What does developed mean?
Looking at the world, I can’t help but wonder – what does it really mean to be “developed”?
In Europe, we have almost everything: technology that makes life easier, jobs that require less physical effort, and more time to focus on intellectual and personal fulfillment.
Yet, despite all this, mental health struggles are on the rise.
Meanwhile, traveling in South America and Asia, people work much harder physically, often with fewer resources, yet they seem happier.
They don’t carry the same burden of overthinking or emotional dissatisfaction. Their way of living is different – it’s rooted in community, in shared effort, in the simplicity and joy of daily life.
If feels like the era of hard work and survival has been replaced in the West by an era of emotional struggle.
But why?
The silent killer nobody talks about
Because instead of taking responsibility for our own lives and healing, many prefer to blame external factors. Without purpose, without a deep connection to life, people fall into the trap of materialism, mistaking consumption for progress.
Through my travels, immersing myself in different cultures, religions, and ways of living – mostly on my own – I have come to see that the world is two-sided like anywhere else: corruption, greed, and inequality. Yes, bad things happen everywhere.
But also, people help each other, even strangers everywhere. The world is full of kindness, resilience, abundance, and generosity too.
So again, what is true development? We in the West take pride in how advanced we are, yet we have become slaves to things we don’t even need, and our comfort is killing our true spirits. That isn’t progress!
It's all within and accessible to all
Real development, to me, is a conscious creation – building something that benefits humanity as a whole, not just accumulating more.
Maybe the real development we need isn’t about more technology or wealth, but about reconnecting with what truly makes us human. It’s about understanding that gratitude and connection come in different forms.
And maybe that’s where real development begins – not outside of us, but within.
Change isn’t something we wait for, it’s something we create. The world will not shift because of more technology, more rules, or more products.
It will shift when individuals take responsibility for their own healing, their own growth, and their own impact.
It always starts from the inside out. And with YOU!
With love,
MartinaK
