I have to agree. People in my country fret about our GDP per capita compared to some of our peers. They worry that we are falling behind, somehow losing out. I

I have to agree. People in my country fret about our GDP per capita compared to some of our peers. They worry that we are falling behind, somehow losing out. If this is what losing out is, I'd hate to know how they'd adapt to my old country (I come from Africa originally). I live in a developed country, with fantastic quality of life, largely unaffected by the recession. People are pretty much mostly happy still. My salary still goes up every year. I can still afford a comfortable life. I can drive an hour and be at our beaches or one of our great national parks. I can walk around at night without worrying I'm going to get mugged or killed. Pretty much, I know that if I have kids, they have a good chance of being able to go for opportunities that interest them, and follow them through without externalities like famine, war or unexpected sickness obliterating their chances. I'll take my current life over working slavish 50-60 hour weeks in the service of some grand GDP goal, thanks. (I live in New Zealand).