Contrary to what many billionaires probably tell themselves, being wealthy doesn’t necessarily make you brilliant. And we should all be open to learning new ways of doing things, even if those methods have actually been around for centuries!
Reddit users have recently been discussing things that low-income nations do much better than affluent countries, so we’ve gathered some of their most insightful responses below. From working together as a community to minimizing waste, be sure to upvote the replies you agree with, and don’t hesitate to take a few notes from these clever countries!
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Reuse things.
So many things get fixed, recycled and repurposed.
Not letting any food go to waste
Work as a community.
Try that in america they throw you in jail under suspicion of red scare.
Food, almost every 'poor' country (not a phrase i like) i've visited has had a far healthier relationship with their food, not just the quality of the food but also the way they treat meal times, even though many people have less food.
Its generalising but in poorer countries food is much more communual, the quality of the raw ingredients is far better, the time taken to prepare meals is different etc.
Obviously in some richer countries like France/Spain/Italy they also have a good food culture.
But if you look at places like the UK/US the quality of the food has deterioriated so badly over the last 50 years, people see eating meals as a chore to grind out and they want the least hassle highest fat/sugar/carb options they can get.
I've been to India, parts of the Middle East, parts of South America and their relationship with food is just completely different to how things are in the UK
It's an inevitable outcome of capitalism: for the business owners to keep getting richer, the poor have to consume more of their products than they need. Advertising has a lot to answer for.
Speaking as an American, healthcare.
My gf had to fly to a third world country to get dental care for a fraction of the cost and the same quality of care. Her dentist here even admitted the work was very well done. That’s pretty sad that people have to resort to these things.
Edit: Country was Ecuador.
Yes this is one hundred percent true but you have to remember that it's only cheap for you guys because of your strong currency and higher average real wages. For locals, good dental healthcare is very expensive when minimum wage is just USD100 a month!
Social contact. The first thing my relatives from India observe when they visit our suburban texas home is where are all the people?! Hundreds of massive homes and hardly any people seen outside.
Also, noise. Asked the visiting relative the next morning if they slept okay, they responded, "No." I asked why? And they said it was too eerily quiet! [:facepalm:]
Family bonds.
The western world is so full of depressed, lonely people because it's so focused on 'the grind' and comparing oneself to everyone else.
Poorer people often have close family ties, probably out of necessity, and a much stronger sense of community.
Problem solving capabilities with less resource. Creative work
In "first world" countries, things tend to be overthought to the point of uselessness.
Way more resourceful with what they have
Rich countries exploit people to keep a few people rcih. "Poor" countries teach people to come together and support each other.
cope.
live with less.
learn to make do.
and ultimately, survive.
rich countries are going to have it the hardest when the supply chains fail.
You mean rich people or people with lots of money who are use to having everything they need that are use to all the necessities. Some people know how to use what they got to make it last longer. Even for bigger groups of people. Not because they wanted to. But because there was no other way. Just like they have to be more resourceful because they don't have much to work with but they have to make it work. Cause it all they have. And it is not fun or pleasant but will make you thankful for what you do have. And can get through hard times if they were to hit again and or stay that way.
Flexibility and resilience.
People in rich countries like to plan and anticipate. They are organized. It's great when everything goes according to plan but all hell breaks loose when things go haywire.
People in poor countries are better at dealing with uncertainty.
Yeah, delays, power outages, internet blackouts, heck even water shortages are not surprising. It's actually sad.
Less obesity, they walk more, they want less
Obesity is almost non existent here in Pakistan. You have overweight people in urban areas but nowhere close to the people I see in the background of American live news reports and street footage.
Repairing cars. I’ve seen teenagers pull apart a engine on the side of the road and fix it, in America the whole car would have been thrown away
Cheaper, older cars are much easier to fix. My dad is forever moaning that with each newer car he has, it's hard and harder and do even simple things like change a bulb. Things are more electronic and that makes things more expensive to replace and harder to do. Likely on purpose by the car companies. He had to take out half an engine to change the bulbs on one car, most people would see how hard that is and have no choice but to go to a garage and pay.
They seem to have a better sense of community
Although it's not a poor country in any sense, I miss the sense of community I felt after having my daughter in Germany. Even though there was a huge language barrier, every single adult looked out for the children around them. Not just their safety, but their happiness. We went to a wine festival when she was about 6-7 months old (more like the county fairs here in the states with rides and games but also alcohol) and sat next to a group of about 10 German men in their late 50s-early 60s. They spent most of their time playing with my daughter, laughing and keeping her giggling. If I dropped a sock or blanket, someone would always pick it up for me and help out in any small way they could without asking. It was truly wonderful. We often had to go out and run errands on our own, but it never felt like a hassle because there were always kind folks around to help without ever expecting anything in return.
Care of the elderly and mentally ill. In poor countries families consider I a responsibility.
In Sénégal, the whole village take care of the mentally ills. But don't be naive, I saw it: the poor guy was apart, fed and given water, but tied to a tree with a two meters rope. No cure, partly integrated with minimal Care. But everyone did its duty of feeding him and looking after him. I guess it's the best they could do
Better sense of community, resilience, and strangely enough, happiness despite having less. I grew up lower middle class in Manila, and despite not having a lot (our water was pumped from a deep well, inconsistent electricity, clothes that didn’t fit, etc…), I remember having a happy childhood.
Sense of community in the US is all but gone. I miss it, but, of course, corporate profit comes first.
Share with others
Rich or poor, no one leaves this world with a moving van following a hearse. Reading "The Tattooist of Auschwitz" by Heather Morris will forever change your perspective about the importance of sharing.
Live with what they have and still be happy.
Exodus 20:17--Thou shalt not covet. Lots of people like to downplay religion and faith, but this principle of faith keeps my family content while everyone else is trying to take the bait for all the ridiculous advertising that bombards us all day, every day.
Prioritize important stuff
Such as families, exercise, good nutrition, health, and strong communities ties. Not easy for people with fewer resources, but worth it.
Folk art. In rich countries, it's not cost effective to put a lot of time into decorative crafts, so the traditions die out pretty quickly.
Being happy with less
people have more sense of friendliness,
you can go and play football with random people on South African streets
Yes and no. More culturally friendly and hospitable but also slightly unhinged. A lot of people here have undiagnosed mental health issues due to stigma, low awareness and lack of resources. These issues are exacerbated due to economic hardship and leak out in ways such as higher road rage,street crime ,domestic violence etc
Having a lower carbon footprint, creating less waste, using less animal products.
How sad. Trying to make others feel better because they are poor? My government takes care of me,as part of it's social contract. This list is not it
This whole article is very condescending.
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There's quite a lot more than you think actually. Canadians and US Americans move to poorer countries because our money is worth more there and we can live more comfortably. There are communities of ex-pats from North America living in many other countries like Vietnam or Malaysia for examples.
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How sad. Trying to make others feel better because they are poor? My government takes care of me,as part of it's social contract. This list is not it
This whole article is very condescending.
Load More Replies... There's quite a lot more than you think actually. Canadians and US Americans move to poorer countries because our money is worth more there and we can live more comfortably. There are communities of ex-pats from North America living in many other countries like Vietnam or Malaysia for examples.
Load More Replies...