People in America today seem to care only about them. They always look for number one. This is a saying we've been taught for years. Together with another popular precept: you can't always please everyone. These are just a couple of examples of how Americans are taught to be selfish. Sure, mom and dad always teach their young children generosity, but in this society those lessons diminish with age. We learn that life isn't always fair and that people don't always have to share if they don't want to. In this so-called free country, the rich get everything and the poor get nothing. This kind of environment has caused a rat race among the people. Whoever has the most wins. In America it's mostly about money, but there are many other people in the world who may disagree. What more would they want? you ask. Well, it depends on who you ask. When you travel to the other side of the world, the values ​​are totally different. Eastern religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, to name a few, practice very different beliefs. They are more about loving your neighbor than the Christian religion. This is not to say that Christians are wrong or do wrong, it simply says that the difference in beliefs creates a significant difference in society. Here in America, our society says we should love thy neighbor, but it tends to depend on who the neighbor is. We want our neighbors to be just like us. If they aren't, it becomes harder to show compassion. Eastern religions practice compassion for all people, no matter who or what they are. In America, compassion is in short supply. It is predominant in families and small towns, but in larger cities it is difficult to see whether it exists at all. A film has been made that illustrates this point. It's called "Falling". This is a man who has reached the end of his rope. He is tired of the way society has treated him and begins to fight back. He thinks he's doing the right thing, but in the end he realizes that to do the right thing you can't just think about yourself. The film opens with a traffic jam; the man's license plate reads: "D-Fens": this becomes his name as his real name is never revealed. It takes place in Los Angeles on a very hot day. This traffic jam is significant because… at the center of the paper… at the ear. However, when Rand feels that all creativity is lost when one gives up on oneself, I feel that he was wrong. I don't think this is what Eastern religions intended at all. They still feel that you should be educated and express yourself just not with trivial knowledge that encourages you to think of yourself as better than others. I know this is the case with Taoism. I agree with this religion in some areas. For example, in the movie "Falling Down", D-fen definitely tried too hard to get what he wanted and thus failed. But I feel like there are things you have to do your best. If you want to succeed in school, for example, you have to work; you can't just sit back and hope that the course of nature will give you an A. I suppose this is where Eastern religions would come in and say I must be wanting the wrong things. But I know that in this society, in this time and in this life, I want to be happy. How this will be achieved, I am not yet sure. Some people need a lot of possessions and money to be happy. Others believe that happiness can only be achieved when one gives up one's possessions. The world is very different in its beliefs. As I said before, it all depends on who you ask.