Roller-Coaster Ride in Mumbai

I'm on a two week vacation to visit my sister & folks in Mumbai.  I believe the last time I was here was in 1989 - it has been a while.  I don't have too many memories from my previous trips to Mumbai, however, I am loving the city a lot this time around.

Today was the first day I got out of my sister's apartment to trek around the area.  And, the most convenient way to do it has been to hop in an auto-rickshaw - convenient and thrilling.  The way that these three wheeled speedsters edge into and out of a swarm of other auto-rickshaws; squeezing in between the taxis, cars, and buses, and navigating around pedestrians only to stop on a dime when called for can't help but quicken the pulse and keep you on the edge of your seat!  Although, being on the edge of the seat on the ride might not be such a good idea.  The most amazing thing is that while all of our senses were being assaulted the whole time - the constant honks, the smell, the potholes in the road, the sights of a busy city - I never saw any of these urban chariot drivers so much as nick another thing.  Mumbai has the same vibe for me as NYC.  The pace is relentless in an energizing way.

As a postscript, I did see a Pizza Hut, a SubWay, and a McDonald's.  Oh! And, the McDonald's here has a delivery service - we passed a McDonald's delivery guy on his motorcycle in our auto-rickshaw.  How cool is that?!

Safety at the Cost of Freedom?

I was listening to NPR on my way home from work earlier this evening and I heard this story of a family of Muslim travelers who were taken off an AirTran flight because another passenger on the flight misconstrued the conversation they overheard between a man and his sister-in-law about the safest seats on a plane.

One of the most disturbing aspect of this incident is the suggestion the Air Marshall made to the man when interviewing him that he shouldn't be discussing these sorts of things on a plane.  What makes it positively scary is that so many listeners of the broadcast fed back similar views on the story's website.

Are we ready to give up the real freedom of (reasonable) speech for an illusion of safety?  Are we prepared to be subjected to an unreasonable invasion of our person because of the paranoid delusions of someone else?  Do we all now need to be cautious about what we say and where we say it for fear that someone would turn us in and we might be rendered and tortured someplace for views we hold or express?

I choose not to give in to such fears.  I shall carry on reasonable conversations in public.  I will not leap to conclusions based on my biased perceptions.  If anything, I will engage any and all of my fellow travelers to make connections and build bonds.  It is only in this way that I earn trust, trust in return and feel secure.

Happy 2009

Wednesday was a wonderful end to a year that had tested me in many ways.  I could not have asked for a better way to say goodbye to the past and hello to the future than in the midst of steady old friends & budding new friendships.

I start again.  A new reference.  Challenging goals.  365 days before re-evaluation.