'Liberty and the pursuit of happiness'
It's been a day since I got back from the States..it was an OK trip and I didn't get as wild and infatuated with America as many who go there tend to get, in my experience.
This could very well be because - I got sick of pizza's and potato fries; I accidentally deleted around 400 of my amateur shutterbug shots(and cried for 15 minutes after that before proceeding to take whatever other photos I could with my new camera); I got thoroughly tired by the end of the half-month trip and could not wait to get into my own bed.
But it was not all tears and tiredness. In the midst of it all I learnt a few vital things about the country which makes an appearance in all our lives in one way or the other - be the the American brands - the GAP's, Banana Republic's, Clinique's - the American media conglomerates - WB, Disney, Viacom (it owns MTV) - the US Dollar and the fluctuations at Wall Street that affect our economies.
In America, 'liberty' is the keyword - it's stamped upon their coins and on every significant landmark in their country and subsequently it marks their personalities. America is a free country - where the sky is the limit for being and possibilities are endless if you believe..and the people do believe - after all 'In God We Trust' is their logo.
America is also a very patriotic nation although in all honesty - the American people are a vast and varied mix of immigrants who have managed to somehow put away their differences and create what is a unique and multifaceted 'American' identity that gives an ideal to many wannabes. The flag is truly the national icon and it is posted everywhere, on every corner street, in every part of the country.
This combination of freedom and national pride together comes in a package called the 'American Dream' - the dreams of the free people living in the nation. But freedom becomes pricey when it's prefixed with absolute and I found that to be a major grievance. People need to understand that a man's freedom becomes a problem when it intrudes upon another or hurts the other. Frankness is a good quality but diplomacy is just as important depending on the situation and the man on a street in America (unlike its politicians) tends to lack a certain warmth and subtlety.
But that aside, the people have an invaluable quality that is perhaps the secret to success - the ability to get over the pitfalls and tragedies of life. So be it Pearl Harbour (PH) in December 1941 or the WTC in 2001 - they mourn and use the pain to get stronger. So PH is followed with a bold move to bomb the 'Jap suckers' (dialogue from the movie of the same name) and WTC is followed by Afghanistan and Iraq bombings - all in the name of a War on Terror. But what moved me was building the 'Freedom Tower' as a mark of respect to those who lost their lives because war is never the wise option, I feel.
The war memorial at Washington with 55,000 names of soldiers who died, were lost and who returned from the Vietnam war carved upon a granite alabaster made me realise just how hard the Americans have faught and though loss has been a constant companion, the way they honour their dead is worthy of much respect. The thousands of dead and the occassional card lying at the base with scribblings in a child's hand and a bunch of flowers with the flag (yet again) left a deep impression on me.
But it was not all bloodshed, the beautiful, cloudy skies, the academic town of Boston with it's ipod bearing, backpack slinging populace, the old-world charms of Rhode Island, the thrills at Niagara and the sheer fun at Walt Disney and Universal Studios - the diversity of the country and its offerings are surreal and I'm glad I took the long haul, body-clock disturbing flight.
It was one of my must-visit places that I planned on travelling to before I died...and I did. If I can I would perhaps go back to NYC another time or maybe do my post grad at Boston. What can I say "In God I Trust"!