I'll Vote for You, and You, and You

Tonight was a slow night on television. Which for me essentially means there was no Wipeout, American Gladiators, the Office, or noteworthy cartoons on air to watch. As a result I found myself tuning in to watch the Democratic National Convention. Curious, I switched back frequently between CNN's broadcast of the program and Fox News's broadcast. Not surprisingly there were differences. Although I cannot say this is by any means a comprehensive or even fair assessment of the two shows -- there was little rhyme or reason to when and why I changed channels and there were no standardized, scientific measurements of bias -- but the atmosphere for great parts of each presentation was clearly, significantly different. CNN gave much greater coverage of each stage of the convention where as Fox News frequently looped back to Sean Hannity who aggressively and incessantly attacked Obama as he is want to do. CNN's commentators, it appeared at least, got more caught up in the pageantry and excitement of the convention than Fox's commentators who seemed much more detached. (Likely having something to do with the fact of where each set of reporters were located: many of CNN's at the convention and many of Fox's outside it.) And where as CNN referred to Obama simply as Obama, Fox News took the time to clearly enunciate his full name, Barak Hussein Obama, at least once. Hmm. Alright. I look forward to watching the Republican National Convention next week.

I look forward to watching the Republican Convention for other reasons too, however. Better reasons. That's because for the first time in my short tenure as a registered voter I do not feel as if I am voting for the lesser of two evils. I do not feel as if I must grugingly chose between two leaders who will both likely lead us into mediocrity at best or calamity at worst. I am, for once, not tempted to vote for Nader. I am, I am surprised to say, happy with not just one candidate but both candidates. This is not to say I fully agree with both Barak Obama and John McCain. That is of course not even possible. I disagree with both of them on many things and on many things I agree with neither. They don't have all the answers like do. But I do feel that both men are honest, hard working, and intelligent individuals earnestly striving for what they believe to be the best for their country. In a country where politics is all too often politics and little more, these two men, I believe, have remarkably, truly, put their nation first. I was not intending on watching the Democratic National Convention, and certainly not on writing about it, but after watching a good share of it and observing McCain's congratulatory commercial I felt led to. Partially just to make a Nader joke, but mostly to record one of the few times I have been particularly excited to vote for the next president of the United States. Many people have often considered my views on the world negative -- I won the "Most Cynical Award" on my high school college trip -- but I have always felt myself to simply be a realist. And now, for once, I am really happy for our next chief executive. Whoever it may be.

India Trip: Ending Photos and Closing Jiberrish

FROM 2/26/08:

And now the end.

But first some photos!

Here's Dubai...

And Vellore/CMC...

And finally our after trip to Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra.

But back to the ending.

So, what is the sum total of my four weeks, extended traveling, and numerous contributor dollars? Well, a little and a lot. Physically I am much the same. I miraculously lost little weight surviving on a diet of mostly refined starches, and to my knowledge I have brought no guests back with me in my gastrointestinal tract. Financially I am much the same, thanks to the generous scholarships so graciously provided. Emotionally and spiritually? Still the same unmoved faithless guy as before. Mostly, I have changed mentally. Not that my thoughts themselves have changed, as for the most part they have not, but they have certainly become more clear and refined. Medicine and infectious disease have even greater appeal and resonance to me than they did before -- and they appealed to me a lot before. International work has been the direction I have felt pulled in for years and the pull is even stronger now. Humanism -- that conglomeration of reason, ethics, and justice -- has always made sense to me, but its essential value was made apparent to me during my stay.

During the trip and in the ensuing weeks in Washington DC thereafter, these and other thoughts culminated in the coalescing of my beliefs. Up until now my patriotism, love of science, and enjoyment of politics had always been separate and independent issues. Now, however, I feel and see that they are all very connected. The stark contrasts of Delhi, India, and Washington DC, USA, forced many questions, the greatest of which concerning the nature of each nation's differences, pasts, and futures. Although in many ways very modern and daily modernizing even more, my eyes were constantly drawn to the numerous vestiges that keep India in the past. Internecine religious conflict, cultural chauvinism, oppressive gender roles, and a historical legacy of corruption, despotism, and inequality have and still hold India back from the power that is rightfully its own. In Washington, however, the multitude of monuments and museums espousing and celebrating the country's birth as the political incarnation of the Enlightenment highlight most everything that has helped make the United States and the West great. The scientific method, rationalism, liberty, equality, civil society, and democracy are certainly not the only things that have given America its power, but they were and are important foundations for the dramatic rise to prominence that it has experienced. It is also all these which will continue to empower a safer, fairer, and richer not only West but entire world. My trip therefore served as a display of contrasts of what the world frequently is and what the world should be.

These contrasting observations, though obviously exaggerations, can arguably be said to be held by people the world over. No matter what many think of the United States as it now is, the United States as a concept is for many synonymous with Westernism and with all the ideas and values previously listed associated with that. The uniting realization that I have come to is that it is essential that this remain the case. Without imperialism and the technological superiority it once had, the West faces an inevitable decline not necessarily in absolute terms, but certainly relative to the population giants China and India. As America becomes then more and more simply one out of many global powers the unquestioned legitimacy of all that it stood for will be increasingly examined for merit. If the US abandons its foundational principles to further cling to what remaining power it has or if it more quickly crashes into irrelevance through selfishness and conceit the ideas of the Enlightenment will be likely found wanting, and the world will suffer. And so it all comes together. The Scientific Revolution brought about the Enlightenment which birthed the United States, and it is now the United States which represents these in the world today. It is only through their continued union, at least in the short term, that both will be guaranteed survival. Western power will fade, but without Western thought there can never be a lasting peace or prosperity.

So that’s my revelation. Until the rising powers are successfully anchored in the humanistic ideals it is critical that the US be there to preach them. My patriotism which, like most loves was always a bit irrational, now has a clearer base to stand on. In a small way I feel that in as much as I practice a religion this is it. Salvation, at least here on Earth, will only come through a humble, honest philosophy championed by a righteous nation. It is essential then that we return to righteousness. All of this said it should be noted that I do not nor ever would claim that the United States is perfect or without error. Likewise I do not wish to create the impression that my impression of India is only negative; hopefully my previous posts would at least suggest otherwise. All of the troubles I have listed as observing in India can be readily seen in the States just as in any developed or developing nation. Truly no country or peoples is completely free from the ideological chains that have for forever bound them all. Similarly, I believe India to in many ways be a great country with many positive attributes of its own. It is simply that though during these past two months my eyes have been drawn to a great number of things, for the purposes of this discussion my mind has had to focus on but a few. I don’t know if I will be going back to India anytime soon, but I will always be happy I went.

So that’s what I’ve gotten out of India. That and a pleasurable set of memories that I will hopefully not soon forget. And just to prove my philosophical credentials I offer up a photo of me in India, with a very scholarly beard.

Thank you everyone who helped set up and support this elective. Good times.