On the loss of utopia / Individualism / US-things I miss

Books should be written only for truly compelling reasons. Vaclav Smil

On the loss of utopia

Dylan Evans writes very wisely on the loss of utopia in the Guardian.

But if idealism without a dose of reality is simply naive, realism without a dash of imagination is utterly depressing. If this really was the end of history, it would be an awful anticlimax. Look at the way we live now, in the west. We grow up in increasingly fragmented communities, hardly speaking to the people next door, and drive to work in our self-contained cars. We work in standardised offices and stop at the supermarket on our way home to buy production-line food which we eat without relish. There is no great misery, no hunger, and no war. But nor is there great passion or joy. Despite our historically unprecedented wealth, more people than ever before suffer from depression.

The whole article is well worth reading. It does not take long, you still have time to shop.

Individualism

Today's Wall Street Journal had an article, which claimed that because Americans are "rugged individualists" they do not use public transport. I am not so sure about the level of individualism in USA compared to e.g. Europe, but I have to say that expressing one's individualism by not using public transport is pathetic.

US-things I miss

I may leave USA soon. It is time to list thing I am going to miss (I miss my friends, but that's obvious).

• MIT - the academic instution, intellectual freedom, clever people
• Chinese restaurants: Hsin Hsin
• New York Times
• Green line T in Boston
• York mint-chocolate
• Affordable taxis
• Maples
• Indian restaurants: Masalaa Boston
• Dr Pepper
• Arrogant bastard ale
• Cycling in Boston
• Great bookstores: MIT press, Harvard bookstore, Strand
• Some museums
• Expresso Royale
• Sonsie-bistro
• Chipmunks
• Fat people running - so funny
• Local microbreweries
• More Dr Pepper

to be continued....

Alun perin julkaistu kuukausikoosteessa "Blogs November 2005".