Saturday, October 13, 2007

Two worlds .....9 1/2 hours apart!!!

So I have been here two months now.....and someone the other day mentioned that it was surprising that I hadn't written anything about this major shift of venue......well...here goes....
What is it that I think is different about this place...??
Its the basics....How we can sign the lease and move in the same day...that we can tranfer the utilities and pay our bill in our name later that month.Its how buses arrive on time...and offices open when they say they will.Its how science is done....with a logic that has stood the test of time...yet with an eagerness to embrace the new! All these things make this country a success and I will give credit where it is due.
But what else is different?
Life is lived here..and people are human, here too.
People still care about others..I agree they wish each other Good morning quite a few orders more than back home....they say thank you alot...and if the politeness is genuine its nice! People work hard here...they party hard on weekends..oh yes that is something I like..the fact that we enjoy two day weekends here! Maybe the one thing that can be said about people here is that they are more open here....but that could be just lesser social pressure.And I havent been here long enough to judge that.There is nothing wrong me thinks in the social norms that exist back home...and while morals and values are something we treasure.....hypocrisy is something we nurture..And that goes for human beings anywhere
Are people more selfish ...well...I have always had this debate on selfishness...Why is it selfless to serve others but selfish to help yourself? Why is it that looking out for yourself has a negative connotation to it? Or are we all expected to wait for the next selfless person to take care of us, while we ourselves engage in the service of someone else.( read lazy people all!! ) I think the time has come to re define some of these terms...Selfless could indeed mean helping others with no personal motivation behind the act.Selfish could mean that one takes care of oneself at the cost of others..Self helping...that should be the one where we look out for meeee!! Am I self helping..well yes!
Anyway so this entire monologue has this point to it.....that people are a particular way..and while that does depend on the culture they are brought up in...I think for the most part, people just are !!!
I have a bone to pick with this however.......what makes people materialistic? What makes them so shallow? What makes it seem like so many years of evolution have gone in vain.....
Is there a way that culture and our burgeoning intelligence can co exist? .........
One wonders....and one must for the ability to ponder is that which sets us apart!!! More on this....watch this space! my space.....

3 comments:

Unknown said...

well let tell u in on the term selfish,on the coast of irland ppl were much happy by catchng the fish themselves and eating it but there was this selfless guy who offered his services to catch fish for others who cud not for some amount, he thought he was doing selfless act but people could not stand the way he was making money of fish that was available for free! they called him a failure in life, they said all he cud ever do good was sel-fish! so doing good for oneself became selling fish.....to sum it up, u start making more money than others from things they cud never think off u become selfish!!

HellBound but Still Divine said...

i totally agree with you..

after living in LA for almost a month now, i have realized that a society based on altruism / selflessness is on its way to some sort of internal collapse.. and it can not be open.. cuz being open about something doesnt always go with selflessness..

the ppl here are selfish and hence the society is more open.. but selfishness here is more like 'khud jiyo, dusaronko jine do'....

shilpa said...

hey Ravana..thanks for the story..sorry for the delay.was away for a bit...
True...defining people becomes harder and harder with each day.Selfish and selfless are such relative terms..I figure as long as you arent harming someone...you are ok..

Alok..hey good to see you ...And thanks for the comment!..
yeah I know what you mean.There is an underlying boundary of personal space that exists.And people take this concept of space very seriously.In a way its perfect people do not interfere..and they don't involve themselves in unnecessary things..