Are we that unique?

After a recent trip to Indonesia, a developing country of similar status as that of India, I am beginning to wonder if we are unique in certain ways. There were three stark differences that struck me (as an observer from India) right away.

First, the streets are clean. There is no garbage on the streets. The neighborhoods are clean. Wherever you go, either it is a city or countryside, the streets and locales are clean. There is no visible trash.

Second, there is no honking, unless very necessary. Most of the driving is done without honking and somehow, though some of the streets are similar to India, and though the density is comparable to many Indian towns and cities, the drivers of Indonesia have become civilized enough to do away with honking.

Third, the traffic rules are followed much better. In fact, some volunteers stand at traffic junctions and start regulating the traffic and earn money through tips. I thought it was a novel way of getting oneself a job. Imagine so many beggars in India. If they were to contribute by regulating so many unmanned and unregulated junctions of India, we would solve many congestion problems and also give livelihood to so many jobless people. Imagine if all those beggars were to convert into trash pickers to live only on tips. Of course, I am imagining too many things here. May be, they would never get tips for picking up trash. May be, they should just stick to carrying the figures of deities or just become astrologers – that is a sure way of earning money in India. May be, we have not become civilized enough to spend money on cleanliness instead of on godliness.

Looking at Indonesia, I couldn’t stop wondering why we are the way we are. Why is cleanliness so important to these Indonesians? And why does that completely escape most Indians, including the most educated and well-off ones?

Recently, I went on a small trip to a nearby sight-seeing location near Bangalore. It was completely filled with trash. Everywhere you look, there is trash. And I see people throwing trash nonchalantly. And these people are all well-off, well educated, driving nice swanky cars and wearing foreign-brand shoes and attire.

Are we so different from even the fellow developing countries to make us completely unique?