Binding Democracy
Tied together
Several times during the trip it has been made clear how tied together we are with India. September 11th impacted India’s new economy as hard as it did ours. So many of the entrepreneurs, leaders, and innovators we’ve met have spent time in the US learning, working, or teaching. In Bangalore, Monday was relatively quiet, the reason: Memorial Day in the US. Ask an Indian what he thinks of the US and it is positive almost every time. My impression is that globalization doesn’t scare Indians. They seem confident in their ability to keep their cultural identity while also embracing the fast-paced influx of Western culture. In the process, they are becoming more familiar with us. They are talking to Americans on the phones, scanning our newspapers, getting accent and cultural training, learning English, and watching our TV on the Dish. Ties that bind?
Democracy
Despite so many Muslims and poor living in this country, there aren’t a lot of them strapping bombs on themselves and causing trouble. Is it because India is democratic and secular? As the shanty towns and dismal life of millions passes outside the window of the bus I realize these conditions exist throughout the world. I begin to understand why someone living in such poverty might answer the call of a Jihad. The allure of adventure, meaning, and being part of something probably beats living in the mud and sewage of poverty. At least here in India there is hope. Voters turn out en masse for elections here. I suspect it is because they believe they have a say and can actually affect their own future. If India’s success can do anything to help lift it’s citizens out of those shanties, then that’s a lot less people with nothing to lose in the world, which can’t be a bad thing for anybody. |
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