I have this theory that, at least for men, the single most important factor in health is NOT GIVING A SHIT what anyone else thinks of you and doing what you want, more or less.

I don’t have any science to back this up, just the anecdotal example of my dad and my uncle. My dad, a nervous wreck, died at 72. Worried about money, other people’s opinions, his kids, the environment, political bullshit, oppressed peoples, etc. died at 72.

Then there’s his brother, smoked cigars and drank just like my dad, but is a total opinionated pushy, in your face, sonofa And id continue with some curse words here but im too polite(though he has admittedly mellowed a bit, but not all that much.) he’s 90 and still ticking. I’m way more like my dad, though maybe not quite as wound up… maybe I’ll make it to 74.

I think location in itself won’t help you, in that you take your personality with you where you go, but maybe what my dad needed was a complete breakdown and removal to an entirely new locale and mindset. It’s not about taxes, it’s about giving a shit about taxes. If taxes and gov are driving you nuts, then you have to leave, not because of the actual situation, which is at the end of the day numbers in the internet serving as iou’s against your future consumption, but because it’s eating away at you, making you crazy, grinding down your teeth at night, making your arteries hard with rage and fear.

My uncles 90, still smoking cigars, still drinking, still thinks he’s right about everything. Doesn’t appear to worry about anything, still paying high ca taxes, still living like a prince.

The world and everyone wants to take a little bit out of you every day. I think id prefer to be my uncle than my dad. My every instinct though is to accommodate, to supplicate, to beg, to passively manipulate, to be overly intellectual, to be fearful, to be worried about worst possible outcomes.

Ugh.

When I say I want to get the hell out of here, I think what I mean by “here” is pretty much all the major features of my personality. Im not sure if moving will help. But a radical change of place might help.