South Bend, Indiana, Labor Day, September 4, 1967
The First Flight over the Atlantic
The flight on a DC-8 from Zurich to New York (at an altitude of 10,000 m / 30,000 feet and at a speed of 800 km/h /500 mph) passes so fast that there is hardly time to eat a relaxed lunch and to fill out the customs declaration forms. And besides, these new jets fly so smoothly that one does not feel the speed. The unpleasant after-effects of a transatlantic flight are felt only after landing. With the time difference of gaining six hours, the physiological body system is mixed up. When at midnight you finally stretch out dead tired in your hotel room in New York, it is only 6 o’clock in the evening local time and still clear daylight. Unavoidably, you wake up again at 3 a.m. The effects of the jet lag cannot be denied. Only after three days does the body find its normal balance again. But the advantages of flying over traveling by boat are obvious. Flying the distance between Europe and America shrinks to such an extent that it creates the illusion of local traffic. This gives the peace of mind that in case of an emergency one would be able to return home in a few hours. It is evident that the seagoing vessels cannot compete with the airlines. Passenger ships between Europe and America will soon be a thing of the past.
First Impressions on American Soil
The impressions, which one gets in the first days and weeks after arriving in America from Europe, or vice versa, are the most fruitful and astonishing, for at this time of transition and adjustment one is most receptive to the contrasts between the two continents.
1) The first astonishing impression is the airport in New York. By comparison, the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York makes the airports of Zurich-Kloten, Munich-Riem, or Tempelhof in Berlin look small, modest and improvised. Yet O’Hare in Chicago is even larger and its operations more impressive than the JFK. On the other hand, the decline of the railroad system in America has progressed to a degree that many of the large railroad stations are up for sale. By degrading shipping and railroads only to freight service, the mode of traveling has fundamentally changed.
2) Although the general living standard in Europe has substantially increased in recent years, one still does not trust one’s eyes on arriving in the United States. As we went to the super market and filled up the shopping cart to the brim, we were surprised at the cash register how much cheaper groceries are here. Compared to Europe, income and the cost of living have further shifted in favor of the American consumer. At a higher income one spends less for the daily living expenses. A middle-class home in America has a living standard that would be thought of as being luxurious in Europe.
3) While on the contrary, the spiritual uncertainty in America has increased in past years. The Vietnam War, the racial unrests of recent summers as well as the various changes in religion and in the general outlook on life have contributed to that.
[The changes in attitude have been brought about by the “counterculture” of the 1960s. It was essentially a protest movement of the younger generation against conventional values, while they followed instead an uninhibited liberal lifestyle.]
4) The racial unrests have by no means brought about chaos or a civil war atmosphere in the country at large, yet the deep division between whites and blacks has intensified. The colored section of town, where broken shop windows, boarded up businesses and burned down houses give evidence of the recent racial violence, is more avoided now than before. Also, far-reaching changes appear to be happening within the black community.
5) The normal pace of life in America has not been thrown off balance either by the Vietnam War or the racial unrests. The white residential areas in the suburbs enjoy the peace and order they are accustomed to, while the inner cities are deteriorating even more.
South Bend, September 17, 1967
The New Sense of Security
Truly, one just lives more carefree in America than in Europe. Whoever comes here from Europe must at first free himself of his inhibitions. First, one has to get used to the informality or ease of social contacts. The freedoms to which every person is entitled here open up hesitatingly at first and not without disbelief. Gradually the anxieties and the fear of not saying the right word are overcome. Once rid of the fears and worries brought along from Europe, one feels more liberated. One would never like to miss again this newly gained sense of security.