Irony personified ...

Today I happened to come across a good report that made me feel really strange about how the world is changing!!

Being based in Germany, I read some German articles and some of the better (and sometimes the best) articles are published by the magazine Der Speigel. Their english language version recently published a story about The Benefits of Becoming Indian (feathers not dots).

Now that sets my brain thinking - was'nt America the one that gave the world the hippie culture and marijuana smokin' in the 70's? All throughout the tom-tom man beat the hymns of individuals, individual freedom, individual rights, right to co-exist and all so on? So many caucasian people have proudly put their driven-hollow-by-smoking chests forth and said "I am a true American!" - we all know the true Americans were the "Red Indians" - the caucasian race (or pilgrims) came from Europe. Its also the same story with the Australian Aborigines races!!

No offense to any country or race, but some of the statements I read in this article were, and I quote:

Circe Sturm of the University of Oklahoma believes these second-class Indians are often simply enjoying themselves. The anthropologist has interviewed more than 70 people who changed ethnic groups about their motivation. She doesn't believe that most of them are just after the money. Many are frustrated and are looking for some kind of meaning in their lives. "If being white is just an empty plate," she says, "then being Indian is a gourmet buffet."

Many of the converts connect the indigenous existence with ideals such as equality between the sexes, more democracy and a romantic affinity with nature. The anthropologist found that two things were particularly attractive to the pale-faced Indians: the spiritual rituals and the idea of belonging to a group. An increasing number of Americans want to experience those pleasant feelings --

Many have talked about the social fabric of family and its meltdown in countries like US. This is a complete 360 degree turn back to what has come through many many evolutions of the Homosapien race and is still observed in the other species of living things (whom we so lovingly classify as "social animals") on this third rock from the Sun. ;-)

Monetary benefits apart, the need for an individual identity, a culture to call their own and uniqueness that comes with the culture is what seems to be the deeper craving in many who have switched to their Indian roots. While I personally believe that the beauty of the US is the salad-bowl culture (where everyone comes together but maintains their individual culture and identity) that they have and maintain - what seems to have gone amiss in this?

I believe that the answer may lie in some of the smaller things that life offers and which many of us neglect or ignore, more-often-than-not. We ignore the fact that humans are social creatures and while we like to mingle, interact and exchange, we all also have a ego (which we imbibe starting our birth). This ego is more or less a definition of what others think of us - collectively as a group and individually. Does this mean that the people in discussion have lost their sense of identity? or can it be inferred that there was no sense of identity and "grass-root" belonging and now with the world going flat, the exposure and eye opening has lead to this vaccum being recognised?

Interesting questions, if you ask me, for the citizens of a country which has been preaching the world about adapting their way of life ...

I had some more articles that I wanna include in this post - but unfortunately I lost the links. If I ever find them, I will edit and re-post the links.