Inscrutable Americans - awesome read

I read this book recently and its truly a wonderful book to read. It brought to light the contrast of Western and our own Indian societies in such a beautiful manner, I was amazed. In India you are born into expectations. People know who you are and so therefore you are suddenly supposed to do something. Why... because thats what brings honour, dignity and other such things. So whats different in USA.... well for one thing you are what you are. Plain and simple. A tree is a tree and a rock is a rock. But in India every tree and every rock has some significance and a history. The fact, according to the author is that Indians live by their past with a simple belief that the future will never be like the past and so everything that gets written in history is to be such that it will be remembered with honour. But USA, its a different ball game.

Everyone is so obsessed with living 'The American dream' that they're always hurling themselves at the next tornado to reach it. Everyone start out equally and as they move in life, the rat race they are pushed into, they try ever risky ventures to reach that dream too early too fast. And people fall and break their hearts, but they pick it up, dust it off and try again. Its the accepted way of life. So accepted that its quite shocking how lightly americans treat the most serious of topics.

So what becomes of this dreaming outrageous american, do they ever get to that dream. I dont know. Maybe few do and they are treated like icons of society, praised and heralded anywhere they go. What about the rest of the population, do they find their dreams too or do they just shut away the past never to be opened and lie as those who tried. Is that a better dream to follow, to try to be admired in the eyes of millions if only, for a few years, or like Indians tread a safe path that leaves you unknown to everyone, except those you care about.

Do read that book. Its written by Anurag Mathur and buy a copy.

Karthik.

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