New York

Lotus In The Mud

Jan. 23, 2013-Always More

Just when you thought you'd heard the last from me.

We napped for a couple of hours then walked across the street from our motel in Jamaica, Queen's to Kennedy's Deli. Crossing the thoroughfare was a piece of cake compared to the dodge 'em cars we'd been playing. I knew the deli wouldn't be Jewish style but it did have excellent pastrami & chicken soup. What I didn't count on was that the cute young man who owned the place spoke Arabic. He greeted customers in English or Arabic & knew them all. He was very engaging & I hope he makes a go of it.

It reminded me of something else I learned in India. For those of you who have read The Life of Pi or who've seen the movie, a major component of the philosophy of Pi is that he embraces everyone's religion. In India I found that to be more truth than fiction.  With so many religions, sects, cults, languages, cultures, & ethnicities they seem to throw up their hands & say "live and let live." They co-exist day to day in peace & in VERY close proximity with each other. What we were told & read in the papers was that people want to get along. It's politicians who cause the problems.

As an aside, the man sitting next to me on the plane was coming to the U.S. to work in North Carolina for a year. He'd never been here & had to report to an office in NYC before going to work. I told him that New York City was a small city of only eight million. He smiled knowingly at such an intimate "town." He was from Delhi. It's more populated than Mumbai's twenty million. 

Our plan had been to go to Manhattan this afternoon & evening but it's way too cold

(11 F) so we're hunkered down watching American TV.  We watched Obama's inaugural address on line & will turn in early. We'll be home tomorrow afternoon.

I hope I was able to share with you India’s diversity & illustrate how its people are living examples of being the “lotus in the mud.”

Toby