If you haven't yet read about, or finished, the guessing game below, please ignore this post for the moment, scroll down to the previous post, and read it.
With a few directed searches, I'm sure you all have guessed where I am now:
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
It hasn't been as big of a change for me as you would expect. My family often made trips to India over the summer, so I knew what life here was like before arriving. While I would prefer living in the US, this stay in India has taught me some important lessons.
One thing that seems so obvious in retrospect, but is really only apparent when you live in other countries, is that the world is huge. We never really appreciate the fact that despite being the same species, us humans have grown and developed a myriad of cultures that are so diverse that it would take lifetimes to experience, much less understand, all of them.
By coming to India, I am now able to see things from a completely different viewpoint that only an Indian can give me. Despite the diversity in the US, due to the fact that everyone I met was from the US, I could never get the point of view I get here.
Now, I truly understand what an enormous task international negotiations must be. Everyone around the world has different viewpoints, and very few people have clear understandings of viewpoints other than their own. This single fact is the sole impediment between humanity and peaceful collaboration.
That leads us to the point that the globalization we see today isn't really globalization unless it is free of a profit-motive. Once a person frees himself of greed, they can wholeheartedly launch themselves into learning about and comprehending other cultures and viewpoints. Even if they don't agree with that viewpoint, understanding it empowers them, because now they know the true reasons for a certain group's actions.
If I learn to understand the Indian during my stay here, I will carry with me a huge advantage. Indians are increasingly breaking out onto the world stage, and if I do any business in the future, chances are Indians will be involved. With a knowledge of the Indian mindset, I'll be able to deduce what motives guide an Indian, and therefore be infinitely more successful dealing with them.
Even if I fail at analyzing the Indian mindset, at least I'll return to the US knowing that there's a whole world out there for me to explore.
No comments:
Post a Comment