Comparitively in india, even people belonging to the upper middle class (about 20% of population) complain about the most mundane and frivolous of things - the price of rice shooting up 5-10 rupees, or the petrol prices going up 2% or the unaffordability of additional housing etc etc. The whining and complaining is incessant and relentless; it just doesnt stop. Indians, in my experience, are mostly just not satisfied with their current status quo. They always tend to loo upwards, and thus always hungry for more. The social environment has a lot to attribute this, as people often live in very tight and close communities, so every status symbol is envied upon and gossiped about. I have seen people wearing gold ornaments, coming out of a car, carrying multiple cell phones, and then complain to a juice cart about the ridiculously high price charged for a glass of freshly peeled, hand churned juice!!!(about 50 cents, cheap by any standard).
Another reason, although, is that americans are provided a whole lot from the government; the level of assistance is just amazing, and that in turn is responsible for the current state of affairs in america, where people have become overly accustomed to the handouts and thoroughly abusing them. Whereas in india, one just doesnt expect anything from the government, except perhaps foreign attacks, which as of lately also has been a faltering expectations evidenced by last years record 30-40 bombs in a span of 2-3 months going off in almost every major city in India. I know people who make about 12oo dollars a month, definitely middle class if not upper middle by indian standards; the person has a car, 1 bedroom apartment, cell phones, television, AC, microwave etc - all remarks of a successful middle class person, but even he complains about the price of mangoes going up to 80 rupees a kilo (2 dollars a kilo)!!! Or he might remark that his doctor charged him 100 rupees for a common cold!! Yes i agree to some extent that they are high, but not for us. They might be unaffordable for a person earning $50 bucks (2500 rupees) a month (about 30-40% of population) but if a person of his stature is complaining, it is at that point baseless whining.
My point is that things are always going to get more expensive and worse than before, but if one always focuses on the negative side of life, complaining at every little detail while also refusing to let go of those luxuries, we indians will never ever be happy. We must take a lesson from the westerners and live life truly in the moment; quit our fretting and constant nagging and just be simply happy...
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