Dog Without a Home..... or Existence
I am Indian by decent. India is my home country and nothing can take its place. Dont get me wrong... America is great n all, but it is not home. The poverty, corruption, population... I LOVE IT ALL. Few months back... I became an American citizen. I officially gave my "Indian" identity, however, I am still a brown kid with a dorky accent (imagine a younger Apu... sadly my dad owns a gas station too). I had to apply for a visa to go back home. So now i realize that I am no longer "Indian" but I still dont feel "American" in my heart. So what am I?
I value my Indian culture and traditions. However, when I went back home... I saw an India that was different to me. McDonalds and Pizza Hut were the new popular spots. Local eating places had to be "westernized" inorder to stay in business. My cousins n friends only talked English and half the channels on TV showed Friends, Seinfield, American movies and MTV. Skyscrapers everywhere. The home that I had held soo dearly wasn't the same anymore... and it seemed that besides me no one else seemed to hold on to the past. Sure it was great to talk to friends about the "good ol' days" (the time when we used to steal mangoes from the neighbor's trees, or throw water balloons at people or sing and mimic bollywood movies), however.. no one wanted to relive those times. Moreover, American culture is too liberalized for me... which brings me back to my original question.. Who am I? Geographically and Culturally?
In a world of changing times (dominated by lust: rich wanting to become richer and everyone wanting more powerful) can one really hold on to anything from childhood to death? Family changes and evolves, people change, culture changes, society changes, geography changes... everything changes... everything races to decay into nothingness. So in our race to inevitable decay (atleast of the human body to all u spiritual freaks out there), what can we hold on to stabilize our life. Every moment can be lived to the fullest but knowing that there is no way to relieve that again how can you not be sad and let it get to u. Are we supposed to experience each moment with a smile and a tear rolling down at the same time? The fundamental question still remains... Who are we? Am I indian? American? Do I have a culture that someone besides me follows?... I hate being scientific about it... but the only thing that binds us together is the fact that we are nothing more than "homo sapiens".... a scientific name that groups like animals with similar features.
- Neo
I value my Indian culture and traditions. However, when I went back home... I saw an India that was different to me. McDonalds and Pizza Hut were the new popular spots. Local eating places had to be "westernized" inorder to stay in business. My cousins n friends only talked English and half the channels on TV showed Friends, Seinfield, American movies and MTV. Skyscrapers everywhere. The home that I had held soo dearly wasn't the same anymore... and it seemed that besides me no one else seemed to hold on to the past. Sure it was great to talk to friends about the "good ol' days" (the time when we used to steal mangoes from the neighbor's trees, or throw water balloons at people or sing and mimic bollywood movies), however.. no one wanted to relive those times. Moreover, American culture is too liberalized for me... which brings me back to my original question.. Who am I? Geographically and Culturally?
In a world of changing times (dominated by lust: rich wanting to become richer and everyone wanting more powerful) can one really hold on to anything from childhood to death? Family changes and evolves, people change, culture changes, society changes, geography changes... everything changes... everything races to decay into nothingness. So in our race to inevitable decay (atleast of the human body to all u spiritual freaks out there), what can we hold on to stabilize our life. Every moment can be lived to the fullest but knowing that there is no way to relieve that again how can you not be sad and let it get to u. Are we supposed to experience each moment with a smile and a tear rolling down at the same time? The fundamental question still remains... Who are we? Am I indian? American? Do I have a culture that someone besides me follows?... I hate being scientific about it... but the only thing that binds us together is the fact that we are nothing more than "homo sapiens".... a scientific name that groups like animals with similar features.
- Neo
posted by Neo at 9:54 PM
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