queries to ponder on

Ever since my childhood I had been prodded into thinking bout the next step i.e. moving onto the next stage so that my life would be better.
-Like when in middle school people started asking me what I would do in high school and made me feel that if I did well in high school my life would be better.

- Then in high school the push was about under grad ..i.e. if I complete a good undergrad degree my life is supposed to be better

- In undergrad I am supposed to decide between higher studies or a job either of which would make improve my life

- Even at work the society was such that we had to think of doing another grad degree or settle down with a family.

- After the grad degree there is nudge towards getting married

- & then after marriage the next logical step according to Indian society is to have children (I do love children but dont u think the desire to start a family should not be due to societal pressure)

I dunno what is the next step after becoming a parent.. but if u still dont get my drift; here is the short version : people around us make us think that moving to the next stage is the best thing for us and somehow we follow this pre determined path and end up god knows where.

All these thoughts started after I went on a family picnic on the July 4th weekend. We were a bunch of south Indians going out and when we stopped at a rest area to start on a picnic lunch with solid south Indian food a thought suddenly struck me: Is this what I will end up doing too .. i.e. marry a wonderful Indian girl (thru the arranged marriage system), bring her to the USA and make friends with local Indian families and end up having Indian potlucks with the Indian community !!!

so the question is : IS THIS WHAT I WANT IN LIFE?

I guess u will notice that I complain about and question the whole arranged marriage system, this is because a lot of my peers have been getting married and I am feeling the pressure to move into the next stage in life. I am just plain scared of getting married thru an arranged marriage thats all ;-) I guess the girl wud also have similar thoughts ...& still arranged marriages work in India !! Isn't that amazing!!

What would happen if I fall in love with a foreign girl? How will my family react.. how will I take care of my parents if I had to settle down permanently in a foreign country? Will my parents be happy to live with me ? ...dangit I hate to think of such things...