sound dark or daunting, but it is the absolute truth.
And as they say...The Truth Shall Set You Free.
So, for me, its the exact opposite of dark and daunting. It's invigorating.
Let me break it down for you.
Like I've already stated...life in the United States fucking sucks. But I didn't know that until I left and gained perspective. You see, I was born into American culture, therefore, many of the things that I now despise about American society were just "normal" to me, and it didn't really ruffle my feathers too much.
But after being away for the last 12 months, and now having to prepare for my family's return to the states...my feathers as very, very ruffled.
The thought of going back and reassimilating bothers me to my core. Literally, it makes me feel uncomfortable and, dare I say, anxious. Whenever I feel anxious, I know that something is really "off".
Thinking about all of this last night, I came to a realization that this trip around the world was a long time coming. You see, when we lived in NY, I had reached a point of discontent with the way things were. I thought it was just that I had outgrown city life, so we ended up moving to CT, which was the least city-like experience that I could tolerate at the time. But after awhile, I knew that CT wasn't the place for me either. We then moved down to the Sunshine State, where I was sure things would be better. And things were better. Until one day I got this overpowering urge to leave. Everything in me was telling me to get out of America. So we left.
And now, in retrospect, I can see that the discontent that I felt in NY, CT, and FL was a slow unveiling of the bigger picture. A picture that I would have never been able to see had I not left the country for an extended period of time.
Let me paint that picture for you.
The way that we live in the U.S. is unhealthy, generally. A typical American life experience is sub-par. As a typical American, you either:
a) Don't realize this, because your life is all you've ever known/have been exposed to, so it just is what it is.
-or-
b) You do realize this, and it bothers you. You try to do what you can to thrive nonetheless.
But wait, what do I mean by 'sub-par' ?
Well, with "mainstream" American society in mind, consider
Starting a family:
How do we birth our babies? ---In hospitals. Also, we have horrific maternal mortality stats. SUB PAR
How do we support new parents? ---We don't. They are faced with very large hospital bills, scammy insurance and isolation. SUB PAR
How do we care for our young? ---It's almost impossible to raise a family on a single income, so mothers likely need to work. Maternity leave is a joke. Childcare is expensive and sad, when you think about it. SUB PAR
Raising a family:
Conventional schooling.--- I could go on forever, but I'll just say this. School Shootings. SUB PAR
Personal Values.---LGBTQ and on and on and on. Like it, love it. If you don't, you're the problem---SUB PAR
Community.---Well, let me just ask you. How do you respond when someone rings your doorbell? SUB PAR
But let's forget about families for a second. Consider
Food:
The most accessible food in America is toxic trash that will literally kill you. SUB PAR
Work Culture:
2 weeks vacation??? SUB PAR
Infrastructure:
Water Supply? Railroad System? Roads? Homelessness? SUB PAR
Healthcare:
Allopathic approach run by pharmaceutical companies? SUB PAR
Safety:
Kidnappings. Shootings. Unwanted sexual advances. Drug use. SUB PAR
Regulatory Authorities
Corrupt police. Corrupt Child Services. Corrupt care for the elderly. SUB PAR
I'll stop there, but don't think for a second that it ends there.
Doesn't that FUCKING SUCK?
For me it does. So when I think about how I spent my whole life living in sub par conditions, it's bothersome. What I've accepted as "commonplace" for so long, is actually... terrible. I know that now. I can't un-know it now. And I don't want to go back and be Chicken Little trying to convince people that the sky is falling.
So what's a girl to do?
Actually, I'm not really certain. I'm still piecing together that puzzle.
One thing is for sure though; Life as we know it (in America) will not be commonplace or normal for my Littles.
Comments