Just Observations

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"I read something today in the very modern, Barnes and Noble-esque bookstore in the very over-priced, un-stereotypical Indian mall, from the book of the Krishna faith. It was something along the lines of basic Buddhist beliefs, where “to desire objects” is bad because to desire leads to infatuation and infatuation somehow leads to loss of discrimination, and somewhere down the line loss of discrimination leads to loss of one’s self. It made more sense and seemed somewhat enlightening when I read it in the bookstore. Maybe it had something to do with being surrounded by Indian texts: cooking books, Hindi language books, Krishna texts, and Gandhi’s most famous quotes, that made reading that little idea out of that little page out of that little book seem so miraculous, but it resonated within me and almost made me spend the one-hundred and eighty-five rupees on that what I now believe to be a piece of crap, rip-off."

This little excerpt was taken from my journal, after which, I went on to talk about disparities in the country, British influence, cultural struggle, etc. It was pretty fucking boring, actually. There are so many issues to discuss, but for the sake of this entry actually being interesting, maybe I'll just take another part of my journal and discuss a topic all of us could relate to: love and marriage ("go together like a horse and carriage...")

"I find myself thinking of Indian marriages -- arranged. No say. The idea that you give up comparison shopping and agree (sometimes, initially, unwillingly) to make a "lifetime" commitment to what could be a stranger. An idea that no matter who you're given, you learn to love that person and make a family with them. And not just the traditional sense, but the systematic way of living among another being and creating a social hierarchy within one household."

And another one: "There are definitely smells, crowds, delays, disparities, conflicts, animosity, poverty, and injustices but nothing that masks the beauty of the cultures that exist here. If nothing else, the vibrancy is the truest and most unwavering characteristic of India. Colors, volume -- everything is loud. It's a country that can simply not keep up with the rate that it's changing. The old habits of its people die too hard (using sidewalks and rivers as trashcans) but simultaneously, the economy and literacy rates are growing."

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