The good life

Many times I have had discussions with my Chinese colleagues about the differences between the US and China (nothing political or along the political lines, I keep away from discussions around that stuff, too many landmines there). Sometimes it is very interesting to hear their perspective on things and try to see things from a different viewpoint. I’ve worked with many Canadians and with them you can talk politics (although it tends to be them baiting me on the Republican/Democrat stuff) and although they come from a slightly different system of governance, it’s not the same thing.
This past week I spent time talking to two of my colleagues and tried to get them to understand what is happening in the US and what life is really like back home for many. The discussion started when I was told that they believe I would be here for many years, which I indicated is not a true statement. There was some surprise that I may be leaving soon and it seemed that they felt I would remain in Suzhou as part of the company for many, many years. I pointed out all of the other Expats that had worked here and since left to go home. “Okay, but you will have a good job when you go back home.” When I told them that my plant had closed, they seemed rather shocked that perhaps there wasn’t a job for me at home. “But you have so much experience, it will be easy to find a job.” I indicated that experience doesn’t count for much in today’s world. I had to point out to them that Matt (whom they knew, if you don’t know you can go back to read about Matt in previous posts) had gone back and was looking for a job. Huh!!! Matt is not working?. I indicated to them that other Expats that had left also did not have jobs. They were incredulous, how can that be? Why are they not working for the company? I had to point out that many of us came from sites that had closed their doors and that the plants were relocated to Suzhou. It still didn’t seem to hit home to them that these people they met were essentially out of work so they could have a job. I think they kind of understood but they didn’t seem to completely grasp the situation. All they know is that China is booming and there are jobs to be had for anyone that wants to work. They could not understand how the US was not in the same situation. For them, the US was always seen as the good life.

They hit me with the “good life” thing and I had to set the record straight. They thought that in the US, Healthcare was free. I told them that it was not, they were surprised. They thought that when you lost your job, the government paid you (I would guess this to be unemployment). I told them that this was true but the payment was not much and it was for a limited amount of time. They thought that when you retired, the government paid you. I told them again that this was partially true, you got paid Social Security but it did not mean you lived like a emperor. They have thought all along that in the US, the government would be there to get you through your life. Now some of the things were partially true but I told them about all of the economic issues and the housing issues in the US that is causing all of the problems. People accumulating too much debt and then walking away from their debt and perhaps filing for bankruptcy. They didn’t understand this at all because in China, the government owns the banks and if you can’t pay the banks for your house, you go to prison. If you try to leave your home and escape the mortgage payment, the government will find you when you relocate to a new area and you go to prison. Harsh, maybe but it’s probably a stronger deterrent to spending too much money than anything we have back home. I gave them the “there’s no such thing as a free puppy” speech and said everything is paid for through taxes. I get Social Security but it’s not the government paying me, it’s the government giving me my money back because I paid into the system. The healthcare thing hasn’t played out yet but I told them that the only way to pay for healthcare was to tax me so it wasn’t free. I was paying for it (even if I didn’t use it). At the moment, I pay into a health insurance plan through the company, it’s not free, it comes out of my check. I indicated the costs for healthcare in the US were rising faster than anything else so no matter if you got a pay increase each year, the costs for your insurance plan took that money and then some so you were actually still losing take home pay every year. Could it be worse, of course it could.

“But in America, you have human rights.” I didn’t touch this one; I just said it depends on what you refer to as a human right. I will not go off on a rant here although I am itching for one. It doesn’t apply to the story. They thought in the US, you had a job, a house, a car, money and everything would be handed to you on a silver platter. They did not think the US was a hard life. Everyone has a hard life, it doesn’t matter where you live it’s just how you define a hard life. People can work on a farm and work from dawn to dusk and be happy but for others; we would say that is a hard life. It’s a matter of perception. I told them that it’s about what you believe makes you happy. For too many in the US, there has been a separation from the belief system of our predecessors. Many now chase the “bling” to try and grab a piece of the good life. If their friend has a 60” plasma TV, they have to have one as well (or a bigger one). If their friend has a new car, they also need a new car. They chase the “Joneses” and never really understand why. The good life has been replaced by the “not good enough life”. Everything we have isn’t good enough so we go and buy more. I know I can’t pay the bills but I’ve got to have it, now the debt collector is calling and you are stuck. The generations before us that worked so hard to provide the opportunity for the good life would be appalled at how easily we’ve become distracted by things that don’t matter. The manta, “he who dies with the most toys wins” comes to mind. It’s a pretty sad statement.

So what is the good life? Is it something you can touch or show off to your friends or does it come from inside? What creates the good life, independence or dependence? It’s up to you to decide.