In a message dated 2/22/99 6:29:36 PM Pacific Standard Time,
K.Ambroz@lse.ac.uk writes:
<< Evo vam jos jedan pogled na Ameriku, puno bolji, bar ja mislim: >>
Mozda se izbliza bolje vidi, vec znamo da svaka stvar ima onoliko uglova
koliko je u nju upereno pogleda, but then, self-deception does exist as well
as prejudice. What counts as a good or bad argument? Americans keep focus on
their privacy and personal happiness, we keep focus on political scene, 'cause
the politics interferes with our basic existance, let alone happiness.
The truth is that almost everything in this country is about money, but the
negative connotation surrounding this fact derives mostly from the superficial
perception of money as an ultimate devil. Anything can destroy us if we don't
know how to handle it. We do different things to comfort ourselves. If we
don’t have good looks we tend to say that the inner-self is what matters,
while in reality we are hunted and hunt for both. Personally, I’m not bothered
with making money. I enjoy books, plays, sports, other people enjoy having
nice cars, gambling, traveling, climbing mountains. Some people enjoy simple
surviving. In this form of Capitalism money is God. Some people praise it,
some don’t. We had our Gods, too (I just saw the chubby one on CNN).
Ayn Rand came to this country from Russia bringing perpetual Slavic suffering
that strives on pain as the ultimate spiritual pleasure. So did I, so did
many. But Ayn Rand had collected money for her fiction, just as we all sell
our knowledge and cash our checks. This society is far away from being
perfect, yet its structure and laws serves better our everyday lives, than the
ones most of us left. People write poetry, software, they study, fall in love,
get married, have children and grow old. People also kill each other, rob
banks, use drugs, abuse system, friends betray each other. You don’t have to
have medical insurance, but the car insurance is mandatory. Bureaucracy is
huge and slow, but bearable. The governement doesn't interfere in your life
and work as long as you pay taxes and obey the laws. It is up to each
individual how he or she will organize life within his or her walls, what is
the religion or philosophy one will follow, even if the money stands for
such. We all make our choices.
The text you used to express your view was written in 1957th. It’s a very
well written book based on reality, but still it's a fiction and "we all know
that Art is not truth. Art is a lie that makes us realize truth, at least the
truth that is given us to understand. The artist must know the manner whereby
to convince others of the truthfulness of his lies" (Pablo Picasso)
I live real life in real America. I scrubbed real floors for real money, I
cleaned rich people houses. Some of them became my friends as well as their
gardeners. I learned to value money, not to idolize it, neither to despise
it. It's a lesson most of the Americans get by the simple virtue of being
born and raised here, We, immigrants, learn when we get here, inevitably
creating and altering our own values. It's never easy. It's easier with money.
mara stojanovic, san diego, february 99