Artificial life abroad Vs life in India?

Again touching the topic of India Vs West. 😊

This comes hearing a buddy of mine who went back to India for good and only reason he had was " in last 10years he hardly slept peacefully abroad", minusing vacation time in India.

Don't you feel people from Indian origination living in west are living artificial life. Factoring out money / standard of living would one prefer life back in India or continue living abroad?

What do you say, life abroad is artificial?

 

Edited by raj5000 - 16 years ago

good topic raj 👏 ...but the title misled me and i thought it was about giving people extra life via machines when they are in a vegetable stage or allowing for a natural death even if it is sooner...that would be a good topic too but lets discuss this here 😆


I disagree, Life abroad is definately NOT artificial. Yes, most people came here for the sake of a better education or more opportunities for work so that they can make more money and live a more luxurious life. However, after living here for a while, this becomes their home. They adapt to american culture and lifestyle. Life here is just as real as it would have been if they lived back home. They have everything here they had back home plus a lot more (i'm not talking in sense of material wealth but in sense of culture) Living in America, we are exposed to people from different parts of the world. We learn from them, they learn from us and we all live together in harmony. Although India in itself has a variety of cultures, they are all part of india. exposure to different cultures makes people more broad minded and it lessens potential ignorance.

Life here, for 1st or even us 2nd generation Americans has its challenges. Yes, we are a minority. Yes, we do not get national holidays for our cultural/religious holidays. Yes, white people have trouble pronouncing our name. However, despite all this, we are living a very real life here.

Even though I dont get a national holiday to celebrate my holidays, My entire family takes off from school/work and we always celebrate it with a lot of enthusiasm. I don't think celebrating Eid in Pakistan would make it any more "real" than all the Eid's ive celebrated in the past 17 years.

As far as food is concerned, my mom makes all the usual desi foods I would have eaten had i grown up in Pakistan. Infact, my tastebuds are so used to our chatpata and masaladar food that American food tastes flavorless. I do miss the chats, pani puris, golagandas etc found on the streets in pakistan(when i visited paksitan, my uncle thought i was weird cuz i perferred street food over restaurants 😆). But it's ok, life does not revolve around street food.

As for hanging out with "apne loog", My circle of friends is mostly desi. Together, we talk about desi music, bollywood releases, fashion, cultural stuff and what not. Some of my close friends are non-desi as well. But thats what makes life here more fun. All our friends in India or Pakistan would have been Indian or Pakistani. Here, I have friends from all parts of the world.

Anyone who has family here is living a very real life and it makes no sense to doubt that. However, the only NRIs living artificial lives are those who leave their family behind, come here, work loong hours to earn a lot of money to send back home to their family. They do not have the support or love of their family here. They cannot share memories with their loved ones. they work hard and live away from their families to earn money so that their family can have a better life. Their only goal in america (or anywhere outside of their homeland) is to raise money for their family. Such a person is leading a very artificial life. He or she may be able to fulfill all the wishes of their family but they will not be happy.

The bottom line is that a real life can be led anywhere as long as you have the support and comfort of knowing your family is by your side. Enjoying small happinesses and making the most of life, regardless of where one lives allows one to live a real life

What an response 👏 👏 , let me first change the title before responding more here 😊

i think life in the US seems artificial because it is very predictable. and it is predictable because it runs smoothly, almost mechanically so. life back home is more unpredictable, more challenging, never a dull moment. there are friends dropping in unannounced at midnight, unexpected pot-holes to mess up the car, some drunks having a go at a bar, an odd celebrity or two passed out on some floor, day off because it rained a bit, an employee who's giving you a hard time because she wants to leave for a silly government job or because she fell sick eating something out. lots of fun, lot of it unforeseen.

best existence is to have enough money so that you can choose to live in both places, or at least holiday for an extended time wherever you want whenever you want.

Originally posted by: chatbuster

i think life in the US seems artificial because it is very predictable. and it is predictable because it runs smoothly, almost mechanically so. life back home is more unpredictable, more challenging, never a dull moment. there are friends dropping in unannounced at midnight, unexpected pot-holes to mess up the car, some drunks having a go at a bar, an odd celebrity or two passed out on some floor, day off because it rained a bit, an employee who's giving you a hard time because she wants to leave for a silly government job or because she fell sick eating something out. lots of fun, lot of it unforeseen.

best existence is to have enough money so that you can choose to live in both places, or at least holiday for an extended time wherever you want whenever you want.

🤣 Also neighbor aunties deciding kiska chakkar kiske saath hai.

artificial or genuine...whatever you call it...life in these united states is wayyyyy tooooo hard than what it was in india.

Agree with rahul on best existence is to have enough money so that you can choose to live in both places, or at least holiday for an extended time wherever you want whenever you want.

Raj, To your question. I get bored being in one place for sometime. So India or abroad doesn't matter.

it depends on what kind of a person you are. for fake people, it is fake in both places. for genuine people, it is genuine in both the places.  I steer clear of ppl flaky in RL discussing their jewellery, clothes, cars and the rest of the blah- the elements of superficial achievement..😊  I find them more in India.. so nvmd @ artificial life in the US..
Edited by mermaid_QT - 16 years ago

I think staying in the middle east you get a great mix of the west and of the subcontinent...you are surrounded by Indians who are speaking in familiar lingo...only time I feel the life is artificial here is during the festivals like Diwali where u suddenly realise that the whole world is not celebrating with you...and you try so hard to recreate that magic by lighting the candles or diyas and trying to remember the details of how Laxmi pujan is done back home...U try so darn hard only to realise that at some level you are faking up the enthusiasm!

Even in india also now a days very busy.......People dont have time, a mechanical life.....but If you are in Abrod or in india.........If you can enjoy work and life then you dont feel bore.....

Lalu-ji is my inspiration thats why buy 10 Cow's n farms....the busy life they give me some relaxation...Now i start like Milking...😃