Isn't it strange?

Isn’t it strange, that the wandering man who embraces change,

Is the one that finds the fidelity to stay constant to his ultimate self?

Isn’t it strange, that the quiet soul which lives through ennui,

Is the one that finds the dexterity to weave tales out of thin air?

Isn’t it strange, that the strong feet which leave the hearth to explore new grounds,

Are the ones that find the tenderness to build a warm Home?

Isn’t it strange, that the ambitious mind which relentlessly pursues knowledge,

Is the one that finds the humility to accept its smallness?

Isn’t it strange, that the fragile heart which lives through strife and despair,

Is the one that finds the strength to support relentless faith?

Isn’t it strange, that the naive man who faces the threat of indifference,

Is the one that finds the elusive wisdom of unconditional Love?

Isn’t it strange, that the fearful soul which surrenders to the experiences of living,

Is the one that finds the fearlessness to face the shortening of life?

~Rishika Sudhir Dhody

Yet

And yet, they keep on walking, maybe slowly, sometimes draggingly

And yet, they keep on walking, in the direction in which the heart points, however convoluted

And yet, they keep on walking, and trust that the sane head will protect them from the thorns and the storms

And yet, they keep on walking, even as they climb the same snow-capped treacherous mountain, thrice

And yet, they keep on walking, believing only in the map imprinted by their determined hearts

And yet, they keep on walking, only knowing the direction and not the physical destination,

maybe slowly,

sometimes draggingly,

and yet, they keep on walking

~Rishika Sudhir Dhody

Book Review: Hillbilly Elegy

The Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance provides a personal perspective into the problems being faced by the blue-collar white workers in America. Vance himself, grew up in Middletown, Ohio amidst a lot of domestic upheaval, yet, he pushed through the tumultuous years to join the Marine Corps and later, to graduate from Yale Law School. As someone who successfully rose from the economic and domestic distress that he was born into, Vance provides some unique insights about the current pessimistic socio-political attitude.

The Hillbilly Elegy stood out for me because Vance accepts the problem and acknowledges the problem cannot be solved in its entirety. Instead, he encourages a more piecemeal approach rooted in truly understanding the smaller grievances and hopefully providing some resolution from them. Vance highlights the positive aspects of payday loans, the delusional “truths” that lackadaisical people tell each other and pollsters and how sometimes a system such as foster care, which is built to provide some semblance of security to a child, instead does the very opposite.

The book serves the purpose of providing a microphone to the other side of the poverty debate. However, as Vance highlights himself, his book is a reflection and telling of his life and views. It is a point of reference and as any good story does, it opens the doors for more stories, the book is not an end in itself. It raises questions about the most effective ways of studying the lifestyle of a people when polling has a large margin of error, and about how a deep seated inertia against hard work can be dealt with in the coming days and years, and many more. Overall, it is a great read for those with the intention of gaining a holistic view of the socio-economic problems facing many parts of the world today.