Its been a while since I started my doctoral program at CMU. My previous visit to US was a very brief one, when I stayed in a hotel, mostly ate outside, never had to worry about cleaning or cooking or even buy groceries. It was a completely different experience this time around; I had to hunt for an apartment, procure furniture, and also do a lot paperwork at times. During this little phase of my life, I have observed a ton of differences in the way things (and people) operate in here compared to how it happens back in India. One thing that strikes me the most is the importance that people give to "convenience". Anything and everything that is built or produced (and a lot imported) is catered towards achieving this one specific goal - convenience. This lifestyle is one of the biggest reasons why people in US produce the most amount of trash on earth. Not to mention the unimaginable (at least for me) consumption of energy, water and other natural resources.
However, most argue, this is all actually good for the economy. Its obvious, when you make everything convenient, people have more free time which they can either use to be more productive or to shop. Either way, it helps the economy. But this made me think something totally tangential - what is effect this has on people's behavior and the way they interact with each other? I would say, that convenience in every day lives makes people value other's time. Most people know that time is precious, but only some realize that other persons' time is equally valuable if not more. This appreciation is what makes a person punctual. Since commodities and services are designed to be convenient and fast, people tend to conform to this practice in their every day lives, and therefore, learn to appreciate the importance of others' time. Well, the bigger picture is to see how one aspect in a system can mould the society into a particular frame of mind. One of them I pointed here is the correlation between convenience that the system provides and how this makes the users of the system give importance to other's time. I have been careful to use correlation here because we cannot claim causation until it is an experimental study (statistics 101). I can see the correlation by comparing some of my observations to the way things happen back in India. However, I think this could be an interesting study.
Personally, I have liked the way how things get done so fast and convenient here. Either my visit to the social security office or the local bank or setting up an internet connection or starting a group mobile plan, its all been pretty smooth. I have seen people complain about the traffic here, but I think there is at least a system out here, and rules that people follow. Its not even a tiny bit of how bad traffic gets in Bangalore. I have always believed that it is the system that makes people think or act in a particular manner. I have argued about this with my friends who think its the other way round, and most blame the people who litter on the streets, don't obey traffic rules, stare at you when you pass them. The people are not at fault, its the way the system has moulded them. I myself can see certain changes in the way I conduct myself now, for example, I try to always use the pedestrian crossing, maintain a good distance when standing in a queue, be precise when talking to someone, be prepared to greet and be greeted by strangers, and of course getting used to measuring things in pounds, ounces, gallons, miles and what not.
