The Promised Land

Since I was young, I was being taught that I was born in less-fortunate land. I have always been told that it is a place where I don’t belong at, the place of poor, the place of the less-civilized, etc. That I was born in a lower class area.
And since young, I was told about a place where things are better, better people, better food, better environment, better language, better knowledge; it is also a place where you need to dress nicely to match the civilized people. I also been told, it would be good if I can be a part of the people; which means that I would be better if I marry one of them, an instant ticket to be the citizen of The Promised Land.

I used to visit the land for short trips, there I was always feeling awkward, I don’t feel I belong there. I have different look from the rest of them, I wear differently from them, I even talk differently from them. I feel that they are the most arrogant person in the world. It seems that the world evolved around them. And the most important thing is I don’t want to be like them.

Then, through a series of unfortunate events, I was landed in this Promised Land. During my stay, I see more, learn more and try to understand more of it. Then I wonder why it is so worshipped?
The citizen of the land are snobbish, selfish, and think too high of themselves. Their sense of self-importance is unrivaled; they think they are better and smarter than other, although they are somehow uniform in look, taste, and knowledge. (And in the case of knowledge, they are slightly smarter than a parrot, only louder)

In the past, I thought that the citizens are powdered in gold and silver, now I see clearly that those are imitations. The entire glamorous looks are faux. The land is so dirty, full of dirt. Streets of the land are packed, packed with shiny cars, old carts, and some old junks.
How can an alluring land have dirt on its face, how can the inhabitants live with the foul smell. How can (fake)Gucci, LV and Prada shoes step on puddles. Buildings on street side seem to be outdated, but they leave a hint of glorious past. Maybe in the past, it was really a sensational place.

The land is not better than my birthplace. I still think my birthplace is much more beautiful than this polluted land. I still think that the people are not better than my fellow villagers.

So, is the Promise Land just a bogus? Is it just like the Promised Land in Old Testament? A promise that long overdued, a promise that never exist in the first place, a promise that only lives in the imagination of some old deceived generation.