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Surprise, Surprises!!

America didn’t surprise me at all one level. It is like a good movie with good reviews. That is, one’s thoughts are already moulded before he/she watches the movie, and thus the experience of watching the movie is already pre-determined.

That is the main reason why the country as a whole didn’t surprise me –until I dug deeper into my psyche and got out of the selective view of world I was comparing with. There were a variety of things that were surprising, [read impressive] on their own. But interestingly, in my pre-determined notion, I did not have a portrayal of a country any different than what I experienced. Hence I could not appreciate or assimilate the amount thought, sweat and integrity that went to build the country.


A country in a short span of under 250 years has institutionalized processes – in a wide range of areas – that have raised the bar of citizen / community convenience to an extraordinarily high level. That is just stupendous. The impressive list includes electioneering, building roads, the public school [in USA parlance – primary, middle, higher secondary education] system, a privatized higher education system, expeditious legal system, effective penalties for petty crimes, roaring agriculture, respect for public property, the indomitable enterprise, and a whole-hearted respect for talent [own or foreign]. These are some of the pillars that have ensured this country’s unassailable position in world, may it be sports, geo-politics, education and whatnot.

And I have not yet mentioned the respect for people, the passion with which immigrants call a foreign land their own, and how [more importantly] they accept new immigrants to partake of the same resources, the inspiring gender equality at the root [read family] level. The voice of the children in the family. The eagerness to listen to others fully. The confidence to express oneself clearly. The emphasis placed on communication is the primary education. That is one of the more subtle pillars of the country.

I was most impressed with the quality and clarity of communication – at all levels of the society. This includes both listening and talking. The seriousness with which speakers approach their audience. The mental preparation with which people come to any discussions. The real beauty is seeing how the audience values the voice of the individual, and conversely, seeing how the individual values their audience. The makes for an amazing symbiotic relationship, to speak and to listen. The overall quality of communication also speaks of the assurance that the system gives to the people from childhood – to speak out without the fear of being chastised. and having the confidence That is the mantra of individual self-emancipation and collective enterprise.

The other societal facet worth a positive comment, is the continual evolution of the legal systems. America has also inherited the jurisprudence of common laws from the British. But they have built on this, and now have a system in which cases are disposed in a reasonable time frame and acquittal or conviction happens in a timely manner. Equally importantly, petty crimes [say – driving, parking misdemeanours] are dealt with effectively. There is no room for name-dropping or mobile flaunting. [As an afterthought: Methinks as a country we have too much embarrassment of spending a day in jail – the day we can get this out of our mind – we will allow ourselves to be penalized for petty crime and will stop flaunting the mobiles. More importantly people whom we call up will bail out [read – influential friends and fathers] will advise us to spend a night in the lock-up so that we can serve as an example to our friends; in addition to keeping our own-selves in check in the future].


To sum-up, the major differences I observed between India and America are communication, population density, sanctity of the laws and equality in their retribution, and the general work ethic of the working classes [both at home at the work place]. But for the population density – India cannot do much [but for buying/renting out parts of USA and relocating people], it is both the boon and the bane of the country depending upon which side of the table we are at– the others however, are controllable. In one generation we can make a change if we demonstrate character.

Every country has its opportunities to improve. America has its own as well – but most of these – the country’s think-tanks are thinking, talking and trying to make a change. Therefore, I really don’t find it relevant to mention here. But it is worth mentioning that the people who drive the country’s consciousness are eager to find systemic solutions to systemic problems. They don’t expect individuals to solve country’s problems. This I think is the biggest pillar of the country and why the country will bounce back.
And now the lighter Surprise, Surprises!!

These observations are only to demonstrate a different paradigm, to enhance the humour quotient.--First one, daughter-in-law addressing the father-in-law by the first name. [I cannot see that happening in India in the next 50 years] Second, people drinking water with ice in it in below freezing temperature [this is something that was a huge joke – espl. as we kept asking for water without ice]. Third, no traffic - once in a residential area at 6:30 pm in full sunshine, I needed to wait 20 minutes to see a soul. [Note: USA has a population density almost 1/15th that of India, i.e. about 6% that of India. This is equivalent to the population India had in maybe 1500 AD. That explains why there are no people in the streets]. Fourth, Pedestrians cross the roads only why there are no vehicles at 10 metres away. [This way pedestrians will never get to cross unmanned streets in India – we are used to walking through the vehicles here.


Bhubaneswar
June 21 and 26, 2011
Final edits – July 28, 2011

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