“If I grew up there, I would have never left”. These are the words that people say to me when I tell them that I come from the Caribbean! In that moment I take a deep breath and contemplate if I should burst this persons bubble. For the Caribbean islands are a paradise for tourists, but is far from paradise for the local populations.
Growing up on the island I saw poverty that left me completely paralyzed. I questioned how can it be that foreigners are having the time of their life on the same island that locals would give anything to escape from and never go back? So my quest started…
I interviewed different locals that have lived in the Netherlands for the past 40 years. I asked them what their motives were to move to the Netherlands and never to return to the islands. The answer was simple: poverty. In 1970’s/1980’s the Netherlands Antilles was in a deplorable state. After abolishing slavery and world war II, the dutch left and the locals were left to fend for themselves.
The majority of the locals of the dutch Antilles left and moved to the Netherlands for “a better life”. This phenomenon is also known as “green pasture”. For the grass is supposedly greener on the other side. To only get to the location and find out that the grass has been spray painted!
The island locals were being warmly welcomed in the Netherlands! They would get assigned housing and also a large sum of money to furnish there new home! So it’s a slap in the face to say the least when recent dutch politicians gave sharp comments that all the “foreigners” should “go back to their land”. I find is comical for when we look at the history, we didn’t leave our land, we were taken from it!
I find it interesting how after a large portion of the islanders left, “rapture” happened and is still happening till this day. Recently 10% of Bonaire’s landmass was sold to a dutch millionaire. The islanders that left, sold off their property for small sums, for they were convinced that it had no true value back in the day and today those same properties are being sold for a minimum of 1 million dollars.
The day I left my island was to further my studies. At the beginning it was great! So many things to buy and all so cheap! All the parties, concerts, shows, cheap plain tickets etc. You name it! Slowly the hype faded. I started to miss the sun and clean air. For everything that I used to get for free on the island, has a price tag on it in the “first world countries”
I wonder what it does to the local islanders that have lived so long in the Netherlands and yurn to move back, but can’t due to financial difficulties? What does it do to a person on a psychological level that bought into the propaganda that life is better somewhere else, to only get there and see there “worthless island” get promoted as paradise?
In the 10 years that I have lived in the Netherlands, the first few years I was convinced that indeed life was “better” here. Never any food shortages and no black-outs. I can’t precisely pin point the moment I noticed that this first world country is filled with all the stuff that everyone seems convinced they need to be happy and successful, yet I couldn’t shake the feeling of being completely empty. I could buy all the stuff in the world yet love is not something I can buy…..
I moved from a population of 18.000 people to 17 million people and have never felt more lonely. Kindness, compassion, someone caring for my existence; all things that were nowhere to be found in a country that supposedly had everything I would ever need.
I started to travel to see more of the world. At first it started as a nice way to “relax”. It was a nice way to forget my current circumstances. It got to a point that I started to travel so much, it all started to become a blur. The moment I no longer find pleasure in a hobby, its time to sit back and reflect on what is happening. I came to the conclusion that I was travelling to escape. I was trying to escape a reality that didn’t bring me any type of happiness or fulfillment. I waisted all that money and time escaping, just to end up right back in the same space I was trying to escape from.
I have visited 23 countries and counting, to only find out that paradise is not a physical place, but a mindset. For you can fly to the other side of the world and yet be miserable for it is your mind that creates the lens with which you observe the world.
These are 3 tips on how to create paradise anywhere in the world:
- Invest in your home
- Clean diet = Clean mindset
- Invest in your inner peace
Investing in your home, you are investing in the expansion of yourself. Your surroundings contribute to your overall experience in life. For your home is your safe haven from a world that has lost it’s mind! Make it wonderful, without spending a bunch of money. Search for creative DIY and transform your space into a wonderful place you can come home to and relax and recharge from a highly demanding society.
A clean diet contributes to a clean mindset. In a holistic aspect, everything is energy, everything holds it’s own vibration. This means also the food we eat, has it’s own vibration, also known as energy. Emotions are energy in motion. Anger, anxiety and fear are lower vibrations. You feed these emotions, when you consume foods and beverages that also hold a lower vibration. Foods that hold lower vibrations (aka bad vibes) are sugars, caffeine, meat and dairy. When I found out that when an animal is made into food, that fear it feels stays in the meat we later consume. Transmuting the emotion of fear into our body!
Foods that hold a higher vibration (good vibes) and that feed emotions such as happiness, fulfillment and joy: mango, pineapple, raw cacao, lemons, wheatgrass, coconut ( all fruits and vegetables ), avocado, raw nuts, almonds and dates.
Be mindful which foods you consume, for they contribute to your own vibes that you carry!
We live in a high demanding world, that leaves us completely depleted if we do not take good care of ourselves. Living a life that you continually keep giving giving and give some more, will leave you empty and at a higher risk of a burn-out. Think of yourself like a smartphone. You just keep working and never getting plugged in to charge. Slowly you lose your high functioning potential. We live in a society that would have us working as much as possible and frowns upon us just leaning back and recharging. Not because it is expected of you, means that you should do it! I spent a great amount of my life powering a system that never served me and to only be thrown away when I burned out. Be mindful as to where you are investing your energy and time, for these two elements can never be bought back….
Doing activities that you love, will help you find your inner peace. For example cooking, swimming, pole dancing, mountain climbing etc. Doing activities you love doing, will help create a wonderful work-life balance. You will walk through life completely radiant.
If you are contemplating to move to the “big city’s” and you own your own land, can grow your own food, have clear blue skies and have clean drinking water, be mindful that you have more than most of the people who are living in “the big cities”. If you are living in a country that is considered as a ”first world country” and are contemplating leaving to warmer and greener parts of the world, but you don’t want to give up your financial security, remember that these lockdowns taught us that as long as you have an internet connection, you can work from anywhere in the world, without having to compromise a job that you love!
When creating your own heaven on earth, remember that you are the alpha and the omega. It all starts and ends with you!
Happy healings!
Lauriane
Add comment
Comments