A remarkable year

The approaching end of an year, not surprisingly, tends to get me in a reflective state of mind. But this year, I feel especially, as if I am witnessing the coming together of certain phenomenal trends and social pattern shifts that, not so very long ago, would have been considered revolutionary.
The year began with the rise of Barack Obama, the face of new kind of politics. For the first time in my life, I actually closely followed an election campaign and truly cared about the outcome. To be honest, in the beginning of the democratic primaries, I was a Hillary fan and hoped she would break the biggest glass ceiling for all women. But over the course of his campaign, Obama won me over by his ability to see and articulate the bigger picture. He made Hillary seem petulant in comparison at times. His intelligence and thoughtfulness were a welcome contrast after having endured the fecklessness of the George W Bush administration for most of the years that I have been a US resident. Like much of America I wept as I watched him give his victory speech in Grant Park in Chicago. It was obvious that this election was Martin Luther King's "dream" coming true for not just blacks, but so many people of all races who have struggled against racism and prejudice. Even places like the American South, where a significant number of people voted against Obama simply due to the color of his skin, will no doubt, be forced to reconsider the American identity and what it means in the 21st century.
Despite all the cynicism that I usually express towards politics, this was a historic moment that I will always remember fondly. I am happy then that this year, when America has taken a big stride towards "perfecting its union" that I became a US citizen. My feelings about giving up my Indian citizenship remain ambiguous, of course. The heartstrings will never stop pulling me towards the land of my birth, but this year, for the first time in 10 years, I felt a genuine affection for and connection with my adopted country. Earlier this year, we had visited Philadelphia, and saw in person the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights etc. Having not taken too many American history courses in college, it was a fascinating first hand lesson about America's founding ideals and events. I was touched despite my bravado about the commerce of historical tourism etc. Having learnt and read about the extermination of most of the Native American population at the time of this country's birth and all the evils of U.S. foreign policy over the last century during my days in Berkeley (brilliant, beautiful, left-leaning Berkeley- a world unto itself!), I now saw a different side of the country I lived in. I will never be able to appreciate the U.S.- centered world view and arrogance of many native born Americans, but it did make me understand the roots of the passion towards this country's constitution which Obama expressed so often in his speeches.
Another momentous theme that became more and more relevant this year was highlighted by rising gas prices and increasing evidence of global warming. Alternative energy and energy conservation have become serious policy issues rather than the preoccupations of fringe environmentalists that they had been considered in the last century. The incoming presidential administration is actually promising to invest like never before in helping the country become oil-independent. I think the next decade or two in energy research will prove to be just as transformative for the world as the information technology revolution was in the 1990's. Americans, the leaders in the world in wasteful consumption, are for the first time, seriously reconsidering their lifestyles. Cloth bags are everywhere, bestselling books (see my review of "Hot, Flat and Crowded" by Thomas Friedman in near future!) are advocating switching off the office lights at night, and it is not cool anymore to be seen driving a Hummer. These are baby steps, but steps in the right direction nonetheless. Hopefully, the right set of policies over the next 4 years will steer the US economy as well as its consumers towards a more sustainable way of being.
While the banking, credit and housing crises have pushed the US economy into a huge decline this year, India and China, continue to inspire tales of new-found self-confidence. These are ancient civilizations which had been once the very epitome of prosperity, order and innovation. Now, after having being in the dark ages economically for more than a couple of centuries, the Asian giants see the next century as one of their rise to the top of the heap again. This may be true, but if all the grave warnings about the climate crisis come true, then there may not be much of a world left for them to dominate over. They are both aiming to adopt the American ways of consumption, waste and environmental pollution, except on an even larger scale, given their respective population sizes. While the possibility of alleviating millions out of poverty and building world class companies in both countries is awesome, they both need to step up to the plate to approach development with a different mindset than their western predecessors. Their cities are already the most polluted in the world. They stand to do everyone, including their own citizens, a world of good by cleaning up their smoke throwing factories, "greening" their construction and automotive standards, and investing into alternative energy research than just waiting for someone else to take the lead here. I, for one, will really enjoy going to Delhi and being able to see the winter sun without the smoggy haze covering it.
The last trend that I am really happy to notice is the redefinition of feminism. While previous generations of feminists were more preoccupied with trying to prove women are just as good as men, the women in my generation simply take this for granted. This gives us more flexibility to not just pursue careers but really make choices for what makes us happy, whether that be a focus on the family, or participating more actively in our communities. One major obstacle that does remain, though often not frankly discussed, is the fact that while women make up almost an equal proportion of the workforce as men, they still disproportionately do the major share of work at home and for their children. This state of being constantly overworked is definitely not one that leads to happiness for anyone. More and more women, and in many cases, their partners in life, have started to recognize this unhealthy pattern. Lifestyle choices and websites like www.equallysharedparenting.org have put a special light on the steps individual couples are taking to correct this imbalance. What remains missing is a systemic and work policy framework that helps working families maintain a better balance. As more and more people in my generation, especially women, lean towards quality of life and family time in their lives, the government and private companies need to start doing more to ensure this critical area of workers' well-being is not ignored.
Yet, with all the positives that occurred, the world also witnessed the endless cycle of violence, bigotry and corruption that modern societies seem unable to break out of. At the end of 2008, India and Pakistan stand at the brink of yet another war. Israel is yet again invading Palestine, and Palestinians throwing rockets on Israelis. Islamic fundamentalists continue to spread their message of hatred around the world. Much of Africa remains in the darkness of regional warfare, political instability, malnutrition and disease. And in America, politicians like Blagoveich reminded us yet again of what a dirty games politics is at its heart, and Bernie Madoff showed us just how awful a farce can greed veiled in capitalism prove to be. So, we enter a new year, fighting the battle between good and evil, light and darkness, congealed traditions and progress, that mankind has been fighting since time immemorial. It is a good time to be alive!

Living Through History

I will never forget the tears of redemption, the unrestrained joy and the surprised renewal of hope on people's faces throughout America on the night of Barack Obama's victory. It was an amazing time to be alive in the U.S. My generation, which started out with the label of the "Me Generation" had helped break what, till only a decade ago, had seemed an impossible barrier. The cynicism that I have become so accustomed to when it comes to politics was for the first time replaced by a moment of awe. Barack Obama may go on to become a great leader or he may disappoint, but the symbolism of his election to the U.S President's office will dramatically change American society forever.
At a time when America, my adopted country, seems to be healing its old racial wounds, it is ironic that India, the country of my birth, is witnessing a resurgence of narrow-minded politics as well as separatist and terrorist activity seeking to divide it on basis of caste, religion or region. I pray for a leader in India with the same transformative aura as Obama, who can lead them to not only a renewal of India's deep values of tolerance and pluralism, but also to a future beyond the old divisions. 2008 has been a truly historic year which may well be the watershed year for the transformation of an entire generation to one that cares about equality, meritocracy, the environment, and those less privileged than themselves. Rise my Indian brothers and sisters, and take this opportunity to take your nation to not just a new economic but a moral high as well!

The Past vs The Future

McCain in the first presidential debate of 2008 sounded like he was running for president in 1970. He went back to Russian invasion of Afghanistan to Gorbachov to his various travels and meeting with presidents of obscure countries which have long since fallen off the map of US national interests. Obama looked to the future and what he would do as the US president with the only reference to the past when he talked about his father who had looked to the US as a "beacon on the hill."
McCain presented his resume which is impressive but has obviously not equipped him to have any substantial vision about the direction the country should take. He emphasized that the only thing that mattered to him was defense spending, veteran affairs and preventing torture of detainees. He did not address the domestic issues that are going to really matter with women- the block of voters who could decide this election. His only gesture throught this campaign to women voters has been to put on the ticket a trophy female VP candidate who probably is the least qualified to be in that position than anyone in recent history.
Obama sounded well-informed, balanced and looked to the future to show what he would offer as the leader of USA. He did not drop names of the countries he had visited but instead outlined his policies on the economy and foreign affairs. He did sound unnecessarily defensive and too ready to rebutt McCain's laughable charges against him. This prevented him from setting the tone of the debate to highlight his strengths and instead addressed the issues that mattered to McCain.
Overall, McCain sounded scarily out of touch and unable to learn from past misjudgements like the Iraq war where he seems to want to remain forever. Obama needs to set the tone on his own terms, rather than address his opponent's charges. The diferences between these two candidates could not be clearer. Will America open its eyes and look?

The Wall

Illusions of the world

your mind has created so many

enough to build a wall.

Regrets stronger than concrete

bitterness thicker than mortar

self pity more opaque than granite

enforced by the steel beams of circumstance.

Trapping you in the deepest of darkness

blocking out the sunshine outside

sucking the fragrance out of the air

leaving you feeling so alone.

I pray to God for a hammer

big enough to smash a hole in it

or to a drill a tunnel

to let the warmth of my love reach you

blanket you from the coldness of your past

and melt away your sadness

Please break this wall down

your soul awaits you on the other side

and so does my heart.

An absentia of moderation

Having witnessed the excesses of the Bush administration over the last eight years, both in terms of ideology and execution of policies, it makes me wonder about why no one is talking about the role of moderation- common sense checks and balances that are sorely lacking over the office of the President of the United States. It would seem obvious that the extremist and poorly thought-out policies of one man have caused lasting damage to the credibility of a whole nation, not to mention trillions of dollars of taxpayer money spent wastefully and immorally.

I was outraged to find out that as of this year, 42 cents of every dollar paid on federal income tax goes to the military budget while only 4 cents or so go to education and infrastructure maintainence. So basically most of my tax money is funding the killing of American soldiers and Iraqi civilians, bribes for fundamentalist militiamen, and a misguided occupation of a foriegn nation, while inner city children in the U.S. are barely able to attain literacy in government-funded (or should I say underfunded) schools. How is this situation any different from a monarchy- where the distribution of resources does not depend on the greater good but rather on the whim of one man or woman, or in this case, a fringe group of neoconservatives?



Despite such a steady track record in US history of the corrupting influence of power on it Presidents (Nixon and Watergate; Johnson and the Vietnam War; Bush and Iraq; Bush and tax cuts for the rich; Bush and Katrina; Bush and misrepresenting the science of stem cell research and climate change; Bush and cronyism in the judicial system...), it seems there no new laws in place that would put in place a stronger process to correct the poor decision-making and short-sighted policies of future administrations before it becomes the content of history books. While the candidates for the presidency fill the airwaves with passionate speeches, where is the safety net that would prevent them from straying into foolhardiness at the nation's expense?

It's time the US public gave up its romance with the post of the President ("the most powerful man in the world"), and revised its constitution and/or the organization of the legislative branch to make the office of the President more accountable to the democracy that it represents. No matter how wonderful the current candidates may seem, or how much of an improvement they may be compared to their predecessor, they would certainly not be immune from changes of heart, conscience or simply political considerations. If veto power was distributed more broadly and flexibly, then it is surely less likely that non-sensical policies are carried out to the detriment of the average citizen.

The Geography of Happiness

Eric Weiner's bestselling book is about his experiences in the world's happiest places. Bhutan, and surprisingly Iceland, come in first followed by Thailand, India and Switzerland. His main premise is that the places that were the most content were not the wealthiest or most prosperous nations, but ones in which social relationships and inter-connectedness of communities played a dominant role. Qatar, for example, which has sky high per capita icnome and no taxes, actually did pretty poorly on the happiness scale.

The "science of happiness" has tried to outline a formula on what makes people happy. But the one theme that sociologists echo over and over again is that the relationships in your life are what contribute most to the happiness quotient in your life. The U.S. has a culture where families are fragmented by distance and workaholic lifestyles, and neighbors are okay with not knowing each other- what does that say about the level of happiness in the world's wealthiest country? The increasing opportunity for remaining remote offered by the internet and the information age only makes matter worse (True that email and messaging makes communication easier, but also makes avoiding seeing people in person easier!)

The cliche that man is a social animal remains true even in this technologically sophsticated age. Making a difference or being valued by others remains the most satisying of impetuses, proabably just as much as it used to be in the last century. In the words of J.K. Rowling, love is what matters in the end! Why then, is our entire outside environment geared towards making us more successful, more wealthy and more powerful but not necessarily more loved? Humankind- a mystery as always!