Kyoto
Richard was my waiter at breakfast yesterday. Yes, I wish staffs at the great hotel properties in Asia would not change their names to accommodate Western visitors, but so be it. Born and raised in Bali, Richard seems filled with energy and enthusiasm for the brave new world he now inherits.
He left Bali to attend Shanghai University because, in his words, he "wanted the best education I could find" and to do so in a global capital brimming with opportunity. He's interning at the Ritz Carlton here and will do so again next year at the Ritz property in Sydney, thanks to Shanghai University. He understands that traveling, learning new languages and working effectively across cultures will accelerate his competitiveness in the job market - let alone his enjoyment and fulfillment.
The United States Government is crawling inward, by contrast. Official Washington is expressing deep fear and ignorance of the world, revealed in the empty calories of tough-guy talk. Of course, China, Germany and other nations are only too eager to fill the void we are gifting them. Thankfully, American businesses and a meaningful number of our young people understand that globalization is inevitable. They are not succumbing to insecurities about a changing world, though their federal government is certainly getting in the way. And so are some in state governments like Kansas, too, who turn their backs on science and evolution and yet, somehow, expect to compete in STEM domains. They are doing their young people a grave disservice.
We can't afford to hide behind the walls of Fortress America since, well, those walls can't possibly exist in today's global economy anyway. Yes, there are many things we must do to ensure that the benefits of globalization accrue to many more of our people, and that some of its inherent unfairness is remedied, but running away from the world is not the answer. Richard gets this point and he's serving it up every day here in Kyoto.
Richard was my waiter at breakfast yesterday. Yes, I wish staffs at the great hotel properties in Asia would not change their names to accommodate Western visitors, but so be it. Born and raised in Bali, Richard seems filled with energy and enthusiasm for the brave new world he now inherits.
He left Bali to attend Shanghai University because, in his words, he "wanted the best education I could find" and to do so in a global capital brimming with opportunity. He's interning at the Ritz Carlton here and will do so again next year at the Ritz property in Sydney, thanks to Shanghai University. He understands that traveling, learning new languages and working effectively across cultures will accelerate his competitiveness in the job market - let alone his enjoyment and fulfillment.
The United States Government is crawling inward, by contrast. Official Washington is expressing deep fear and ignorance of the world, revealed in the empty calories of tough-guy talk. Of course, China, Germany and other nations are only too eager to fill the void we are gifting them. Thankfully, American businesses and a meaningful number of our young people understand that globalization is inevitable. They are not succumbing to insecurities about a changing world, though their federal government is certainly getting in the way. And so are some in state governments like Kansas, too, who turn their backs on science and evolution and yet, somehow, expect to compete in STEM domains. They are doing their young people a grave disservice.
We can't afford to hide behind the walls of Fortress America since, well, those walls can't possibly exist in today's global economy anyway. Yes, there are many things we must do to ensure that the benefits of globalization accrue to many more of our people, and that some of its inherent unfairness is remedied, but running away from the world is not the answer. Richard gets this point and he's serving it up every day here in Kyoto.
Image courtesy of LinkedIn