I’ve been an expat in Costa Rica for a long time now. From a physical perspective being an expat means absence from one’s home country and presence in some foreign country.
However, to be an expat has more than simply physical connotations.
Let’s first discuss what it certainly does not mean…
In some ways I’ve grown more patriotic as a result of living out of the country for many years now. I believe that in large part stems from my being an observer, or someone on the outside looking in. I’ve been able to observe with a heightened sense of objectivity certain things about my country of birth that concern me deeply.
For example, I’ve been able to observe how U.S. interventionist or imperialistic polices have affected certain people negatively, which in my case means Latinos. I’ve been able to discern that if that has been the case in Latin America, perhaps our interventions in other areas of the world, such as the Middle East, have also been less than laudable.
I’ve been able to observe with a heightened sense of objectivity how the form of capitalism run amok that prevails in my country of birth has widened the inequality gap. It has also led to a reckless disregard for how the pursuit of money and material has taken a heavy toll on the well-being of people and planet. Sometimes those effects aren’t as readily apparent to those on the inside of a wealthy nation like the U.S. as they are to those in the so-called 3rd world.
The U.S. has in large part lost its way in that regard. And the entire world is suffering for it. The world needs the U.S. to lead in positive directions, away from soaring income and wealth inequality, and away from dependence on fossil fuels. But the U.S. refuses to lead. And the recent election of Donald Trump only strengthens its resistance to assume the role of positive leadership in the world at large.
To be an expat means to have one’s eyes opened. To get the chance to really see things from the perspective of others who are very different. It provides ample opportunities to exercise the empathy muscle and to improve one’s capacity for altruism and impact. I call that expat mindfulness.
To be an expat does not have to mean permanent physical removal from presence in one’s country of birth. The ability to go back is always an option. Of course, one can also be a part-time expat.
I believe time in a foreign country can truly heighten one’s ability to make an impact in one’s country of birth. It sensitizes you to things you might otherwise be desensitized to. It heightens your sense of awareness. You become a more well-rounded human being. And all those are very positive traits from undergoing the expat experience and increasing your expat mindfulness.
I’ve written much in the past in my blogs and books about how being an expat in Costa Rica has changed me. It has made me a more humble and compassionate person. Some of my former friends and family members in the U.S. will say that it’s turned me into a left-wing loon.
Well, it has made me more progressive. It has made me more inclusive. It has allowed me to see the error of capitalism run amok in ways that I probably would’ve never detected without the expat experience. It has made me care more about my impact than about my economic self-interest. It has allowed me to see things more from the perspective of the Big US. It has removed many impact blinders that I came to Costa Rica wearing.
In short, it has been responsible for implanting impact mindfulness as my current mindset and worldview.
If you’re thinking of taking the plunge and moving to a foreign country, perhaps motivated by the recent election, remember this…no matter where you go, you’ll still be an “American” by birth. If you love your country it can actually make you love it more, albeit for different reasons. It will make you long for change and might even provide the motivation to be a catalyst for that change yourself.
To be an expat and thereby increase one’s expat mindfulness can be an intensely patriotic endeavor. [It’s Tweetable!]
You can read more about Expat Mindfulness, Impact Mindfulness and Being an Expat in Costa Rica in my books.
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