Right, but the difference is we live in relative comfort compared to other countries, yet we are the most self important and neurotic.
Agree with the last part.. I'm not so sure about the first part though.
Was in Bali 2 weeks ago.. the people there are demanding a moratorium on tourism, as there are so many foreigners there now that basic traffic is now a problem along with rising crime among the vast Russian and Ukrainian populations that have taken refuge there prior to the war.
I forsee a time in the not too distant future where tourism or temporary stay permits become increasingly difficult to obtain for westerners. If SE Asia was your escape plan, I would not count on it staying that way.
As far as non tourist places like Surabaya where I am renting a house, they are building like crazy.. shop houses, businesses, roadways.. I was blown away by how much building is actually going on in the more expensive areas of the city.
I do not see anything like this in South Florida. There is a new multi family project going on about 2 miles away, but that's it for economic activity here. Texas might have a lot more going on than Florida..
So is it more comfortable here? Certainly more AC and better roads, but when a nice meal there costs $3 delivered vs $15 or more here, SE Asia feels more comfortable.. saw Odyssey in the theaters, was $6 for 2 people.. no idea what it is here.. probably take that number times a factor of 5.