Where the Grass is Greener

Looking Over the Neighbour’s Fence.*

And what do we see?

Everything looks rosy and sweet, yet beneath that veneer lies the rotting unknown that sullies the reality we believe exists.

And it is so true in everything around us. What, on the surface, looks to be so much better than what we have is just an illusion.

This comes about more from that habit so many of us have adopted—ignoring the positives in our own lives and focusing only on the negatives.

Have you ever sat back to count the negatives and positives that revolve around you?

Nine times out of ten, those positives make up the greater proportion—that is, if we’re truly honest in our evaluations. There are so many little and good things happening that we become complacent and ask ourselves, "Is that all there is? There must be more, surely?"

The answer is: we do not really need more than what we already have—up to a point.

And this is where I have to admit that the generalist nature of my comments appears to exclude those truly unfortunate few (or many) who do not have the access we enjoy. While the grass may always be greener, that is the exception—not the rule.

In a great number of conversations Fogy has had over the years, many people have commented on how much better the outside world is compared to Brazil.

Fogy has already lived in the outside world. Fogy has seen the true nature of what developed nations are really like—and quite frankly, they’re hardly any better than what so many complain about in their own country.

So let’s tackle specifics, shall we?

Corruption—probably prevalent throughout history. Fogy often likes to blame it on the Romans. Not fair, of course, but with such a strong Latin influence across the Americas, it seems like an easier target to focus on. Some nations suffer more or less, but overall, it’s there—lurking in the background, silently polluting the sensibilities of apparently good people.

Poverty is inherent to the absolute social divide and is not necessarily nation- or culture-specific. More homogeneous societies, with less of a divide across their peoples, can claim a significant reduction in the number who are struggling in the depths of poverty.

Homelessness, prevalent especially in larger cities (but not excluding the smaller ones), is shuffled around and hidden behind distant curtains of sub-divisions where only the bravest venture. No tourist buses will drive slowly by the Hollywood-less regions, trying to identify international stars of old who may have ended up here.

That green grass—that seemingly idealistic façade over the fence—is nothing more than that. It is much the same as what you already have. The only difference lies in how you’ve been challenged to find the same negative impacts that drive you to look over another neighbour’s fence.

Now is the time to sit back and re-evaluate what you really have.

Do you have to—and have you always had to—work extremely hard to get where you are today?

Reality check: that’s what it takes in life. We’ve been programmed to want and need more, and to get more, we need to work. That’s what life is all about.

The grass is not always as green as it looks—but that’s a lesson we learn only afterwards.

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