Flat World, Hot World, World at War. What can one person do?

Global trends are reaching into our business lives and into our communities, wherever we are based, and changing the course of everything. In a world where there term: “Local Competition” is increasingly meaningless, all business leaders, everywhere, need to be accurately informed about these forces in play.

Here we sit on a Monday morning… At the juncture between a flat world and a hot world,  with a new war heating up in the middle east.

I refer, of course, to the brilliant book, The World is Flat, by New York times correspondent Thomas Friedman,  Al Gore’s compelling book and documentary movie, An Inconvenient Truth and last evening’s Discovery Channel documentary, Global Warming: What You Need To Know, with Tom Brokaw.

I could use this as a political statement – claiming that George W. Bush has failed the US with his educational policy that creates at best mediocre students, his blatant neglect of the ecology of our world, and his unilateral foreign aggression, which got us into an un-winnable war. While I could harp on about Mr. Bush and point a finger at the government, blaming their short-sighted
actions, I’m not going to go there.

That would be the easy way out. It would be the way that we have taught our children – to blame, to not take accountability, to be entitled, and to be a victim of the circumstance of our lives. I believe that we, as a county and as a people, are accountable for where we are, today.

I’m guessing about half of you are saying ’Well, I didn’t vote for the ‘idget.’ See… blaming, and not taking responsibility. I didn’t vote for Mr. Bush. I also didn’t vote for Kerry. I cast my vote for Kerry because I didn’t want Bush in the White House again…. That is altogether different. It’s voting for lesser of evils… It is not voting for someone because I believe in him or her.

So what are we to do about our world – our flat world where India and China are going to ‘eat our children’s jobs?’ [quote from "The World is Flat"] What are we going to do about a world whose temperature is rising and causing subtle and not so subtle changes in weather, our coastlines, the viability of species, and our very own survivability? My suggestion is to get involved. Read. Watch. Learn! Find the FACTS beyond the political positioning… And DO SOMETHING POSITIVE.

EDUCATION:

Are we entitled to education? We sure think we are… Yet the quality of education in many areas STINKS!!! I believe that
a sound education it is the FOUNDATION of a successful world. Want to build a great city, with lots of jobs, and a stable economy? – GREAT SCHOOLS ARE KEY! Who’s going to do it, if not you? Get PERSONALLY INVOLVED in your schools. HELP them improve. Hands on, in your face involvement.

HEALTH CARE:

At the risk of being politically incorrect - GET OFF YOUR BUTT AND MOVE! Personally, I don’t want to pay for your health care if you are not invested in keeping yourself healthy. I know people dying of cancer who fight for life every day – and they FIGHT. They don’t sit on their tush and kvetch about life – they move.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES:

Again at the risk of being politically incorrect – GET OFF YOUR BUTT and DO SOMETHING. When we EACH do something, it adds up. I bet history will show that it was not US politicians, but US citizens who turned their
country into an example of planetary stewardship.

First look at the data. Read or listen to “The World Is Flat”. Go see “An Inconvenient Truth”. If you don’t believe what you see or read or hear, go find your own data – talk to scientists. Get the facts.

Learn to Recycle – I live on a cul de sac with 15 homes. Only TWO of us recycle more than the required yard waste.

Take a Carbon Quiz. Look for ways to be more energy-efficient – use more energy-efficient lights, look for energy efficiency in your appliances, cars, etc. and write to your city, state and federal officials asking them to be more aggressive on environmental issues.

The forces of global warming and the flattening of our world are redefining how and where work (including our jobs) gets done in the future, and where we can feasibly live on this planet. These issues are HUGE. They will not
be solved overnight. I don’t believe they can be solved by one person or one country. I believe the we all – countries, religions, political parties, communities – will need to work together to dig out of the hole that we have collectively created.

The theme here is ACTION! Get involved with your community and your world. We are not ‘owed’ anything in this world. The more we can work together to create a healthy and peaceful world, the more likely we, as a race, will
survive, flourish and prosper.

© 2006 Ann Ralston. All Rights Reserved.

About the
Author: Ann and Gary Ralston founded Ralston Consulting Inc. in 1997 to help business owners and leaders accelerate profitable growth in their organizations. They serve emerging and middle market companies across North America, from divisions of Fortune 500 firms, to start-ups and family-owned businesses. Ann can be reached at ann@ralstonconsulting.com, 614-761-1841, or www.ralstonconsulting.com.