When backpacking through Patagonia, I encountered both foreigners and locals on the hiking trails.
The typical westerner backpacking kit looked something like this:
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Ultralight backpack, tent, and sleeping bag
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High-top Gore-Tex hiking boots
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Gore-Tex rain jacket
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Light and compact backpacking cook set
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3-day supply of dehydrated backpacking meals
Total weight: 25 lbs
The typical Argentinian backpacking kit looked more like this:
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School backpack
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Tennis shoes
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Cotton hoodie
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Cast-iron skillet tied to the bag
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4 empanadas, 3 boxes of cookies, 1 bottle of wine, and a 16 oz bag of yerba mate
Total weight: 40 lbs
The means were different, but the outcome was the same. In fact, I would argue that Argentinians had the best time in the mountains of anyone I met in Patagonia.
The average westerner was packed up and on trail by sunrise. The average Argentinian woke up around 9 AM, prepared some mate, and had a long chat with the rest of the group before packing up and heading out around 11.
When hiking up to the famous Fitz Roy mountain in El Chalten, I heard clanking noises coming from the bag of the guy walking beside me. When I asked what he packed, he responded, “I’ve got 12 bottles of wine. I was designated by the group as the wine mule.”
The western attitude optimized for efficiency has led to incredible technological advancement and economic prosperity, but neglected other aspects of life in the process. In contrast, the Argentinian mindset has led to some of the most creative, humorous, kind, and resilient people I've ever met.
I'm not going to argue that one approach is better than the other. But It's worth taking some time to reflect on what I'm actually pursuing, before spending a lifetime trying to optimize for the wrong outcomes.