Europe..USA...RFK
June 15, 2005
After 6 weeks of traveling, I have returned. Returned to what you may ask? I am asking as well.
Not to sound like an amateur or anything...but Europe is cool! I like it there. History, culture, languages, topless beaches..what more can a kid ask for? I'll tell you one thing....a decent currency conversion (7 dollars for a beer in Stockholm). I could have bought a brewery for that much in Thailand.
Apparently in Sweden and Spain the mullet is still very much alive. People from Reno, Nevada would fit in nicely there. Moreover, instead of being judged on their appearance, (like they would be in the in the US) they would be judged on their character...and hence, quickly deported.
So it goes.
In Latvia tight jeans seemed to be the clothing article of choice. The women, recently brought out from behind the "Iron Curtain" of communism, were COMMING IN HOT.
The French left me with somewhat of a bad taste, but I won't hold it against them. They did invent the bidet after all.
Being outside the U.S, one is able to learn a lot about the place we call home and its role in the world. Without much surprise, Europe showed me once again that while some aspects of our own culture are of value and possibly admirable, the most "democratic" country in the world can learn a few things from her European counterpart
I came across a speech by Robert F. Kennedy during my travels that made quite an impression on me. I believe that it is as relevant (or even more relevant) today as it was back in 1968. The speech was delivered less than 3 months before his death on March 18, 1968. I feel that it deserves to be heard once again....plus he basically copied what I wanted to say anyway :) Here we go:
"Too much and for too long we seem to have surrendered personal excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things. Our gross national product is now over $800 billion a year.
But that gross national product, if we judge the United States of America by that, counts air pollution, and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors, and jails for people who break them. It counts the destruction of redwoods and the loss of our natural wonder in chaotic sprawl. It counts napalm and it counts nuclear warheads, and armored cars for the police to fight the riots in our cities. It counts Whitman's rifle and Speck's knife, and the television programs which glorify violence in order to sell toys to our children.
Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages, the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither our passion nor our devotion to our country.
It measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile. And it can tell us everything about America -- except why we are proud that we are Americans."
- Tyler
After 6 weeks of traveling, I have returned. Returned to what you may ask? I am asking as well.
Not to sound like an amateur or anything...but Europe is cool! I like it there. History, culture, languages, topless beaches..what more can a kid ask for? I'll tell you one thing....a decent currency conversion (7 dollars for a beer in Stockholm). I could have bought a brewery for that much in Thailand.
Apparently in Sweden and Spain the mullet is still very much alive. People from Reno, Nevada would fit in nicely there. Moreover, instead of being judged on their appearance, (like they would be in the in the US) they would be judged on their character...and hence, quickly deported.
So it goes.
In Latvia tight jeans seemed to be the clothing article of choice. The women, recently brought out from behind the "Iron Curtain" of communism, were COMMING IN HOT.
The French left me with somewhat of a bad taste, but I won't hold it against them. They did invent the bidet after all.
Being outside the U.S, one is able to learn a lot about the place we call home and its role in the world. Without much surprise, Europe showed me once again that while some aspects of our own culture are of value and possibly admirable, the most "democratic" country in the world can learn a few things from her European counterpart
I came across a speech by Robert F. Kennedy during my travels that made quite an impression on me. I believe that it is as relevant (or even more relevant) today as it was back in 1968. The speech was delivered less than 3 months before his death on March 18, 1968. I feel that it deserves to be heard once again....plus he basically copied what I wanted to say anyway :) Here we go:
"Too much and for too long we seem to have surrendered personal excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things. Our gross national product is now over $800 billion a year.
But that gross national product, if we judge the United States of America by that, counts air pollution, and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors, and jails for people who break them. It counts the destruction of redwoods and the loss of our natural wonder in chaotic sprawl. It counts napalm and it counts nuclear warheads, and armored cars for the police to fight the riots in our cities. It counts Whitman's rifle and Speck's knife, and the television programs which glorify violence in order to sell toys to our children.
Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages, the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither our passion nor our devotion to our country.
It measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile. And it can tell us everything about America -- except why we are proud that we are Americans."
- Tyler
posted by Purestoke.net at 8:32 PM
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