American Perspective
I’ve been back in the USA for three days now. It’s great to be back home.
My American friends, I want to challenge how you think about distant countries like India.
Value the Differences
Realize that there are good reasons for the strange customs, the strange food, the strange family culture. Do not assume that different equals inferior. In most cases the American way is not better, it’s just suited for a different context. In most cases our way wouldn’t work as well there as their way does. America is great at a lot of things, but not everything is better here.
See the Commonality
Some of the circumstances are different, but people everywhere have ambition to better themselves, loyalty to family and friends, desire for meaningful work, struggles with insecurity, and pain in difficult relationships. Human emotion and human psychology are pretty universal.
Care Across Borders
Do you see yourself on the same team with your fellow citizens of earth in all countries, or do you see opposing teams? Are you willing to give up some prosperity if it means more people across the globe can lift themselves out of poverty? Are you willing to send aid money to places in need? Are you willing to send outsourced jobs to places in need? Isn’t a job better than a handout?
Do you love people because they are from your country, because they are like you, or because they are inherently valuable humans?
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March 7th, 2012 at 6:54 am
so glad you had the courage to take this trip, mark.
March 7th, 2012 at 7:02 am
If the end result of outsourcing jobs was to help those in need, I’d have different thoughts on the topic. Right now, my thoughts are that the majority of outsourcing is motivated by greed and it’s causing entirely more problems than it solves (child laborers, alcoholics in 3rd world countries, unemployment in the home country where these corporations function, etc). Your kind of outsourcing is rare, Mark. Your kind of business integrity is rare, for that matter.
March 7th, 2012 at 7:05 am
(That’s not to ignore everything else you said. You make some really good points, especially regarding America’s overall superiority complex. I’m hoping to visit India someday, myself. :))
March 7th, 2012 at 9:56 am
Mark, I hope you enjoyed your trip. Check out this website http://www.http://americanpoverty.org/