CNN vs. The Alphabet
Introduction
Yangon’s analog eyes don’t perceive our digital world, but does it matter? Internet or InterNOT? Traveling through places without electricity alongside Third Country Nationals (TCNs) isn’t a voyage of discovery; it’s a ritual of reassurance—“I won the lottery.” As Bruce Springsteen says, “I was born in the USA.” With curiosity, vulnerability, and a writer’s vocabulary, I’ll attempt to articulate the Myanmar experience.
How to Buy Nothing: The Determination of Myanmar
No TV. No logos. No McDonald’s. No McDonnell Douglas. Few cell phones. A SIM card costs $500, and the phone system is broken. Few cars. No CNN, no 24-hour news cycles, no TiVo to time-shift your day. No Napster, no downloads. This is the “axis of evil”—millions surviving on less than $2 a day. Yet, like people, countries are loved for their failures.
It’s ironic. I’m here to immerse myself, yet I can’t spend money to help the economy. For 72 hours, I’ve bought nothing. This is a land without consumerism—a place untouched by the frenzy of logos and brands.
Downtime: Deep Thinking in a Digitally Homeless World
In the United States of Unconsciousness, downtime, deep thinking, and sacred spaces are extinct. But here in Myanmar, people live in a perpetual “airplane mode.” For the uninitiated, setting life to airplane mode disables calls, texts, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. For them, this is blisscipline—a way of being.
We yearn for journeys like prisoners dream of rooms without bars. We crave freedom, yet traveling is its own life sentence.
Ramen Noodles 2.0: A Marriage of Simplicity
In Yangon’s outdoor markets, fresh produce, eggs, and tea form oodles of grace in a dish as effortless as Ramen noodles. A hot bowl of broth represents the simple, unbroken connection between nature and sustenance.
The Wonders of a Shrinking Planet
Today, I visited one of the wonders of a shrinking planet: Google. It reminded me of a comment I made during a 1995 trip to Cambodia: “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Give him Ramen noodles, and you don’t have to teach him anything.”
Here in Yangon, with no refrigeration and everyone hustling to eat for the day, life sticks to you—like gum in your hair until peanut butter sets you free.
Freedom, Language, and the American Dream
Freedom is what you do with what’s been done to you. I was born in the USA, and that simple fact makes my life a message: Star-spangled happiness. Love is a responsibility, and I love America—and its A-list language, American English.
The messianic metaphor of the American Dream reduces to lottery tickets and game shows—a chance that the planets will align to liberate us from financial worry. Yet, those of us born in America already have the winning ticket; cashing it in is a choice.
Blogging: Writing in Motion
Blogging is literature in a hurry. People climb mountains because they’re there. Bloggers blog because there isn’t fixed—it’s shifting, evolving, and endlessly searchable. The joy of blogging lies in the chase.
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