Remote Workers - Stop pretending!

Warning, rant ahead: Dear fellow remote workers, stop posting about your fancy a** vegan chai latte! Let's face the uncomfortable truth:

As remote workers, we live in a fake world: Developed country income while living in a developing country (often like kings and queens).

Worse so: We share breathtaking pictures which make those countries seem like paradise on earth. Which it is - for us. Not for many natives, though.

But we could do better:

One of the biggest "benefits" of remote work is that we can leave our first-world bubble and spend extended periods in other countries.

This gives us the chance to get a glimpse of the problems a country and its people face.

In my case, let's take Brazil as an example. I absolutely love this country, its people, and its culture. But many things are going wrong:

1. The burning of the Amazon

This might be the most well-known fact about brazil. 10,000 acres are burned down - DAILY. Most likely never recuperate from it due to poor soil and soil degradation through monocultures.

2. Sewage water

Did you know that only 50% of houses in Brazil are connected to water clearance systems? You're asking where the sewage water goes? It gets dumped into rivers and the ocean, containing not only facials but chemical cleaning products. Result: contaminated rivers, lakes, and oceans.

3. Deforestation of the Mata Atlantica

Did you know that once, the Amazon was not the most diverse forest in Brazil? It was the Mata Atlantica, which stretches from northern Brazil to Paraguay and Argentina. Nowadays, less than 8% is left. Tendency: shrinking.

4. Indigenous population

When we think about the expulsion of native populations, we mostly think about colonial times. Yes, this is where the biggest humanitarian catastrophes happened, but it is still ongoing. Preservation areas are being cut down. Ingenious inhabitants are being robbed of their motherland, and activists fighting for their rights are being killed.

5. Exploitation by foreign countries

Again, exploitation was not only a phenomenon of colonialism. Nowadays, it's just a little more subtle. For example, I've met foreigners in Brazil who illegally mine for gold, cutting down protected areas and using heavy chemicals. Worse: the buyers often are European banks - pretending not to know where the gold is coming from.

6. European Greenwashing

We are so concerned about being green: no cars in cities, banning plastic straws, and rigorous trash separation. This is great; I'm a big fan! But here's a fact: Natural impact doesn't know borders! If we focus all of our energy on making 1 country green by outsourcing CO2-heavy productions to developing countries, the world is not much helped! We complain about the heating of the earth while buying imported meat and coffee for the cheapest prices, likely connected to deforestation. Ask yourself: Who's fault is deforestation: the farmers who cut down trees or we who motivate them to do so by buying their products and over consuming?

7. Violence against women

I don't even want to say much about this, it's too sad, and I won't be able to find the right words. Please check the links in the comments. Facts: Every 7 minutes, a woman is r*ped, every 7 hours k*lled.

My point here is:

If you are a remote worker living in Bali, Columbia, Sri Lanka, or really any other developing country:

Get your ass out of your fancy coworking pool and discover the uncomfortable truths behind the beautiful facade of your "workation" paradise!

You don't have to sacrifice your happiness by only thinking about them.

But don't close your eyes for it. It's the least we can do as remote workers: Think about it, talk about it, and share it with others.

I'm no saint and am not trying to say I am better.

But I am trying to set an example.

Let's use remote for good.

Rant end.

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