The Indian Dream

The Economist has always been my favorite magazine, even though they call it a newspaper. I enjoy reading so much that I make a point to read it through, even though it takes a month. Or two.

However, sometimes they make mistakes, as possibly anyone and any magazine. I feel their article on the Indian dream is probably one of these big mistakes.

No mistakes of course in the data - none I could put a finger on, at least. And the serious analysis is also OK. But they do miss the point about the dream...

Because dreams are not an object of analysis. Dreams, in the sense of a pure desire, an objective in life or a vision of the future, are a powerful motivator that can transform lives.

I go to India about twice a year and I have seen with my own eyes the progress of the country and that dream people have. They don't revere poverty as the magazine says, but they accept it. That acceptance acts positively in the society: it is not uncommon that someone who is very poor is able to put at least one of his children to school, and that child one day is able to send one of her own to the college, until many years later, the cycle of poverty is broken. Comparing with other places with high rates of poverty, Indians live generally happy.

What Indians revere is life in itself. What they revere is a sense of honor you hardly find in the West anymore. What they revere is God, with a deep respect and tolerance towards any way of worshiping.

And because of that, I feel the real dream in India is not so much to have a car, a proper house or a restore its original. Its real dream is to keep that energy we in the world need so much, that natural spirituality someone just called soft power.

Whilst religions have divided, split and created wars, India's spirituality is a reason to join, get together and share. Yes, there has been conflicts but they have been provoked by politicians or old-school members of clergy; Indians enjoy the diversity and they are perhaps the only people in the world that can find unity among that diversity.

It is a dream the whole world can use. Right now, and I welcome that dream.