30 Days - in Bangalore
16Dec2006 10:33 PM Film
& Video
Tonight
we watched another excellent episode of Morgan
Spurlock's television series "30 Days". The episodes
we've seen have been exemplary lessons in
tolerance and compassion (such as "Minimum Wage,
"Muslims in America" and "Off the Grid"). This one
was no exception and had an additional "close to
home" poignancy, since many positions in the
company I used to work with (for nearly 2 decades)
until 2004 (when I was in a layoff with a half
dozen senior staff engineers) were outsourced,
ironically, to some of the most genuinely caring
(as well as bright) people I've ever worked with,
who happened to be from Bangalore, India.
(Greetings to any of my former co-workers, both
domestic and abroad; I'd love to hear from you!).
As Spurlock's show pointed out, oversimplifying
situations doesn't usually help people understand
each other. The immediate take-home lessons for
me; we ALL need to simplify our life-styles and
live more lightly on the planet so that
disparities in so called "standards of living"
become irrelevant - this is the sustainable
vision, both ecologically and culturally. Another
tidbit of wisdom is to appreciate the gifts one
has at each moment, as well as the perspectives of
all others. We take so much for granted! What sort
of amazing kindness would our world embody were we
to all courageously embrace the values and
perspectives of everyone as equally valid, and
live life fully and simply so that (as the cliché
goes) others might simply live. I've got a ways to
go myself; this was a great reminder! Thanks,
Morgan & crew!
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