“Who Has Time to Care About America?”

6 paradigm shifts before breakfast. March 14, 2024 [WEBSITE]( | [UNSUBSCRIBE]( Want a paradigm shift? Learn more problems. “Who Has Time to Care About America?” CHRIS CAMPBELL Reporting from Costa Rica… It’s my last day in Central America. To a doubting Thomas, the escapade might be considered a total bust. My “live on Bitcoin for a day” journey was only mildly successful. (Cheated on the hotel. Hate to admit: After days of low ceilings, harsh lighting, and mediocre beds, creature comforts called.) I also never put the genetically modified organisms in my mouth to (maybe) kill my cavities forever. Not for fear of side-effects, mostly because I ran out of time. (To those who voted yes, don’t worry: This saga has just begun.) And, no less, I didn’t get a chance to see an El Salvadoran volcano give birth to a Bitcoin. Even so… I spent last night reflecting with a close friend while we watched three monkeys taunt two Macaws in a tree. What have I learned? I built a list. Yes, it has to do with technology -- and sharpening my perspective on where the world might be heading. (Decentralization is our friend.) But some of it has also to do with living more intentionally. Having more gratitude. Taking more care. Here’s one takeaway. “Who Has Time to Care About America?” With all the people I met… And all the things that catch their interest on a daily basis… Most U.S. problems are of little interest in the central Americas. (You’re shocked, I’m sure.) At the risk of exposing my own bubble: their concerns are far less neurotic and far more immediate and tangible. To attempt to explain the social media-driven conflicts of the semi-average American soul would be like trying to explain the subtle shortcomings of a luxury car's sound system to someone struggling to afford a bicycle to get to work every day. As one local put it, “Who has time to care about America?” Roatan Roatan history is rich, dynamic. BUT It’s tough to tell which parts are marketing and which parts authentic. What’s true: In the 1600s, the Bay of Honduras was a pirate hotspot -- English, French, Spanish, the lot. In fact, Roatan’s main town, Coxen Hole, is named after the infamous pirate John Coxen, who lived on the island from 1687 to 1697. Coxen was a bit of a folk hero. He taunted and terrorized the Spaniards in the Americas, developing a reputation as an expert plunderer and raider. His biggest claim to fame was when he and his crew stole an entire Spanish fleet of warships in Panama. Coxen used Roatan as a hideaway after conducting his kidnappings, ransoms, and other pirate-adjacent sprees. He wasn’t the only one. The island was so riddled with pirates, many other areas of the island -- Port Royal, Jack’s Hole, and more -- are named after either specific pirates or their escapades, too. (The marketers say treasure hunters -- to this day -- find buried treasure along Roatan’s south shore where pirates sought shelter. Swords. Jewelry. Gold. Everything. We’re suspicious.) In 1835, the British laid claim to Roatan on the grounds it was unclaimed territory (yes, chasing pirates). In 1861, they ceded the island to Honduras, through the Lennox-Wyke Treaty. According to a local native named Haymond, the Honduran government has used the island as a cash cow ever since. Haymond filled me in on the ongoing conflict between the Caribbean natives -- mixed European and British-Afro-Caribbean -- and the (relatively) new mainland Hondurans moving in. The Afro-Caribbean have lived in the Bay Islands, including Roatán, for centuries and have developed a strong sense of identity and connection to the land. Haymond, whom I met in the French Harbour -- a small community on the southern shore -- shared with us his frustrations during a late-night history lesson. He did so in perfect English, which he called “a resident tongue of Roatan.” Before the Brits ceded the land to Honduras, the local population traditionally occupied and relied on coastal lands for their livelihoods. However, with the increasing development of tourism on the island, many communities have faced challenges to their land rights as developers seek to build resorts, restaurants, and golf courses. This has led to conflicts and a sense of dispossession. Haymond, to his point, now lives in a tent in the French Harbor with his (NOT-so-friendly) dog. With his permission, I took a picture of this sign in front of his small property. All of the major communities on Roatan have their own distinct cultural traditions, which they strive to preserve and pass on to younger generations. They all also feel they’ve been excluded from the economic benefits of tourism. It appears that most of the public money coming from tourism on Roatan disappears into that place politicians gravitate: God-knows-where. The locals feel they don’t have enough political autonomy and representation -- difficult because all of the decisions are made on the mainland. Haymond made a point to keep bringing our conversation back to the culture clash. To paraphrase: On his side of the island, there’s some 100 churches. Alongside a rich heritage of music, dance, and storytelling, the religious instinct is still strong. Many locals have maintained many elements of the traditional spiritual beliefs and practices, creating an amphibious religious system that blends Catholic teachings with African and indigenous influences. (Before Haymond provided this context, I met a young kid named Kenny near the supermarket. The first thing he asked after we introduced ourselves: “Do you believe in God?”) On the other side of the island, Haymond lamented, the area is littered with bars on every corner. God has been pushed aside. This has caused stress on the island. You have [(1) item]( on hold at our warehouse: Item #: [51987]( Status: On hold Value: Approx. $300 Claim by date: 03/15 at 11:59 PM To see how to claim yours simply [click here]( our Head of Customer Experience will show you what you need to do. Real-World Consequences Most striking is traveling outside the resort bubbles. In the shadows cast by glints of opulence, the island's underdevelopment is laid bare. Sad stray dogs lounge in the middle of busy streets, as if begging to be put out of their misery. Motorbikes weave in between traffic like drunken sailors, dodging the sad stray dogs and the occasional wreck. No square foot is wasted in the beds of trucks, spilling over with people, materials, and often both. The resorts are comfortable, beautiful, and attentive to your every wish and need, and yet… Instability saturates the lives of most who call Roatan home. Just three days before our encounter with Haymond, a fire had broken out and burned down three houses in the French Harbour, a stone’s throw from where I stayed. Haymond told us a little girl had died, struck down by the emergency vehicle meant to bring help. Three days later, we met Sammy, another local, on the other side of the island. He sold us a coconut and we started to chat. When asked how we could keep in touch, he told us he broke his phone. The little girl who died was Sammy’s niece. He threw his phone and broke it that night. “I don’t like phones much anyway.” The island is so small everything is connected. But the scale of the challenges call its smallness into question. Who has time to care about America? Opportunities Exist Everywhere Yes, the island is beautiful. Yes, it’s one of the most interesting places in the world. Yes, there’s opportunities for investment. But real problems run deep. And it’s too easy to become a part of the real problem rather than a real part of the solution. Problems -- real problems -- are good, juicy, and satisfying to solve. Neurotic problems are empty, endless, and exhausting, a field of smiling people in dress shoes tying and untying knots. The solution? Solving real, complicated problems faster. Fortunately, I’m optimistic the future will be just as real and complicated as the present. Prospera, the charter city on Roatan, holds potential. But, it could amplify current problems and sprout several new ones. Vitalia -- the pop-up city in Prospera -- has a mission to make death optional. A motivating layer beneath is the far more tangible (and far less ethereal) problem: Reduce human suffering everywhere possible. Alas, even with interventions, the pendulum will swing. El Salvador is figuring out what suffering less feels like, while Costa Rica is contending with suffering’s recent growth. More on that tomorrow. Until then, Chris Campbell For Altucher Confidential Rate this email Like Dislike Thanks for rating this content! Looks like something went wrong. Please try to rate again. [URGENT] If You Missed Bitcoin’s 103,533% Explosion, Claim This New Book Right Away If you’ve missed Bitcoin’s historic run-up to over $60,000… [Then you need to check out page 54 of crypto millionaire James Altucher’s new book](. In it, he details a cryptocurrency he believes could one day surpass Bitcoin. Now, James famously said Bitcoin was the future all the way back in 2013 – when it traded at just $61… Anyone who followed him had the chance at gains as high as 103,533%. But he says this new opportunity could be even bigger. 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