Why did I lose confidence in "America the Beautiful"?

I must have had a good reason to move to USA 18 years ago. Maybe it was to find happiness, maybe the American dream, or wealth... I don't quite remember clearly. Maybe just followed my husband for promise of a good life (whatever that meant at the time). Life has been comfortable here, even fun initially. In the last few months though, I seem to have lost confidence in "America the Beautiful" (borrowing the term from a song from my daughter's school which sings to the glory of America). You could say, well yeah.. everybody has. I am not talking about the financial crisis. I see fundamental flaws in the American system which I doubt can withstand the test of time. Funny that a decade ago I was arguing with friends how the American system was the Best in the world! By System I mean everything from the Government to culture to infrastructure. Here is why:

Work is God
In America, work is God. The American corporation demands 100% of your time and attention in return for a good salary (which you rarely have time to enjoy..maybe once a year on the Hawaii vacation from which you come back wanting another week to recover) and health insurance. Healthcare is coupled with work so that you can never get around it and must slog in fear of losing coverage and not getting treatment in the unlikely event of a deadly disease or accident. Stats clearly show that Americans work the longest hours (even compared to Japan, which surprised me) and have least number of days off. On my company's website I did a comparison and I found every country in Europe, South America and Asia had more Holidays than US, all within the same company because local country requirements are different.

In order to compensate for less time, Americans invented the idea of "Quality time". This means that you squeeze in the little free time you have to laugh, sing, dance with your family/friend/yourself and if you can't because you are so goddamn busy or stressed, then you suffer even more from guilt.

10 years ago we would have hoped to retire at 60. Now with the new status of retirement funds and social security we are more likely to work 5 or more extra years. You better keep that body in shape for those 5 extra years, which means squeeze 90-180 extra minutes every week, in your already full week, for exercise. It's all about "Productivity". Can you beat that Superman yet?

Infrastructure of Isolation
The way the American infrastructure (homes, roads) has been built from ground up, it supports freedom and privacy, which are other words for Isolation from society. If you want to meet people, you have to set up a time, go to an event or be very proactive in knocking on neighbors' doors or inviting them over. I have talked to friends from countries like Serbia, Nethrlands, Bazil, Pakistan and of course I know about India. Everywhere else in the world it is natural to know all your immediate neighbors and their kids. This is the only place on Earth where you have to set up a "playdate" for your kid to play with your neighbor's kid (few exceptions here and there, of course). I hear that it was not like this 50-100 years ago before they built homes with no seating space facing the street and family areas facing backyards.

Everywhere else in the world you can walk or take public transit to anywhere. In America, the transport infrastructure is set up in a way that in the imminent event of gas price hike and cost of cars increasing (since American auto companies are not able to compete, we'll import all cars), you will have to take tremendous amount of pain to move from one place to another. Unless a bettr public transport system is put in place, which is not on the radar yet.

My Kid growing up in America
Will continue writing tomorrow... Exhausted from lack of sleep.