the.world.is.flat-第109节

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people　at　opposites　ends　of　life：　one　full　of　memories；　one　full　of　dreams。　
What　does　this　story　say　to　me？　It　says　this：　When　Candace　Lee　Williams　boarded　Flight　
11　she　could　not　have　imagined　how　it　would　end。　But　in　the　wake　of　9/11；　none　of　
us　can　now　board　an　airplane　without　imagining　how　it　could　end…that　what　happened　
to　Candace　Lee　


450　
Williams　could　also　happen　to　us。　We　all　are　now　so　much　more　conscious　that　a　person's　
life　can　be　wiped　out　by　the　arbitrary　will　of　a　madman　in　a　cave　in　Afghanistan。　
But　the　fact　is；　the　chances　of　our　plane　being　hijacked　by　terrorists　today　are　still　
infinitesimal。　We　are　more　likely　to　be　killed　hitting　a　deer　with　our　car　or　being　
struck　by　lightning。　So　even　though　we　can　now　imagine　what　could　happen　when　we　get　
on　an　airplane；　we　have　to　get　on　the　plane　anyway。　Because　the　alternative　to　not　
getting　on　that　plane　is　putting　ourselves　in　our　own　cave。　Imagination　can't　just　
be　about　reruns。　It　also　has　to　be　about　writing　our　own　new　script。　From　what　I　read　
about　Candace　Lee　Williams；　she　was　an　optimist。　I'd　bet　anything　she'd　still　be　
getting　on　planes　today　if　she　had　the　chance。　And　so　must　we　all。　
America's　role　in　the　world；　from　its　inception；　has　been　to　be　the　country　that　looks　
forward；　not　back。　One　of　the　most　dangerous　things　that　has　happened　to　America　since　
9/11；　under　the　Bush　administration；　is　that　we　have　gone　from　exporting　hope　to　
exporting　fear。　We　have　gone　from　trying　to　coax　the　best　out　of　the　world　to　snarling　
at　it　way　too　often。　And　when　you　export　fear；　you　end　up　importing　everyone　else's　
fears。　Yes；　we　need　people　who　can　imagine　the　worst；　because　the　worst　did　happen　
on　9/11　and　it　could　happen　again。　But；　as　I　said；　there　is　a　fine　line　between　
precaution　and　paranoia；　and　at　times　we　have　crossed　it。　Europeans　and　others　often　
love　to　make　fun　of　American　optimism　and　naivete…our　crazy　notion　that　every　problem　
has　a　solution；　that　tomorrow　can　be　better　than　yesterday；　that　the　future　can　always　
bury　the　past。　But　I　have　always　believed　that　deep　down　the　rest　of　the　world　envies　
that　American　optimism　and　naivete；　it　needs　it。　It　is　one　of　the　things　that　help　
keep　the　world　spinning　on　its　axis。　If　we　go　dark　as　a　society；　if　we　stop　being　
the　world's　〃dream　factory；〃　we　will　make　the　world　not　only　a　darker　place　but　also　
a　poorer　place。　
Analysts　have　always　tended　to　measure　a　society　by　classical　economic　and　social　
statistics：　its　deficit…to…GDP　ratio；　or　its　unemployment　rate；　or　the　rate　of　
literacy　among　its　adult　women。　Suchstatistics　are　important　and　revealing。　But　there　
is　another　statistic；　much　harder　
451　
to　measure；　that　I　think　is　even　more　important　and　revealing：　Does　your　society　have　
more　memories　than　dreams　or　more　dreams　than　memories？　
By　dreams　I　mean　the　positive；　life…affirming　variety。　The　business　organization　
consultant　Michael　Hammer　once　remarked；　〃One　thing　that　tells　me　a　company　is　in　
trouble　is　when　they　tell　me　how　good　they　were　in　the　past。　Same　with　countries。　
You　don't　want　to　forget　your　identity。　I　am　glad　you　were　great　in　the　fourteenth　
century；　but　that　was　then　and　this　is　now。　When　memories　exceed　dreams；　the　end　is　
near。　The　hallmark　of　a　truly　successful　organization　is　the　willingness　to　abandon　
what　made　it　successful　and　start　fresh。〃　
In　societies　that　have　more　memories　than　dreams；　too　many　people　are　spending　too　
many　days　looking　backward。　They　see　dignity；　affirmation；　and　self…worth　not　by　
mining　the　present　but　by　chewing　on　the　past。　And　even　that　is　usually　not　a　real　
past　but　an　imagined　and　adorned　past。　Indeed；　such　societies　focus　all　their　


imagination　on　making　that　imagined　past　even　more　beautiful　than　it　ever　was；　and　
then　they　cling　to　it　like　a　rosary　or　a　strand　of　worry　beads；　rather　than　imagining　
a　better　future　and　acting　on　that。　It　is　dangerous　enough　when　other　countries　go　
down　that　route；　it　would　be　disastrous　for　America　to　lose　its　bearings　and　move　
in　that　direction。　I　think　my　friend　David　Rothkopf；　the　former　Commerce　Department　
official　and　now　a　fellow　at　the　Carnegie　Endowment　for　International　Peace；　said　
it　best：　〃The　answer　for　us　lies　not　in　what　has　changed；　but　in　recognizing　what　
has　not　changed。　Because　only　through　this　recognition　will　we　begin　to　focus　on　the　
truly　critical　issues…an　effective　multilateral　response　to　weapons　of　mass　
destruction　proliferation；　the　creation　of　real　stakeholders　in　globalization　among　
the　world's　poor；　the　need　for　reform　in　the　Arab　world　and　a　style　of　U。S。　leadership　
that　seeks　to　build　our　base　of　support　worldwide　by　getting　more　people　to　voluntarily　
sign　onto　our　values。　We　need　to　remember　that　those　values　are　the　real　foundation　
for　our　security　and　the　real　source　of　our　strength。　And　we　need　to　recognize　that　
our　enemies　can　never　defeat　us。　Only　we　can　defeat　ourselves；　by　throwing　out　the　
rule　book　that　has　worked　for　us　for　a　long；　long　time。〃　
I　believe　that　history　will　make　very　clear　that　President　Bush　shame

lessly　exploited　the　emotions　around　9/11　for　political　purposes。　He　used　those　9/11　
emotions　to　take　a　far…right　Republican　domestic　agenda　on　taxes；　the　environment；　
and　social　issues　from　9/10…an　agenda　for　which　he　had　no　popular　mandate…and　drive　
it　into　a　9/12　world。　In　doing　so；　Mr。Bush　not　only　drove　a　wedge　between　Americans；　
and　between　Americans　and　the　world；　he　drove　a　wedge　between　America　and　its　own　
history　and　identity。　His　administration　transformed　the　United　States　into　〃the　
United　States　of　Fighting　Terrorism。〃　This　is　the　real　reason；　in　my　view；　that　so　
many　people　in　the　world　dislike　President　Bush　so　intensely。　They　feel　that　he　has　
taken　away　something　very　dear　to　them…an　America　that　exports　hope；　not　fear。　
We　need　our　president　to　restore　September　11　to　its　rightful　place　on　the　calendar…as　
the　day　after　September　10　and　before　September　12。　We　must　never　let　it　become　a　
day　that　defines　us。　Because　ultimately　September　11　is　about　them…the　bad　guys…not　
about　us。　
We're　about　the　Fourth　of　July。　We're　about　11/9。　
Beyond　trying　to　retain　the　best　of　our　own　imaginations；　what　else　can　we　do　as　
Americans　and　as　a　global　society　to　try　to　nurture　the　same　in　others？　One　has　to　
approach　this　question　with　great　humility。　What　leads　one　person　to　the　joy　of　
destruction　and　what　leads　another　to　the　joy　of　creation；　what　leads　one　to　imagine　
11/9　and　another　to　imagine　9/11；　is　surely　one　of　the　great　mysteries　of　contemporary　
life。　Moreover；　while　most　of　us　might　have　some　clue　about　how　to　nurture　a　more　
positive　imagination　for　our　own　kids；　and　maybe…maybe…for　our　fellow　citizens；　it　
is　presumptuous　to　think　that　we　can　do　it　for　others；　particularly　those　of　a　
different　culture；　speaking　different　languages；　and　living　half　a　world　away。　Yet　
9/11；　the　flattening　of　the　world；　and　the　continuing　threat　of　world…disrupting　
terrorism　suggest　that　not　thinking　about　this　is　its　own　kind　of　dangerous　naivete。　
So　I　insist　on　trying　to　do　so；　but　I　approach　this　issue　with　a　keen　awareness　of　


the　limits　of　what　any　outsider　can　know　or　do。　
Generally　speaking；　imagination　is　the　product　of　two　shaping　forces。　One　is　the　
narratives　that　people　are　nurtured　on…the　stories　and　myths　
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they　and　their　religious　and　national　leaders　tell　themselves…and　how　those　
narratives　feed　their　imaginations　one　way　or　another。　The　other　is　the　context　in　
which　people　grow　up；　which　has　a　huge　impact　on　shaping　how　they　see　the　world　and　
others。　Outsiders　cannot　get　inside　and　adjust　the　Mexican　or　Arab　or　Chinese　
narrative　any　more　than　they　can　get　inside　the　American　one。　Only　they　can　reinterpret　
their　narrative；　make　it　more　tolerant　or　forward　looking；　and　adapt　it　to　modernity。　
No　one　can　do　thatfor　them　or　even　with　them。　But　one　can　think　about　how　to　collaborate　
with　others　to　change　their　context…the　context　within　which　people　grow　up　and　live　
their　daily　lives…to　help　nurture　more　people　with　the　imagination　of　11/9　than　9/11。　
Let　me　offer　a　few　examples。　
eBay　
Meg　Whitman；　the　CEO　of　eBay；　once　told　me　a　wonderful　story　that　went　like　this：　
〃We　took　eBay　public　in　September　1998；　in　the　middle　of　the　dot…com　boom。　And　in　
September　and　October　our　stock　would　go　up　eighty　points　and　down　fifty　in　a　single　
day。　I　thought；　'This　is　insane。'　Anyway；　one　day　I　am　minding　my　own　business；　sitting　
in　my　own　cubicle；　and　my　secretary　runs　over　and　says　to　me；　'Meg；　it's　Arthur　Levitt　
＇chairman＇　of　the　SEC　on　the　phone。'〃　The　Securities　and　Exchange　Commission　oversees　
the　stock　market　and　is　always　concerned　about　issues　of　volatility　in　a　stock　and　
whether　there　is　manipulation　behind　it。　In　those　days；　for　a　CEO　to　hear　that　〃Arthur　
Levitt　is　on　the　line〃　was　not　a　good　way　to　start　the　day。　
〃So　I　called　my　general　counsel；〃　said　Whitman；　〃who　came　over　from　his　cubicle；　and　
he　was　white　like　a　sheet。　We　called　Levitt　back　together　and　we　put　him　on　the　
speakerphone；　and　I　said；　'Hi；　it's　Meg　Whitman　of　eBay。'　And　he　said；　'Hi；　it's　Ar