Other than his so many wonderful novels, Heinlein has done quite a lot of short stories. He has a good understanding of how long a story should be to exploit the theme properly. I have read quite a few of his stories, (never deliberately, I prefer novels more, but never can tell from the title), and liked almost all of them. But the problem is I can't remember their names.
So there is this couple who lives in the Moon, (always say "in" the Moon, never "on" the Moon, ok?) and they decide to come back to Earth, roots and all you know? They uproot themselves, leave their flat and go to Earth. And there they meet all these people, social, polite, inquisitive...right from the start their conversation starts to bother our Loony couple. For example, the word "loony" makes them uncomfortable the way Earth people use it. The Earthlings have their own set ideas about the Loonies that they can't shake no matter how many anecdotes our central couple tells.
Slowly, other things start bothering them, the gravity, the pollution, small things that get on your nerves as they persist. Finally they decide to go back...
That reminds me of my own travels to India. People have a certain image in mind, a stereotype, certain expectations, certain lame remarks - assumptions based on media, prejudices based on nothing. At times it irks me, at times it annoys me, at times (when I am well-fed and relaxed) I am able to bear them with equanimity, at times I lash out.
One acquaintance actually asked me where I liked living better - India or US. And when I said "US", he was visibly offended and there started the "advice" about how home is always home and all the rest of it...I usually have little patience for such people so that ended quite shortly.
Just like our Loony couple, I know of people who migrated to some other country, came back, tried to live there and left to go back. I am from India so I know of mostly Indians who faced this situation. I am sure there must be others.
What makes them go back? It's their home they are coming back to and yet, they can't live there! They try, they do stick it out for a year or two but then they finally face up to the inevitable - "home" has moved! I can't blame them. On the other hand, I can't blame the natives either, they live there, they live by their own standards, rules, values. So, ultimately, a person or persons will settle happily where they find likeminded people, be it the East, the West or the Moon!
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2 comments:
Too true. Having moved house 17 times so far (it comes with both me and my parents being divorce recidivists as well as moving around for work a lot) I find myself having difficulties answering the question "Where are you from, originally?". I never lived in one place long enough to develop any sort of roots. In a way I miss it, but on the other hand it has made me quite flexible. If we have to move house again I won't have any problems doing that and starting over in a new place. I often hear people go "home is where the heart is" but if that is true, then my home is all over the planet, because there are people I care about a great deal in several corners of the earth. I guess in the end home is where you are most comfortable being at this point in time. It may be related to having a past in that particular place, or knowing you have a future there, but the only thing that really matters is you want to be there here and now. And another thought that crossed my mind while reading your post was that results from the past hold no guarantees for the future and that doesn't just go for financial investments. I still remember going to my highschool reunion, looking forward to it tremendously because I would see both the place I spent most of my childhood in and my classmates again. It was a huge disappointment. Both that town and my classmates had changed tremendously in only a few years time. I hardly recognized the building since it had gone through major upgrades since, and some of my best friends back at school had turned into dull, posh adults that weren't my kind of people at all. On the other hand, a few of the wallflowers and nerds from my school days had become wonderful people and that was a joy to see. All in all, everything changes. I'm home now, but deity knows if home in a few years will be anything like it. It's all good.
Kitten, I like you because you make me laugh. But sometimes you make me feel bad. 17 times?! That's a lot! And so far I thought proudly that my 11 times was a lot! And that too when in the 11 times I count any place where I lived more than a month and kept my own house. But yes, I have faced that dilemma about that question, "Where do you come from?" I think if you want to really live and be successful you have to leave this notion of security and that means making a home anywhere you go, anywhere you want to live. It's a change of metaphor I think, you are not defined by home but home is defined by you!
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