“The Golden Rule”

            We all (hopefully) learned some basic rules when entering our first form of schooling, usually at a very young, impressionable age.  The first several days of class were spent going over…..and over….and over how we should act when coming into contact with new and differing personalities.  “Treat others how you would want to be treated.”  In other words, show some tolerance.  Respect others, and their right to have a different view than yours.  This is the most fundamental principle for developing prosperous relationships. The same can be applied to developing countries that want to gain some advantage.  “When tolerance is the norm, everyone flourishes - because tolerance breeds trust, and trust is the foundation of innovation and entrepreneurship.”  Amazing!  Miss America has been right all along……world peace really IS the answer!  If only it were so easy.  But, an attitude of acceptance and the willingness to be open to new ideas has repeatedly led to success.

As the old saying goes…..necessity is the mother of all invention.  So, when we ask ourselves why exactly it is that some countries or regions are better at doing certain things than other countries or regions, the answer can be very simply put.  They have no other choice!  They actually HAVE to be better at doing those things in order to survive!  When the options are so black and white, cut and dry, generally the outcome is that you do what you have to do and come up with something!  Make… it… happen.  This is exactly what some of these seemingly podunk little countries have done.  By taking what they DO have to offer and using it to their advantage, they have managed not only to survive, but flourish!

            As consumers, we have changed over time as well.  We have very sneakily been led to believe that what we really want and need is just a bunch of choices.  The company that offers the greatest variety ultimately becomes the best.  “These companies create a platform that allows individual customers to serve themselves in their own way, at their own pace, in their own time, according to their own tastes.  They are actually making their customers their employees and having them pay the company for that pleasure at the same time!”  Wait……what the??   Yes, you read that right.  And the stink of it is that it is absolutely true! We are what is called a “self-directed consumer”.   I literally had no idea this is what is happening even though I actively participate.  And now that it has been brought to my attention, it is really quite frustrating.  Does that mean I am going to stop? Of course not.  There is no better way to get what I want than to make it myself!

            As Americans especially, we have been very nearly trained to expect what we want, when we want it.  On the other side of that, America has stepped up to the plate to offer a wide range of goods and services to fulfill these ever growing needs.  This huge wave of American products caused an even bigger wave…….concern.  With America almost literally able to produce everything, what chance did any of the other countries really have?  Globalization was just a fancy name for Americanization.  This was the general fear, but it did not come to pass.  The great balancing factor was uploading.  The flatter the world gets, the harder it becomes to exclude anyone.  Each individual has equal access to equal information, and the ability to share their own ideas and cultures as well. The trick now is to remember to keep an open mind and be willing to collaborate.

So we come full circle. Back to the simpler times of preschool and kindergarten where the greatest expectation was simple……..tolerance.