According to the passage, 'making it' in the New World shows
Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:
Work is what the caravan society is about. Members of this society find the stimulation in their work, while at home they mellow, watch television, chat and eat pizzas.
From the beginning, the immigrants embarked on the Atlantic journey with high aspirations of ‘making it’ in the New World. They valued hard work and disdained the fine manners and cultured behaviour, which were so important back in Europe. Their lives were dedicated to a single purpose, which was progress; the art of enjoying life took second place. The same values have more or less persisted. Of course, Californians have learnt to enjoy life, but within the US they are the exception. Although, Yuppies have developed an expensive taste, work is what their lives are about.
In contrast, the citizens of European citadels emphasize the art of living. Whether it is jeu de boule, theatre or cooking, Europeans dedicate themselves to enjoying life. They tend their gardens, care for their public spaces, and demand high-quality food, newspapers and books. They also spend many hours in squares, in cafes, offices and at home practising the art of conversation. Europeans seek stimulation in their leisure time, while they want comfort and security in their working lives. Unlike the Americans, they appreciate union mediation and vote for governments which will protect their rights to a minimum income, fair and safe working conditions and long vacations. The European welfare states are direct manifestations of this desire for economic security.
The conclusion is that, whereas Americans seek comfort in leisure, Europeans seek stimulation, and these desires get reversed in their working lives. This contrast accounts for much of the confusion and ambivalence in conversations among transatlantic immigrants. An Italian Nobel Prize laureate living in the US for several years observed in an interview, ‘I felt at home the day I landed in the US…there was great cordiality and generosity. America is a society in which merit is genuinely rewarded—you cannot say the same for Italy. But although the United States appears to be a country where people live comfortably, in reality that is more true in Italy. Here we are not spoiled by comfort and not so worried about the future. In America, happiness is more superficial.’ Another Italian amplifies further when he says that ‘we in Italy are envious of America’s success, and Americans are envious of our way of living.’
All this means that no authority, no matter how clever and knowledgeable, can decide where life is best. It all depends on one’s cultural values. Admittedly, money, telephones, televisions, flushing toilets and other goods add to the quality of life for most people, but not for everyone. They did not convince the students from Nepal who came to the American university. They had never seen flushing toilets and could not believe that the sewage system was underground. The material abundance of American life overwhelmed them, they were unhappy. Accustomed to being among people and living in public, they felt lost and lonely in their clean apartments with running water and flushing toilets. After three months they returned home.
Values can also change. Most immigrants seek quality away from home. A large number of them are attracted by the quality of America’s working life. Nearly all of them change as they grow attached to being among internationals, to experiencing different cultures. All that has become quality. As a consequence, they do not belong to their home country anymore, at least not fully. This is hard to explain to people back home. People have to see for themselves before they understand. But the immigrants do not belong in the adopted country either. (US versus Europe by Arjo Klamer)