The World Is Changing Regardless Of Whether We Are

“The bend in the road is not the end of the road unless you refuse to take the turn.”    ~Anon~

There are days – no, weeks! – where I long for the good old days which were not truly so good upon deeper reflection.

It was said by another anonymous voice of the past that the only difference between men and boys is the cost of their toys.  The same can be said of womenfolk.

The key to survival in the world as it is is to be open-minded and flexible.  The way people dress or the toys they choose to possess are trivial matters indeed, though they may be cause for distress as we grow older and our mind goes into a rigimortis mode.

The obsession of Japanese and other people of the world with technology and the connectiveness it affords us will not go away any more than the illegitimate baby will disappear simply because the mother of the pregnant daughter remains in a state of denial.

Embracing the technologies and subsequent paradigm shifts which are result are givens, if we plan to survive and even thrive in the coming years.

I have stated in previous writings that this is the decade where information and technology can be used to truly level the playing field in a world where half the world lives in poverty and goes to sleep with a gnawing pang of hunger as a companion.

Yet a new, growing breed of social entrepreneurs and netrepreneurs get it.  They are using their wealth, status and the technology we are blessed with not just to make another Band-Aid to cover up or over poverty, but to teach people how to take care of themselves in regions of the planet that have never experienced such euphoria.

The technology and the marketing know-how is available to make micro-businesses available in the most disease-plagued villages and hinterlands of the world.

When marketers and entrepreneurs brag about how to make tens of thousands’ of dollars a day on the Internet or elsewhere, and yet contribute not a farthing to the ending of real poverty because there is no direct profit in it…I am saddened.

The latest gadgets, gimmickry and methods of getting rich are out of touch with the real essence of wealth.  The real essence is to be flexible, learn and pay back to the world so that you can become even richer.

You can’t take it with you, no matter how many Ferraris or villas you own, but by giving or giving back, your spirit will germinate forever.