They agreed with you that people in their homelands, wherever in the world those homelands are, are happier than most Americans. They seemed to believe that this was in part because their countrymen were not driving themselves mad in an ambitious effort to attain material success, but were contenting themselves with what was available locally. They did not expect the government to give them things or help them. And they were always surrounded by family and friends, from whom they could expect communal support. It is a mistake, they said (and I agree strongly with this) for children to leave home to go to college, pursue careers and raise children far from their roots; there is great comfort to be found in living close to kin.
They also agreed with you that Western diseases like hypertension are less prevalent, but also as medical workers they pointed out that many people in the Third World do not live long enough to develop circulatory disease. The typical Third World diet, through all its variants, does not offer enough richness to bring about coronary disease. There is also far more opportunity for exercise, as my 90-year-old relatives in rural Slovakia would agree. So it's difficult for these medical professionals to ascribe the low incidence of circulatory disease in their cultures to low stress levels, as correlation is not causation; there could be several interconnected reasons.
As for stress, they agreed that day-to-day living in the Third World causes little stress, particularly for men. But unfortunately most Third World countries, your own blessed homeland of course excepted, are subject to famines, shortages, war, terrorism, epidemics, etc. So 15 years of a peaceful agrarian existence will be interrupted by a five-year civil war during which thousands are killed, followed by a dictatorship, followed by an insurgency and refugee status, etc. This is an ongoing stress--but again, unpleasant as it may be, people do not live long enough to develop coronary artery disease from it. And life, they point out, is very different for Third World women than for men, as the women are often subject to a harder life than we in the West can imagine, with resultant depression and stress.
The bottom line is that it is not Third World life but agrarian life, whether in the undeveloped countries or in the US, that brings the most peace and satisfaction to people. Having lived on a large farm during my formative years, I know well the quiet joys and peace that can only come from living in the country. I intend to return there soon. Best of all is life in the rural USA, where modern conveniences and health care are combined with a quiet outdoor lifestyle!
And by the way it is interesting the comment they made about the modernization of such places. Currently there are diseases arising that never used to be. Things like Alzheimers and the like were, in essence,absolutely non-existent but have now started to emerge (i have to blame that on the gradual change in diet).
Anyways, your post was well thought out. I guess everyone could do with more exercise and a better diet. And far less stress.
Be blessed Cap.
Spetz!