4 July 2007

It's a quiet Fourth of July here in Beijing. There are no lakes, no picnics, no hot dogs, and no American flags (at least that I've seen!). For many, today is a day just like any other--but for me, being in China has made this Fourth meaningful.

I've thought a lot about the US today. While eating dinner at KFC tonight (our way of celebrating), I noticed the prevalence of American brand names like Puma and Nike, noticed that even here in Beijing, sitting in a fast food restaurant remains an American experience. This Westernization--or, more correctly, Americanization--obviously has its ups and downs. I've realized that the one aspect of America that I like most is also the aspect that I most dislike.

Americans are unsatisfied. You can say this in whatever way you want (we talk a lot in class about the American Dream), but from what I can tell this dissatisfaction is what differentiates us from foreigners. We're always seeking more: more convenience, more value, more pleasure. We challenge the status quo.

On one hand, this incites development and progress. New ideas continually replace old ones. And life is, for many, convenient and comfortable.

But on the other hand, even after we achieve a fairly high standard of living, many of us are still unsatisfied. A modest house in the US would look like a mansion compared to many of the houses and apartments here. But Americans grumble in their SUVs, while Chinese people squatting in the dirt outside of their dwellings look, well, happy. They chat. They eat kabobs. They yell at people in the road.

So the "joie de vivre" question is, at what point do you say "no" to work and "yes" to the rest of life? It's a difficult one--and it haunted me all last semester at Harvard. If I get off of the "achievement" treadmill too early, I think, am I a failure? If I decide not to go into i-banking or consulting (or law or medicine), am I losing the American Dream and American opportunity, or am I gaining a different kind of life? Can I balance both? It was partly seeking these questions' answers that I chose to study abroad. One of the things that I love about stepping outside of the Harvard--or US--bubble is that it makes me realize the importance of roadside conversation and of kabobs. I don't want to sacrifice or to settle, so I guess what I'm trying to figure out is, for me, the right balance of ambition/intensity and of day-to-day satisfaction.