Chapter 3: World View

Well, I really enjoyed reading this chapter. I feel like the first two chapters included a lot of "nuts and bolts" information, and this chapter really started revealing the Indian people and the Indian culture. The chapter is entitled "World View" and it discusses the shared systems of values and ideas that are held by the Indian people. I do feel like I learned about many of the things that are valued by the Indian people, and as I think back to my time spent in India and I look ahead to this summer, I am excited to see first hand how these customs are played out.

I enjoyed reading and learning about the amount of emphasis the Indian people place on the family. The author states that "the most important factor framing Indian world view is that of the family." When I think about the Indian people versus American people, I think about how differently the average American family looks to the Indian people compared to what they are familiar with. I wonder if they see American families as distant, as too busy, or if they see American families as similar to how they view their own families? I don't know. I would imagine it would be the first I mentioned, but I think that would be interesting to investigate. The author also mentioned that children realize they are part of internal hierarchies. This is seen by the responsibilities they have within the family and is a good example of how the society works. The Indian society is based on hierarchy, and within the family there is a smaller, more specialized "society" it seems.

The chapter also mentioned the nature of the unverise and that there are three things that are regarded highly: duty, action, and experience. When reading these things it was amazing how they all focused back on the family at some point or another. Duty is seen in the family because each member of the family has duties to fulfill, and they family is the happiest when these specialized dutues are completed (this reminds me of a well run society in which specialization is a major theme--when people specialize, they are more successful!). Within the family there is also action that must take place. Women must actively struggle to be "good wives" and the householder must act to become a "man-in-the-world." I really think it is neat to see and understand how children in India, and families in India are socialized with such a strong sense of obligation towards the family.