Technology Is Pretty Sweet

To be able to watch one of your all time favorite films in a foreign country is simply put, amazing. The fact that I'm thousands of miles from home makes no difference, I can still watch the Matrix: Reloaded on my flat screen tv just as I would if I were in America. There may not be clean running water but ill be damned if I can't watch tv in my room. Another great luxury is being able to listen to any music I want at anytime. If I start to get sick of Balliwood anthems and just need something a little more uplifting I can put on my headphones and momentarily transport myself to a different place in space and time. I must say that's pretty sweet. When im homesick these things help me find my bearings on life. If I'm feeling lonely, I can go online and chat with my friends on Facebook. If I'm bored I can read a book on health and nutrition through an app. I don't know how long I would have made it here without having such technological advancements at my disposal. And I can say without a doubt that my phone is the most valuable tool I have on this trip. If I'm lost I can call one of my friends for help, if I need light in the dark I just use my phone, if I need help translating something then I just use my phone, when I want to research places to stay I just use my phone etc... It literally does everything for me, but when I don't have Internet access (which is a lot) I tend to feel slightly helpless without it. It just goes to show how much we really do rely on these things. Some can't live without them (for example people on life support) while others say they can't live without them (some people who play video games). Either way I can't imagine my life without such luxuries.

Here in India most everyone has cellphones (even monks need to talk to other people too) and Internet cafes can be found in many small towns everywhere. A lot of teenagers and adults alike (mostly men) have Facebook's as well. Which at first was very surprising to me but it makes sense, its a dating site. It's really interesting to see sometimes as India tries to make a push to become a more advance society with iPads and iPods and flat screen tv but still so much of it is stuck in the 1900's. Something that I saw once comes to mind, there was this teenage boy walking down the street talking on his handy dandy smart phone and a beggar proceeded to graciously ask for a few rupees. the teenage boy completely ignored this women, literally didnt even make eye contact or acknowledge her miserable life, just kept on talking and smiling on his phone like it never happened. It's still considered a third world country and for a reason. Poverty and disease are rampant here and doesn't seem to be getting much better. I have been told that the middle class is slowly rising, however while its true that it is growing its only making a significant difference for those who can keep up with it. More things become more expensive and thus unaffordable for those less fortunate, which means that once again the class gap is beginning to separate the poor and not so poor, with fewer people actually making more money. The Caste system is still alive and thriving here so poverty won't soon to become eradicated in the near future. And for the most part the government is completely fucked. No support and all corruption, which a large portion of the culture has seemed to take after. What a shame. So as I watch a commercial about some shiny new core processing Hp Laptop I wonder to myself "Where is India heading?". At times I feel as though not even Indians know in what direction the country is trying to move? Or care for that matter. Many people live on a day to day basis, doing only what they need to get by and not caring about anything else. Is it a world leader or will it just become another capitalistic society that feeds the rich but not the starving? It's hard to say from my point of view. I have been here for little less then a month but so far I have witnessed so many hypocrisies. So I will continue to ponder this question until I find the proper answer that I'm looking for, until then however I will keep on listening to great music like Moby's 93-98 Best Selected Works and enjoy myself.