More over-thinking

After almost two years of trying to adjust to the American culture, I think I have made some progress. Unfortunately, this comes at a time when I am about ready to prepare myself to return home (implying more unfreezing and refreezing to battle with in the future but so goes it).

As I observed individualism and complained about the daily hassles it added to my life, I was able to break it into several facets while I pondered its origin. There is the individual right from a legal perspective which I had no trouble with admiring instantly. Then the, what I called 'self-centered' aspects which I had the most issues with as it resulted in me telling myself "good morning" on too many occasions. Finally, I saw the 'macro' individualism which related to economic rights but this never concerned me much.

With a mind wired to think about correlations, I made myself believe that this dominant feature of the American society must be related somehow to the country's success. Maybe adopting something from this culture could help our failing economy back home.

The greatest portion of my experience here has been within the education system which I assume is a microcosm of the country. And what's the main difference I've observed? Diplomacy. (This could be a feature of the Mid-West but if we ranked regions in terms of Americanness, wouldn't it be somewhere up there? Seems so to me)

I can easily see delicacy in handling inter-personal situations being an extension of individualism. So maybe the secret to success is greater concern and respect for our individuals. Maybe, instead of thinking Joe is plain stupid we should consider his past experiences and invest in his development. We should make Joe more interested in himself. Maybe life shouldn't be so much about 'me' sharing with 'you' but more about you and I both strengthening ourselves to benefit all in the long run.

A collectivistic culture may be our flaw. The least motivated and self-centered easily become parasites (other-centered); feeding themselves off our sugarcane and eventually our blood (literally and figuratively).