Monday Morning Musings

Posted on May 15, 2017 under Monday Morning Musings with 2 comments

Library Presentation – May 17th. 12:00 – 1:30

I’m slowly emerging from the fog.

It has taken me a lot longer than I expected to get my “ sea legs” after six months in India. Jet lag is a factor to be sure but I think it has more to do with a form of reverse culture shock. It really hit me the other day when I was flipping through a magazine and saw an ad for an electric leaf blower. It’s no doubt an overreaction on my part but I was thinking, “ what in the hell is this all about? “ Is this a sign of progress in the western world that we need a device to move those annoying leaves? I digress, but you get my point.

It’s hard not to make comparisons when you’ve been immersed in a totally different culture. India is a very interesting study as it makes its way as an emerging economy. I wouldn’t put much stock in one person’s observations ( mine! ), but I think it has a long way to go. I recently read the book “ Freedom at Midnight” about the partition of India in 1947. Mahatma Ghandi is a central character in the book… a fascinating individual.

I noticed during my stay that many young, well educated Indians seemed to aspire to the ways of the western world. I silently cautioned them to “ be careful what they wished for.” Ghandi was opposed to those who argued that India’s future lay in imitating the industrial and technological society of the west. He felt that the industrialization of the West admired by so many had concentrated power in the hands of a few at the expense of the many. Regular readers know that I shy away from politics on this site but I think most people would agree that there is a serious distortion of wealth in many parts of the world.

I haven’t turned on the television yet since I got back . I think I may have kicked one of my last (?!) bad habits. Television can be a monumental time waster and like so many other things just becomes part of our daily lives. I can still read the news on line.

This Wednesday ( 17^th. ) I will be at People’s Place Library from 12-1:30 to give a presentation about my time in India. It’s mostly pictures but each picture has a story to tell. I prepared this PowerPoint presentation in India before I had my visa troubles. Just to be clear, this wasn’t a credit card problem… not THAT kind of Visa! As mentioned in an earlier post, I have written a major essay ( 6800 words ) about my ordeal with an expired visa. It took three weeks and a lot of help from my brother to get me out of India. At the end of the presentation, I will spend a bit of time giving some insights about what it’s like to be half way around the world and not be allowed to leave the country.

Yes, I am glad to be home but I would gladly trade a few degrees of temperature with India!!!

As I re-read this post,  I realize that the fog hasn’t lifted completely!

Have a great week.

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