The way you describe the “king of hell” is essentially what I dread about returning in the States. I live abroad now and it’s hard to explain why I left to some people. I’m a decently successful person and would be able to compete well enough in America. Still, that’s not what I want or what feels right for me

I don’t like to see friends and acquaintances, or even strangers, struggle. It also makes me feel hopeless because I was raised middle class and our social position is tenuous. I was always aware that my family was comfortable, but even a serious medical issue or loss of a family member could topple it. I feel that I lived well but out of luck

I also often find that I can’t even help other people the way I want to, because money is our main safety net for ourselves. I live well from a consumerist perspective but my life could easily fall to pieces. There’s a certain feeling of powerlessness to even assuage systemic issues as an individual. Where I’m living now (France) has very very similar issues with wealth inequality but not quite in the same way as the States. It’s definitely no paradise and shares a lot of our issues, but there are parts of it that feel better for me. It’s hard to put into words. It’s more of a feeling that I get