The differences between Europeans and Americans hit me hard during my time in France and Iceland. By far, the biggest one is that Americans chase after convenience more than any \u00a0other country in the world.<\/p>\n
While a typical European traveler will happily scale peaks and get the best hiking shoes, the American will ask “Where is the elevator”?<\/p>\n
The European will purchase economically sized and efficient camping gear. They will get tiny little grills and fit everything into a couple of bags. The American demands a hotel room in the wilderness.<\/p>\n
The European will scrupulously purchase extra food on Fridays and before 8:00 pm since all the shops close beyond those deadlines. The American on the other hand is outraged at the lack of 24×7 convenience stores.<\/p>\n
Anyone who has spent significant time in these two continents will tell you the same thing. Americans prefer the comfort of their cars, despise walking, and pay with credit cards even when it’s a few dollars. Europeans are more accommodating of life’s difficulties. They take it in their stride.<\/p>\n
This article may look like a knock on Americans. But believe me, the opposite is true. I deeply admire and respect a culture that glorifies laziness. That refuses to just sit back and let reality dictate terms to them. It’s a trait close to my heart and in my mind, epitomizes the essence of humanity.<\/p>\n
When an animal like a dog or a\u00a0cat wants to sit in a spot occupied by a rock, they move around and find somewhere else to lie down. The animal accepts its environment and molds itself to fit. Humans on the other hand,\u00a0move the rock<\/em> and sit where they damn well please. It is the defining characteristic of our species. We do not adapt to the environment. We\u00a0make the environment adapt to us<\/em>.<\/p>\n If a forest blocks our way, we don’t go around. We burn a road into the middle. When it’s too warm to preserve food, we don’t change our food habits. We\u00a0create artificial cold<\/em>. When a place is too far away to visit, we don’t sit around in our homes and give up. We build cars, trains, and airplanes to take us there.<\/p>\n This is how humans interact with their environment. It’s not in our nature to simply\u00a0accept<\/em> life’s realities as they are. It’s in our nature to\u00a0change that reality<\/em>. And this cannot be done without a fundamental quality of laziness. Those who are not lazy will put up with the existing situation and suffer. The lazy person finds a way to get the work done without putting in the effort.<\/p>\n I’ve noticed that Europeans are much more likely to simply accept life’s inconveniences compared to Americans. No wonder Americans invented the fridge, the practical cars, the airplanes, the Internet, and a host of other stuff that’s designed to make our life easier.<\/p>\n I have no doubt that one day, an American will find the pill or procedure to prevent obesity. While Europeans will struggle to eat right and exercise, the Americans will simply find a way to eat whatever the hell they want and\u00a0still<\/em> not get fat.<\/p>\n Everyone shits on America for being a land of fat, lazy people with no self control\u00a0who are addicted\u00a0to an easy lifestyle. But from my perspective, that is what makes the country great. You\u00a0want<\/em> life to be easier. You\u00a0want<\/em> people to find an easier way to do something. There is no moral benefit in suffering. And for that reason, the American lifestyle encapsulates the spirit\u00a0of mankind far more than any other in the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The biggest difference between Americans and Europeans, is that the Americans strive for convenience, and are not willing to simply accept life’s difficulties. To my mind, that is praiseworthy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4067,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4066","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-personal"],"yoast_head":"\n