inkan on Nostr: I'm struck by how most Americans have a lower quality of life than many Europeans, in ...

I'm struck by how most Americans have a lower quality of life than many Europeans, in particular those Europeans who make use of the shared public goods available to them. I'm thinking of things like town centers, cafes, theaters, parks, thousands of miles of bicycle paths, etc. The particulars may vary based on one's preferences, but I think it's generally speaking true across the board.

Even many rich Americans, including many billionaires, lack this quality of life. Quite a few of them have their houses tucked away in relatively unattractive or boring areas of town or in places that are inaccessible and disconnected. Private ranches or islands may be attractive to an extent, but they tend to be less scenic, relatively small, and offer fewer possibilites for, say, hiking and recreation, than for example national parks.

Of course there are many rich Americans who use their money to go around the world and spend their time in more attractive places and participate in a more attractive form of everyday life. But there are also many who don't seem to know how to do that, in spite of having the financial means for it.