Going Philosophical

Uh-oh, here I go again, jumping off the deep end in order to make some sweeping judgmental (that means philosophical) statements about mexicano versus gringo ways of life.
It dawned on me that there are two expressions, one in English and one in Spanish, that mean pretty much the same thing. One, in English, is "To do (such and such) would be a waste of time." In Spanish, one might say "no vale la pena," meaning to do that would not be worth the pain.
The English phrase reflects the fact that we gringos place a considerable value on time. After all, "time is money," and we speak of having some "free time." We are always subconsciously mindful that there are only a limited number of days that we have on this planet and we should make the most of them; in effect, enjoy all the fruits of consumerism that we can while we have the chance.
In the Hispanic mentality, everything we do in this life requires at the very least some amount of effort and frequently some pain, mental or physical. Life can be viewed as an ongoing series of pains interrupted only by the occasional fiesta with its proportionate over-indulgence in music, fun, and alcohol. As a result of which, one must later pay for one´s sins through further pain.
Time is not a commodity. It´s not a factor of input. It simply mesures that space in which we´re either in pain or free from pain. More than that, time has no meaning.
This point of view also assumes that to be able to achieve good things, one has to endure a certain amount of pain. We gringos don´t necessarily salute that thought. It does not require pain to take advantage of our "free time" by buying two for the price of one, or clipping out the special one time only coupon. We gringos don´t think there has to be any pain inmvolved in getting a great deal at the mall. What we do value is packaging all 5 and a half errands that we have to do into one trip so as to "manage our time" wisely.
Neo-liberalism or globalization is based on the assumption, which has proven correct so far, that consumerism is the overwhelming religion of the day. Sure, people in hispanic countries are going to want to eat big macs and french fries. They´ve been conditioned to be receptive to this and the corn syrup/sugar in the products will keep them coming back. But what about commercials, etc., that encourage folks to "save time."? For example, frozen foods, day-timers, household products that "save time," processed foods that require little or no preparation. Will those sell? I doubt it.
In the meantime, thanks for your "time" reading this. I hope it was worth the pain.
Hasta luego!