Are You Happy with the Country You Live In?

SeaBreeze

SeaBreeze

Endlessly Groovin'
Location
USA
I was born and raised in the United States of America, and I plan to die here. This is a wonderful country, and the good greatly outweighs the bad. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.


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I could say exactly the same about my native country, SeaBreeze

This poem is well known to most Australians. It was written by Dorothea Mackellar while living in England.
She reminisces about her homeland which is starkly different to England. We often refer to Oz as the wide brown land, a phrase taken from this poem.

My Country

The love of field and coppice
Of green and shaded lanes,
Of ordered woods and gardens
Is running in your veins.
Strong love of grey-blue distance,
Brown streams and soft, dim skies
I know, but cannot share it,
My love is otherwise.

I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror
The wide brown land for me!

The stark white ring-barked forests,
All tragic to the moon,
The sapphire-misted mountains,
The hot gold hush of noon,
Green tangle of the brushes
Where lithe lianas coil,
And orchids deck the tree-tops,
And ferns the warm dark soil.

Core of my heart, my country!
Her pitiless blue sky,
When, sick at heart, around us
We see the cattle die
But then the grey clouds gather,
And we can bless again
The drumming of an army,
The steady soaking rain.

Core of my heart, my country!
Land of the rainbow gold,
For flood and fire and famine
She pays us back threefold.
Over the thirsty paddocks,
Watch, after many days,
The filmy veil of greenness
That thickens as we gaze ...

An opal-hearted country,
A wilful, lavish land
All you who have not loved her,
You will not understand
though Earth holds many splendours,
Wherever I may die,
I know to what brown country
My homing thoughts will fly.

** Dorothea Mackeller (1908)
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So is this one. We learnt it as a song in French classes.
It has a haunting melody.

Un Canadien errant,
Banni de ses foyers,
Parcourait en pleurant
Des pays étrangers.

Un jour, triste et pensif,
Assis au bord des flots,
Au courant fugitif
Il adressa ces mots:

"Si tu vois mon pays,
Mon pays malheureux,
Va, dis à mes amis
Que je me souviens d'eux.

"Ô jours si pleins d'appas
Vous êtes disparus,
Et ma patrie, hélas!
Je ne la verrai plus!

"Non, mais en expirant,
Ô mon cher Canada!
Mon regard languissant
Vers toi se portera..."

written in 1842 by Antoine Gérin-Lajoie after the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837–38
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I've been thinking about your question for a while. So many considerations go into distilling an answer out of all the high points and low points and stuff in the middle. Then there's the fact that I've become a stuffy old fart in my twilight years sort of frozen into a 1950's time warp. Maybe it's even worse than that maybe I've been painted into a Norman Rockwell Saturday Evening Post cover. Because of my gender and race and privileged upbringing I've had a very easy go through life enjoying the American Dream in all its glory. But I've come to see that the advantages I've enjoyed are not accessible to a vast majority of my fellow Americans and further that ladder to a better life is getting harder and not easier to climb and that bothers me a lot. There has been great progress in some areas like woman's rights, and LGBT rights and even for people of color despite some ugly and disturbing incidents recently and the widespread expressions of animus directed at our President primarily because of his race. But SB is right the good greatly outweighs the bad. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.
 
No country is perfect. I lived in the US the first 48 years of my life. I am happy to live out my life in Scotland. It is home.


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I have lived in several countries, in Europe and Asia.

The one I'm in now, not my country of birth, is one that I chose, not chosen for me by an accident of birth.

I am quite happy to remain here.
 
I have strong roots in the United States. Some of my ancestors came here by choice, seeking a new life or running from an old one. Some were brought in chains to spend their lives in slavery. Some were here to begin with. That said, I would consider living in another country for the weather, for the opportunity of living at a high standard at a lower income or just for the novelty of something new. I'm open for adventure.
 
I don't want to live anywhere other than the United States. It's the country that my grandparents came to in the early 1900's when they fled Italy and Europe because of anarchy and socialism. It's the country that allowed them to come to the midwest and establish themselves as farmers, and the country that made it possible for them to prosper despite having been poor peasants in Italy. It's the country and ideals that my father fought for in World War II, and allowed him to come home and prosper in his own right. It's the country that allowed me to choose to start my own business, it's the country that allowed my wife to choose to practice law. It's the country that allowed us the freedom to choose our own path, and to be as successful as we wanted to become. It's the country that allows me to be part of the political process, both as a voter and as a politician. It's the country that allows me the freedom to travel to other countries, and it's the country that allows me to return home after I've traveled.

It's a country where hard work and dedication still pay off, and it's a country where someone born into abject poverty can choose to lift themselves out and break the chain of poverty.

Is it perfect? Most certainly not. Is it the greatest nation on earth? In my opinion, yes.
 
I have strong roots in the US going back to the early 1700's, and as far as I know the last immigrants were in the 1850's from Ireland. Doesn't mean I'm anti-American or hate America (as some - not here - have accused me of). There are many reasons I prefer to live in Scotland, the only drawback being that I can't spend as much time with my granddaughters as I'd like.

In my 30's I thought I'd love to live in another country like the UK or Ireland, but not permanently. Changed my mind. :) My quality of life is as good or better than in the US.
 
I'm a native Texan, this is my home and the US is my country, I would not want to live in any other country, although I've often wanted to move to the West Coast, I will not make the change as all my family and friends are here.
 
I couldn't rule out possibly being happier in another country at this point in history. The health care system in the US is what bugs me most.
If the climate were a little better, I might prefer Canada. Maybe Australia. Would have to try another place and see.
 
America is my home.... however, I am very unhappy with how it treats it's citizens especially the middle class and the poor. It lags way behind other 1st world countries in so many areas.. I am disgusted with it's politics. That said, I'm not going anywhere else... but staying here to fight even if only with my vote.
 
Every day, after reading my newspaper or watching/listening to TV & radio, I thank my lucky stars that I was born and raised here in the USA even
though things are turning ugly. I'll be long gone by the time it becomes unbearable.
 
I have always lived in UK..
but I did consider moving to Canada; winters too cold; and New Zealand; too far away from all my family; so here; for all it's faults; I shall remain.
 
I spent over 4 years in Germany...back in the early 60's...and traveled all over Europe. There were still signs of the damage from WWII in some areas, but overall, Europe was Great. Then, I spent a year in Thailand, and it, too was quite nice...especially Bangkok. We've been to Canada a couple of times, and that nation is beautiful. There are nice areas all over the world...and probably some really bad areas...but overall, I think the U.S., Canada and Europe have a better environment for the majority of their people. I've been to "tourist" areas in Mexico a couple of times, and I would not want to get too far away from the resorts in that country. I wouldn't want to set foot in Africa or the Middle East.
 
Don M. said:
I spent over 4 years in Germany...back in the early 60's...and traveled all over Europe. There were still signs of the damage from WWII in some areas, but overall, Europe was Great. Then, I spent a year in Thailand, and it, too was quite nice...especially Bangkok. We've been to Canada a couple of times, and that nation is beautiful. There are nice areas all over the world...and probably some really bad areas...but overall, I think the U.S., Canada and Europe have a better environment for the majority of their people. I've been to "tourist" areas in Mexico a couple of times, and I would not want to get too far away from the resorts in that country. I wouldn't want to set foot in Africa or the Middle East.
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I lived in Uganda for two years. Loved it, but never would want to stay permanently. You're missing out not to visit Africa - enjoyed Morocco and South Africa and would enjoy visiting Rwanda, Tanzania and Namibia.

Do extended trips to Thailand (Koh Samui) and love it. Bangkok is fine for a one day visit - that's it.

4 - 5 weeks a year in the US to visit family.

But home is Scotland.
 
I love living in my country of Australia. I came here in 1974, just after some terrible floods and three weeks before a Cyclone devastated Darwin. ( I love to make a grand entrance) I remember landing at Brisbane Airport and when my feet touched the ground, I thought' I've come home' and then thought' what a strange thought to have'. But it has never changed, I love this country, I think I may have lived here in a previous life as the feeling of being 'home' has been so strong all these years. So I say when asked I am English by birth, but Australian by choice.
 
Yep, this is the only country I've got and at this stage of the game, the only one that would have me.
 
QuickSilver said:
America is my home.... however, I am very unhappy with how it treats it's citizens especially the middle class and the poor. It lags way behind other 1st world countries in so many areas.. I am disgusted with it's politics. That said, I'm not going anywhere else... but staying here to fight even if only with my vote.
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I agree 100% with what QuickSilver said. I love the United States and I don't ever want to live somewhere else, even though it's sure not perfect here.
 
Catraoine said:
I love living in my country of Australia. I came here in 1974, just after some terrible floods and three weeks before a Cyclone devastated Darwin. ( I love to make a grand entrance) I remember landing at Brisbane Airport and when my feet touched the ground, I thought' I've come home' and then thought' what a strange thought to have'. But it has never changed, I love this country, I think I may have lived here in a previous life as the feeling of being 'home' has been so strong all these years. So I say when asked I am English by birth, but Australian by choice.
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My BIL moved to Australia (from Scotland) in the late 70's. Married an Aussie and has two beautiful daughters. His accent is still solid Glasgow!

My husband's cousins went on the £10 boat back in the mid 50's. Being young kids they all have Aussie accents of course.

On our first trip to Oz in 2005 hubby and I loved it so much we started looking at retirement visas. You had to have a huge bank account and money to buy a home. We decided we'd miss Scotland and it would be such a long trip every year to visit my family in the US. The option for retirement visa was withdrawn a few years later I think.
 
A hard question to answer really. am at present having a few weeks holiday on the island of Madeira,it's such a lovely place I feel as if we could live here. The weather is great all year round, and although it's still cold at home (England) it!s hot here and so many flowers and blossoms are out, banana trees and date palms etc.Pretty villas to live in, courteous and friendly locals who speak English well ( we have had a treaty with them since 1345!!) It's a safe, polite society, drivers slow down to allow you to cross the road, no litter or graffiti.So, if our children and grandchildren lived here also, then I'm sure that we would be very happy here.Other than that, I am happy enough to see out my days in dear old Blighty.
 
I have traveled extensively throughout Canada, America, and much of Europe. I spent three months in Morocco at the age of eighteen. Many wonderful adventures to recall. In the end, in spite of some drawbacks, I love my country with a fierce patriotism, that somewhat surprises me. I am open to visiting other lands, but my heart and soul belong here on the west coast, among the trees and wildlife I love so well.
 

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