“It gets me thinking every time a dear friend of mine who has gone to the US to pursue further studies tells me that he is going to settle there for good. They go on to add that they feel its the best place on earth and that even I should go and settle there. So much so that some of them find it derogatory that someone calls them Indian anymore.
So I always try to delve deeper into the American way. What is it? And why is everyone in the world attracted to it? Well, I for one am surely not attracted to it and would never want to settle in such a country which has had presidents who attack at will and consider the world to be their dumping ground.
While reading a few articles I came across this article in the Hindustan Times: Click here to read the article
If this is what the American Way is then all I can say is it’s a highway to hell. The recent spate of natural disasters striking all around the world are an indication enough of the impending doom that nature is going to unleash someday. I am not indicating that everyone should become a saint and stop using cars and stop partying. But moderation is something that becomes an important aspect of everything you do. Consider the fact that Americans who form 5% of the world’s population consume 50% of the world’s resources. Now they would go ahead and argue that its a clear case of sour grapes but my friends do not misconstrue my point here.
Environmental Conservation has become one of the greatest myths of our time. I wonder how far will we go. Read the following excerpt from the same article:
Under Dubya, the violence has intensified. His `Clear Skies’ initiative, which purports to slash mercury emissions, in fact permits a full 10 tons more per factory than was allowed by the existing Clean Air Act. His `Healthy Forests’ initiative will effectively allow loggers back into 10 million acres of woods they have been locked out of by three decades of regulations.
One of the biggest surprises for me was the re-election of Dubya, even after all that happened (Iraq War). The americans were either too considerate or way too oblivious of the world around them. The clear intentions of controlling the Oil Wells were well disguised behind the veil of the 9/11 attacks and thousands of innocent people were killed in the process.
Once again, I wonder, is this the american way? If yes, then my friends, thanks, but no thanks!
This is one of the most disturbing book I have read. It leaves you with a sense of sympathy as well as admonishment for the protagonist of the book. Delicately set during the era of the nuclear race between India and Pakistan, the young Daru finds himself staring at closed doors as the story unravels. It makes you think twice whether it is a matter of his doing. At times, opinions change but the truth remains to be seen. It is the sad ending of one very promising youngster. It is the story of his decline.
I am yet to finish this one, but the kind raw energy the Dean Moriarty exudes leaves you exhausted as you go alongwith him on the road. As they say on the back cover book, this story sold a trillion levis and a million espressos and urged thousands of kids to hit the road. Jack Kerouac has put a finger on all the subtle dissatisfactions that emerge in ones life. It gives you that sudden urge to hit the road. To take a backpack and a car and hit the nearest possible highway with no money in your pockets. I “”dig”” it man!!