They used to call it the Switzerland of Central America. It was the teacher’s pet of the region. While its neighbors were busy with coups, wars, and chaos, Costa Rica was the quiet kid in the back of the class, just doing its homework and smiling at the birds. They sold the world a beautiful story. They called it “Pura Vida.” Pure Life. It was a great marketing slogan. It looked good on t-shirts worn by tourists who didn't know any better. But stories are just stories, and eventually, the book has to close.

Now, reality has kicked down the front door. Laura Fernández has won the presidency. But let’s be honest about what she actually won. She didn’t win a shiny trophy or a victory lap. She won the job of captain on a sinking ship. She won the right to be the face of a country that is scared out of its mind. The news tells us she won because of a crisis. That is a polite way of saying that the people of Costa Rica are terrified. The reputation for peace? That is gone. It has been tarred and feathered by record-breaking violence.

It is almost funny, in a tragic sort of way, to watch how quickly a paradise can turn into a crime scene. For years, the world looked at Costa Rica and sighed happily. It was the safe place. It was where you went to see sloths and drink coffee, not to worry about bullets. But crime does not care about your reputation. Crime cares about opportunity. And while the politicians were busy patting themselves on the back for being so peaceful, the rot set in. The drug trade, the gangs, the violence—it all crept in like mold in a damp house. Now, the mold is everywhere.

So, the voters did what scared people always do. They looked for a savior. They ran to the voting booths, desperate for someone, anyone, to make it stop. They chose Fernández. They handed her the keys to the government and said, “Fix this.” It is a desperate move. It is the move of a population that has realized their windows are not as strong as they thought. They want safety. They want the violence to stop. They want the “Pura Vida” lie to be true again.

But here is the cynical truth that nobody likes to say out loud: voting doesn't make the bad guys disappear. A new president is just a new person sitting in an old chair. The problems facing Costa Rica are deep. They are heavy. You cannot just wave a magic wand and make the murder rate go down. You cannot just give a speech and make the drug routes disappear. It takes years of mess, struggle, and failure to fix what has been broken. But people do not have patience. They want results yesterday.

This election wasn't about hope. Don't let anyone tell you it was about a bright new future. It was an election of fear. When violence breaks records, people stop caring about grand ideas. They stop caring about the environment or the economy or the schools. They only care about one thing: survival. They voted for Fernández because they want a shield. They want the government to be a big, strong wall between them and the chaos outside.

It is the same story we see all over the world. Europe, America, Asia—it doesn't matter. When people feel unsafe, the theater of politics changes. It stops being a debate and starts being a panic. The politicians know this. They feed on it. They promise safety because that is the only product anyone wants to buy. Fernández sold safety. Now she has to deliver it. Good luck with that.

So, we watch the celebrations. We see the smiles and the waving flags. But behind the smiles, there is a grim reality. Costa Rica has joined the rest of us in the mud. The special status is gone. The halo has fallen off. They are just another country now, fighting the same ugly battles as everyone else. The voters have put their faith in a new leader, hoping she can turn back the clock. But time only moves in one direction. The fairy tale is over, and the lights have come on in the theater. It turns out, the set was falling apart the whole time.