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Bud Labitan has penned a poem on Warren Buffett, which goes: “One hundred years from now Ben, David, Charlie and Warren will finally share, A chapter in financial textbooks that care, About stocks as part ownership of a business. One hundred years from now, Mr. Market will still call plays, up and down, And many enthused speculators will still smile, yell, cry or frown. Above all else, America will still stand strong If we fix what is wrong, And if information is exchanged ethically and freely. Strong if the rewards earned are those based upon merits. We know these are two important lifelong tenets. After giving thanks to the teachers with whom we have grown,  Give them proper credit for what they have known. Time is the friend of the wonderful business, And the enemy of the mediocre. Charlie learned it early, his friend Warren mastered it later. Have a good pal, whether it be a great guy or a great gal. In tandem you two may begin to think like Pascal".

Miami Beach

Raukawa Falls, North Island, New Zealand

When I flew almost three years ago from New Zealand to Mexico I had to change planes in Los Angeles. What struck me immediately at the airport of Los Angeles was the rather unfriendly tone of some government minions there in their fancy uniforms. First, after living for lots of years in New Zealand and South Africa, to put it mildly I was not used to this sort of tone. Needless to mention that I have no intention of getting used to it. Second, when you see those government minions in uniform you can almost take it for granted that they wear uniforms because they do not have the foggiest clue about how to run a business. However, there are more reasons why the United States no longer leads the favourite places of my dance list. To put it mildly again, the country does spend a little more than it earns, for quite a while already. Sooner or later, that unhealthy habit is going to result in some rather painful economic adjustments. Moreover, after having seen a little of the world, there is no doubt for me that there are more pleasant places to live a meaningful life than the United States.

After living for more or less six years in New Zealand, of course I can hardly avoid chatting about my impression whether you can lead a meaningful life there. As often in life, it depends. It depends on what you mean by a meaningful life. In case living a meaningful life implies for you hoarding as much money as possible, it may be a good idea to stay away from New Zealand, unless you are self – employed and tremendously successful. Most people in Godzone – which is a nickname for New Zealand – make less money than folks in North America or Western Europe. However, folks whose lives revolve only around making money and nothing else are usually quite a pathetic bunch.

One of the things that I like best in New Zealand is that it is quite easy there to protect your privacy. New Zealanders do not tend to shove their noses unsolicited into other people’s private business. They respect your privacy because they expect their privacy to be respected as well. You can virtually do there whatever you feel like doing as long as you do not intrude into someone else’s private life. This sort of thing – a feature of distinct individualism – has always been of utmost importance to me. After loads of years in the land of the long white cloud – which is another nickname for New Zealand – that trait of mine appears to be more distinct than ever before.
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When analyzing the term meaningful life, we also have to raise the question of where you are going to live. In case you are a professional who works for someone else, in New Zealand you are likely to end up living in Auckland. Whilst Auckland does very well when compared to similar cities like San Francisco, Seattle or Munich, it is New Zealand’s biggest city and thus does have its problems. For example, the traffic in Auckland comes close to a disaster. In terms of geographical size Auckland is very spread out. Getting from one end of the city to the other end may take you more than one hour by car because of the traffic jams. However, there are quite a few upmarket residential areas in Auckland like Takapuna, Remuera, Mission Bay, Pakuranga etc. In case you manage to live relatively close to your office, it will enhance your quality of life there. Of course the situation looks a bunch more pleasant if you are self–employed and can choose the place to live in New Zealand. Go for one of the smaller towns and you do not have to put up with the hassles of city life. As Taupo and Rotorua in the North Island as well as Nelson and Queenstown in the South Island are increasingly turning into tourist traps, rather keep your distance to them. Instead, go for a place that is a little more low key like Wanganui in the North Island.

Aukland

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In a nutshell, when you make wise and informed decisions to arrange things so that they suit your desired lifestyle, you can definitely lead a meaningful life in New Zealand. The country is virtually the last train station on the planet. Samoa and Tonga are rather unlikely to invade the land of the long white cloud militarily any time soon. For all these reasons, New Zealand offers more opportunities for a meaningful life than the countries that I could not resist comparing with cholera and malaria.

Mexico

So far I have lived for almost three years in Mexico. You may wonder what my impression is about Mexico as a place to live a meaningful life. Again, it depends on a few things.

Mexico and most likely all other countries in Latin America are characterized by being distinct class societies. Whilst I have no difficulties relating very well to the upper class and upper middle class, the rest of the population and yours truly live in the same town but in different worlds. Fortunately, ITESM is pretty much the most expensive private college in Mexico, which means that I lead a rather sheltered life. As modesty does not really deserve to be called my strength, my attitude is quite frankly that ending up in my classes is almost the best thing that can happen to students.
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Cathedral of San Cristobal de las Casas in San Cristobal, Mexico

Moreover, in particular in smaller places like Colima there appears to be a significant amount of pressure from society to do what everybody else does instead of daring to step out of line. The result is – it goes without saying – that most folks do what everybody else does, which is usually dreadfully dull. Sometimes people feel called to tell you what they reckon you should do. They themselves are hardly able to walk straight ahead without stumbling over their own legs. When you live for more than a decade overseas, you get very independent. That is presumably the main reason why I do not even ignore this sort of unsolicited advice. Instead, I just continue to do things differently or “walk the line” to speak with the words of Johnny Cash. The key seems to be that you have to create your private sphere and get the message across, one way or another. Anyway, when you are independent enough to soar like an eagle instead of mingling with the turkeys on the ground, life in Mexico can be very pleasant. The climate – in particular on and near the Pacific Coast – is very pleasant most of the year. The lifestyle is a bunch slower than in North America and Europe. After learning to slow down a little in New Zealand and slowing more down in Colima, I am presumably completely useless for Germany now. Who cares? I do not.

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Of course it is a matter of taste in what sort of setting you are inclined to live. However, I do not have the foggiest clue how Mexico City and a meaningful life can fit together. When you make the decision to shift to Mexico, you are likely to feel like slowing down a little. How you can do that sort of thing in the country’s capital – which is a circus in my opinion – it goes over my head. Do it rather properly and give one of the smaller places a go. Something like Colima. San Cristobal in Chiapas is worth sussing out as well. In case you are fond of a place that is a little more cosmopolitan, Queretaro may fit the bill. In short. living a meaningful life in Mexico is indeed possible. But, once more, do not be a turkey on the ground. Be rather a soaring eagle.
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South Africa After living and working in South Africa as well, it is no exaggeration to claim that I know the country very well. Can you lead a meaningful life there? Once more, it depends. No matter how you define the term meaningful life , you will certainly agree that the term implies not having to watch your back all the time. Because of the rampant crime in South Africa, it may be wise to be a little more cautious there than in more innocent places. Whether being a little more cautious implies watching your back all the time is a different story. Assuming that I am still up to date, being a little more cautious may imply after sunset in Johannesburg to accelerate your car in front of a red traffic light (the thing that South Africans are fond of calling robot) instead of stopping there. I better leave it open whether that sort of environment is pleasant enough to raise children. As far as I know, I have no chamacos (informal Spanish for children). So I do not deserve to be called an expert in this respect.

Vineyard in South Africa

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However, Nathan Rothschild got the credit for the phrase that the best time to invest is “when there is blood running in the street”. We may add that the worst time to invest is when there is top notch wine running in the street. By the way, South African wine is excellent. In case your responsibilities do not include raising chamacos and you are rather disinclined to invest when South African wine is running in the street, South Africa may be your cup of tea for a meaningful life.

At least in my humble opinion, a meaningful life also implies taking well calculated risks. When you always do what everybody else does, you are a turkey on the ground. Being a turkey on the ground amounts to an insignificant life, not a meaningful life. In summary, South Africa does offer opportunities for a meaningful life for the right sort of person. I do doubt, however, that the country still offers a bunch of ground floor opportunities in tourism. Tourism seems to be a fast growing sector in the South African economy.

To do that sort of thing in Africa, a country like Mauretania may offer more upward potential. As far as I understand the situation there, Mauretania has made all the right noises about opening up its economy. If Mauretania walks the talk instead of merely talking the talk, getting involved in tourism there may mean big business. You may wonder how? There are heaps of safaris on offer in South Africa or Kenya. The equivalent in Mauretania may be tours through the Sahara, riding camels, visiting oases. Deserts are magical. I know what I am talking about. There are vast deserts in Mauretania.

Adventure Capitalist

Mexico is a Roman Catholic stronghold. Because of the Roman Catholic influence in Mexico, all schools and universities in Mexico are closed during Holy Week (in Spanish semana santa), the week before Eastern. That is the reason why I could recently enjoy a one week break during the semester.

During that week, I read the book “Adventure Capitalist” by Jim Rogers. Jim Rogers made a little money with George Soros. He is a retired hedge fund manager. In his book “Adventure Capitalist” Jim tells the story of his three year trip around the world, which he did with his wife Paige in a custom made Mercedes. They graced one hundred and sixteen countries with their presence and covered one hundred and fifty thousand miles. Whilst recounting the story,  Jim shares his economic observations.

It does not matter whether you agree with all his observations and conclusions. Often I did. Sometimes I did not. I am also a little opinionated. What matters is that “Adventure Capitalist” broadens your horizon in business and international affairs. Jim Rogers did this sort of thing before on a motorcycle, which he tells in his book “Investment Biker”. No doubt, Jim is a soaring eagle, not a turkey on the ground.

The following is a list of articles written by Jurgen for the magazine:

Working Around The Globe ~ Tips On How To Find Work Around The Globe
Living And Teaching In Colima, Mexico ~ A Place To Rest
Thoughts On South Africa And New Zealand ~ Hitchhiking And Economics
Some Thoughts On Literature And An International Lifestyle ~ Reading And Living
A Journey To Various Places In Mexico - Places To See
Memories Of Africa ~ Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe
A Long Way From Munster To Colima - Travel And The Self
Some Thoughts On Capitalism And Investing - In 2004
Canada From Various Perspectives ~ Montreal, Vancover And More
A Critical Look At South Africa - Politics And Economics
Emerging Markets and Economic Geography - Economic Growth Around The World

To contact Jurgen Click Here
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