What It Means To Be TICO*
What Is A TICO*?
To be a Tico is to live an authentic life and to have a passion for living.
Tico is the self-appointed term Costa Rican’s gave themselves nearly a century ago. The fact that they chose a name for themselves other than the designated ‘Costa Rican’ like all other countries in the world seem to do is very impressive to me. I sometimes find it hard to explain what a Tico is to those not familiar with the term because there are no parallels to draw on.
For example, there is no word in the English language that Americans fondly refer to themselves as, there is just ‘American’. There’s no term with a definition that is similar to ‘American’ while also denoting kindness, brotherhood, and the spirit of adventure. There is no translation for TICO into any other language. Maybe there should be, as it seems to be one of many small ingredients that collectively brew up one of the most enlightened people in our world today.
Connection with Nature
Tico’s live in an unfairly beautiful place on our planet. Long stretches of empty beaches, dense jungles teaming with amazing wildlife, towering volcanoes, and lush green valleys with crystal clear lakes and rivers. But maybe it takes a place like that to visually, and consistently remind one that nature is everything and everywhere.
Passionate About Life
The TICO*s have a naturally friendly outlook on life that is guided by the concept of “Pura Vida”, an expression used in many forms, which essentially translates to, “life is wonderful, enjoy it.”
A TICO* works hard, plays hard, finds plenty of time to relax and spend time with family and friends.
Track Record
TICO*s seem to have it figured out, and they have the track record to prove it.
- Cited by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) as being a good performer on environmental sustainability and having a better record on human development and inequality than the median of their region.
- The only country to currently meet all five criteria established to measure environmental sustainability.
- Costa Rica constitutionally abolished its army permanently in 1949.
- It is the only Latin American country to have been a democracy since 1950 or earlier.
- Costa Rica has consistently been among the top Latin American countries in the Human Development Index (HDI), ranked 62nd in the world in 2012.
- The country is ranked fifth in the world, and first among the Americas, in terms of the 2012 Environmental Performance Index
- In 2007, the Costa Rican government announced plans for Costa Rica to become the first carbon-neutral country by 2021.
- The New Economics Foundation (NEF) ranked Costa Rica as #1 in its 2009 and 20012 Happy Planet Index.
- The NEF also ranked Costa Rica in 2009 as the greenest country in the world.
As a nation, their commitment to equality, human development and environmental sustainability is unequalled. All around darn near perfect folks, if you ask us. Their simple, pure and adventurous spirit embodies TICO* Shave Oil and everything we stand for.
What does TICO* mean to you?