Well, only one more leg of the trip to go before we reach Nairobi! We flew from Austin to Atlanta to Manchester, England to Dubai. And in a few hours we’ll be flying from Dubai to Nairobi, Kenya.
Our Vision Kenya trip is under way, and it’s already been quite an eye-opener for me. I’m a home-grown American, whose known nothing but America really. For me growing up there was America and everywhere else. I always knew conceptually that America had a huge influence on the world, and just kind of took it for granted.
It wasn’t until last night when we stepped off the Boeing 777 and walked through the Dubai airport that I really started to get a sense of the American influence… from a new perspective. Dubai is a wealthy country. The Emirates airline was first class (we didn’t fly First Class or Business Class, just economy–and yet it was better than flying First Class on Delta or another American airline) and the airport too spoke of money. Dubai is booming. Why? Oil.
As obvious as it’s got to seem to anyone reading this post, it hit me in a new way how technology over the last several decades has changed the Middle East. In particular, the demand for oil, which of course has been largely a U.S. demand. It’s one thing knowing this, and it’s another thing seeing it… it’s as if you can see these ultra-modern buildings springing up out of the desert floor–a desert floor rich with oil.
So what does this have to do with me seeing things in a new way? As I looked around at the many proud faces of both the travelers and the workers in the airport, something hit me. I don’t know quite how to say it… in America though, we grow up with a history of being mavericks, cowboys, heroes, entrepreneurs–those who started something new, who started fresh without the bonds of thousands or tens of thousands of years of culture. We pride ourselves in the entrepreneurial spirit, in the breaking free from the bonds of world opinion when we founded this nation. It’s as if we’re self-made and self-determined from birth–or we see ourselves that way. We’re proud of our independence and our achievements–we did it as if without the approval or help of anyone (of course we didn’t, but it often occurs that way).
What I imagined was what it might be like to grow up inside of a proud culture in the Middle East, a place very rich with tradition. Then suddenly, major shifts start happening in the world. Almost overnight there’s money pouring in, lots of money. Tradition is being replaced with the traditions of another culture. The landscape is changing, rapidly. And the future is promising much more wealth and prosperity for the country–but only so long as you continue to cater to and go along with the sweeping cultural shifts of the outsiders whose money is pouring in. Then, more and more, this other culture is influencing not just your culture, but the politics in the world you know.
A distinguished looking young Arab gentleman walked by me in the airport speaking on his cell phone in an unfamiliar language… unfamiliar up until the words Big Mac. Until now, I’ve seen America’s influence on the world as something to be proud about… our entrepreneurial achievements are creating a lot of wealth in the world. And yet, something just didn’t seem right hearing and seeing the extent of American influence in a world with such a rich culture and history.
I thought about how I’d probably resent Americans, if I grew up here. Even if I was an entrepreneur here, building my own business and creating wealth for my family. In some sense, I don’t know that I’d be able to see my achievements as truly mine–in some sense it seems I’d have to give a large amount of credit to America and the West for my achievements.
Now, I can’t speak for anyone here. But there’s something here worth looking at.
We hear Western political leaders saying that our enemies in the Middle East don’t like our values. That’s often the explanation given for the hatred and resulting violence against the West. And more so now that ever, it’s obvious to me how insufficient that explanation is. A human being’s fundamental need, as I see it, is to feel good about himself or herself–especially in relation to his or her values. I submit that it’s not our values as much as it’s how we interact with, communicate with and relate to other cultures that has them resenting and hating Americans and the West. (Again, for most readers, this will seem like an obvious statement of fact, yet there’s something more subtle here that I’d like to make explicit.)
Who we are in relation to our values is the domain of Vision Force. The next level of human behavior will evolve from a shift in this domain. It won’t be by one culture conforming to the values or beliefs of another. It will be by human beings the world over rising to a new idea of what it means to be a human being in a world of other human beings…
I am seeing now more than ever, how the work of Vision Force can speed this evolution, and indeed cause a revolution in human thought and behavior, a revolution which holds more promise for bringing peace, harmony and prosperity to this world than anything else I know.
On to Kenya! More later…
