Today we walked around with enlightening history lessens about our host town. Gryon comes from a long line of independent Alpine people, but one of the endearing aspects we have witnessed even in our short time here has been the closeness felt with our neighbors. Udo Middleman had many wonderful pearls of knowledge to give to us, one of which being the sense of community the town has. The closeness forced upon man by the Alps has caused the inhabitants of Gryon, and Switzerland beyond our valley, to recognize the geographic and social closeness each has for the other.
The air in the mountains is clear from the polution of individualistic greed, neither does it have the acrid staleness of communism's idea that each man is just a cog in the machinery of the state. These people must be independent enough to stand on their own hard working feet, but must live with enough of the community in mind to sustain the power of "neighbor" that surrounds the villages.
This is just one of the differences that stands out between America and Switzerland. We have the smog of expansionism to stand between each other, while the pure mountain air allows the Swiss to breathe free among fellow men.
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