Misplaced intellect

Why do we call the western world developed? Most of the population there have anti-depressants as their staple diet. They pop a pill if they lose a partner, when they watch tv, when they see their offspring, if they gain a little weight and sometimes they pop a pill just for the heck of it. These people are the loneliest of the lot. They have no roots and when they are done trying to get over the fact, they start trying to find them. They live dual lives. On the surface and to the outside world they hide behind a confident & superior than thou facade. On the inside they are plagued by loneliness, rejection, fear of rejection and insecurity. Their lives according to me is the perfect example of materialistic existence. Unfortunately, we too are headed there.

What does development mean to us? We have stopped noticing the little things in life. All our living breathing moments revolve around silicon variants, Wasn't it meant to be the other way round? We find it easier to question our values and morals without for once thinking as to what we are without them. Are we bigger and better individuals today than our ancestors?

If we are indeed living a more developed life than our forefathers, shouldn't we in turn possess more good qualities than them? Shouldn't we be more hardworking, wiser (without google search), sacrificing, honest and blah, blah, blah?

Why are we so fascinated by everything that carries the western tag? Don't all religious texts proclaim that life started in the east? Why are we all trying so hard to end it in the west? The sun still rises first in the east. I am not saying that we have nothing to learn from the west. They are a hardworking lot. But their hard work is motivated by just one ELEMENT - MONEY.

We are STILL perhaps lazier in comparison to our western counterparts but with good reason. We can laugh out loud, we have families where we shout at & disagree with each other yet gather together at the dinner table without hurting our egos. We can scold our children without fear of imprisonment. We do not need psychologists and psycho analysts to set our kids right. Yes, we have our hangups. Yes, we are not open with our affections in public (I do not have such hangups but do not see any point in questioning them either). We are sufficiently independent (in the cities) to make our own choices (if we want to) without the burden of a moral baggage.