America and the Americans are in trouble today because of their habit of spending on credit. They generally spend the next week’s check this week (credit) on things that they mostly do not need. Most of the Americans spend their paychecks on servicing their credit. It is precisely this reason coupled with speculation (buying a house to sell at a profit) why the present credit crisis has started.
We as a nation were entirely different. We believed in saving (we still do) and hated loans. Our parents and grandparents did not believe in loans, Karz was strictly taboo. Times have changed though, now ask anyone in the cities in the age group of 25-45 and the chances are high that we are paying some EMI or other (servicing a loan on a house, car, Plasma TV etc) for things which were mostly not a necessity and we did not need (except the first house). We copied their lifestyle!
An ordinary American is almost never late for an appointment whereas an ordinary Indian is late for almost all appointments. On a rare occasion that an American is late for his appointment, he apologizes immediately on reaching and you can see the feeling of guilt on his/her face. Whenever (90% of the time) we are late, it is inevitably because of the traffic or reasons beyond our control and we are never apologetic. We did not copy their lifestyle!
Fifty years ago, half of India lived in joint families. Americans were always independent and wanted to live away from parents once they attained 18 years of age (or even earlier). Fifty years later, there are hardly any joint families left in India. We copied their lifestyle!
An average American uses the words “sorry” and “thank you” innumerable times more than an average Indian (like me) does.
Sometimes I sit and ponder why we could not pick up the good things of American society and I have no answers.
We as a nation were entirely different. We believed in saving (we still do) and hated loans. Our parents and grandparents did not believe in loans, Karz was strictly taboo. Times have changed though, now ask anyone in the cities in the age group of 25-45 and the chances are high that we are paying some EMI or other (servicing a loan on a house, car, Plasma TV etc) for things which were mostly not a necessity and we did not need (except the first house). We copied their lifestyle!
An ordinary American is almost never late for an appointment whereas an ordinary Indian is late for almost all appointments. On a rare occasion that an American is late for his appointment, he apologizes immediately on reaching and you can see the feeling of guilt on his/her face. Whenever (90% of the time) we are late, it is inevitably because of the traffic or reasons beyond our control and we are never apologetic. We did not copy their lifestyle!
Fifty years ago, half of India lived in joint families. Americans were always independent and wanted to live away from parents once they attained 18 years of age (or even earlier). Fifty years later, there are hardly any joint families left in India. We copied their lifestyle!
An average American uses the words “sorry” and “thank you” innumerable times more than an average Indian (like me) does.
Sometimes I sit and ponder why we could not pick up the good things of American society and I have no answers.
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