the.world.is.flat-第113节

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the　poverty　line　and　the　parents　are　willing　to　send　him　or　her　to　a　boarding　school。　
Shortly　before　I　arrived；　the　students　had　taken　the　California　Achievement　Tests。　
〃We　are　giving　them　English　education　so　they　can　go　anywhere　in　India　and　anywhere　
in　the　world　for　higher　education；〃　said　Law。　〃Our　goal　is　to　give　them　a　world…class　
education　so　they　can　aspire　to　careers　and　professions　that　would　have　been　totally　
beyond　their　reach　and　have　been　so　for　generations。　。　。　Around　here；　their　names　
will　always　give　them　away　as　untouchables。　But　if　they　go　somewhere　else；　and　if　
they　are　really　polished；　with　proper　education　and　social　graces；　they　can　break　
this　barrier。〃　
Then　they　can　become　my　kind　of　untouchables…young　people　who　one　day　can　be　special　
or　specialized　or　adaptable。　
Looking　at　these　kids；　George　said；　〃When　we　talk　about　the　poor；　so　often　it　is　talk　


about　getting　them　off　the　streets　or　getting　them　a　job；　so　they　don't　starve。　But　
we　never　talk　about　getting　excellence　for　the　poor。　My　thought　was　that　we　can　deal　
with　the　issue　of　inequality；　if　they　could　break　out　of　all　the　barriers　imposed　
upon　them。　If　one　is　successful；　they　will　carry　one　thousand　with　them。〃　
After　listening　to　George；　my　mind　drifted　back　to　only　four　months　earlier；　in　the　
fall　of　2003；　when　I　had　been　in　the　West　Bank　filming　another　documentary　about　the　
Arab…Israeli　conflict。　As　a　part　of　that　project；　I　went　to　Ramallah　and　interviewed　
three　young　Palestinian　
467　
militants　who　were　members　of　Yasser　Arafat's　paramilitary　Tanzim　organization。　What　
was　so　striking　about　the　interview　were　the　mood　swings　of　these　young　men　from　
suicidal　despair　to　dreamy　aspirations。　When　I　asked　one　of　the　three；　Mohammed　Motev；　
what　was　the　worst　thing　about　living　in　the　context　of　Israeli　occupation；　he　said　
the　checkpoints。　〃When　a　soldier　asks　me　to　take　off　my　clothes　in　front　of　the　girls。　
It's　a　great　humiliation　to　me　。。。　to　take　off　my　shirt　and　my　pants　and　turn　around　
and　all　the　girls　are　standing　there。〃　It　is　one　reason；　he　said；　that　all　Palestinian　
young　people　today　are　just　suicide　bombers　in　waiting。　He　called　them　〃martyrs　in　
waiting；〃　while　his　two　friends　nodded　in　assent。　They　warned　me　that　if　Israel　tried　
to　kill　Yasser　Arafat；　who　was　then　still　alive　（and　was　a　leader　who　knew　how　to　
stimulate　only　memories；　not　dreams）；　they　would　turn　the　whole　area　into　a　living　
〃hell。〃　To　underscore　this　point；　Motev　took　out　his　wallet　and　showed　me　a　picture　
of　Arafat。　But　what　caught　my　eye　was　the　picture　of　a　young　girl　next　to　it。　
〃Who's　that？〃　I　asked。　That　was　his　girlfriend；　he　explained；　slightly　red…faced。　
So　there　was　his　wallet…Yasser　Arafat　on　one　page；　whom　he　was　ready　to　die　for；　and　
his　girlfriend　on　the　other；　whom　he　wanted　to　live　for。　A　few　minutes　later；　one　
of　his　colleagues；　Anas　Assaf；　became　emotional。　He　was　the　only　one　in　college；　an　
engineering　student　at　Bir　Zeit　University　near　Ramallah。　After　breathing　fire　about　
also　being　willing　to　die　for　Arafat；　he　began　waxing　eloquent　about　how　much　he　wanted　
to　go　to　the　University　of　Memphis；　where　his　uncle　lived；　〃to　study　engineering。〃　
Unfortunately；　he　said；　he　could　not　get　a　visa　into　the　United　States　now。　Like　his　
colleague；　Assaf　was　ready　to　die　for　Yasser　Arafat；　but　he　wanted　to　live　for　the　
University　of　Memphis。　
These　were　good　young　men；　not　terrorists。　But　their　role　models　were　all　angry　men；　
and　these　young　men　spent　a　lot　of　their　time　imagining　how　to　unleash　their　anger；　
not　realizing　their　potential。　Abraham　George；　by　contrast；　produced　a　different　
context　and　a　different　set　of　teacher　role　models　for　those　untouchable　children　
in　his　school；　and　together　they　planted　in　his　students　the　seeds　of　a　very　different　
imagination。　We　must　have　more　Abraham　Georges…everywhere…by　the　thousands：　people　
who　gaze　upon　a　classroom　of　untouchable　kids　and　
468　
not　only　see　the　greatness　in　each　of　them　but；　more　important；　get　them　to　see　the　
greatness　in　themselves　while　endowing　them　with　the　tools　to　bring　that　out。　
After　our　little　typing　race　at　the　Shanti　Bhavan　school；　I　went　around　the　classroom　
and　asked　all　the　children…most　of　whom　had　been　in　school；　and　out　of　a　life　of　open　


sewers；　for　only　three　years…what　they　wanted　to　be　when　they　grew　up。　These　were　
eight…year…old　Indian　kids　whose　parents　were　untouchables。　It　was　one　of　the　most　
moving　experiences　of　my　life。　Their　answers　were　as　follows：　〃an　astronaut；〃　〃a　
doctor；〃　〃a　pediatrician；〃　〃a　poetess；〃　〃physics　and　chemistry；〃　〃a　scientist　and　
an　astronaut；〃　〃a　surgeon；〃　〃a　detective；〃　〃an　author。〃　
All　dreamers　in　action…not　martyrs　in　waiting。　
Let　me　close　with　one　last　point。　My　own　daughter　went　off　to　college　in　the　fall　
of　2004；　and　my　wife　and　I　dropped　her　off　on　a　warm　September　day。　The　sun　was　shining。　
Our　daughter　was　full　of　excitement。　But　I　can　honestly　say　it　was　one　of　the　saddest　
days　of　my　life。　And　it　wasn't　just　the　
dad…and…mom…dropping…their…eldest…child…off…at…school　thing。　No；　something　else　
bothered　me。　It　was　the　sense　that　I　was　dropping　my　daughter　off　into　a　world　that　
was　so　much　more　dangerous　than　the　one　she　had　been　born　into。　I　felt　like　I　could　
still　promise　my　daughter　her　bedroom　back；　but　I　couldn't　promise　her　the　world…not　
in　the　carefree　way　that　I　had　explored　it　when　I　was　her　age。　That　really　bothered　
me。　Still　does。　
The　flattening　of　the　world；　as　I　have　tried　to　demonstrate　in　this　book；　has　presented　
us　with　new　opportunities；　new　challenges；　new　partners　but　also；　alas；　new　dangers；　
particularly　as　Americans。　It　is　imperative　that　we　find　the　right　balance　among　all　
of　these。　It　is　imperative　that　we　be　the　best　global　citizens　that　we　can　be…because　
in　a　flat　world；　if　you　don't　visit　a　bad　neighborhood；　it　might　visit　you。　And　it　
is　imperative　that　while　we　remain　vigilant　to　the　new　threats；　we　do　not　let　them　
paralyze　us。　Most　of　all；　though；　it　is　imperative　that　we　nurture　more　people　with　
the　imaginations　of　Abraham　George　and　Fadi　Ghandour。　The　more　people　with　the　
imagination　of　11/9；　the　better　

chance　we　have　of　staving　off　another　9/11。1　refuse　to　settle　for　a　world　that　gets　
smaller　in　the　wrong　sense；　in　the　sense　that　there　are　fewer　and　fewer　places　an　
American　can　go　without　a　second　thought　and　fewer　and　fewer　foreigners　feeling　
comfortable　about　coming　to　America。　
To　put　it　another　way；　the　two　greatest　dangers　we　Americans　face　are　an　excess　of　
protectionism…excessive　fears　of　another　9/11　that　prompt　us　to　wall　ourselves　in；　
in　search　of　personal　security…and　excessive　fears　of　competing　in　a　world　of　11/9　
that　prompt　us　to　wall　ourselves　off；　in　search　of　economic　security。　Both　would　be　
a　disaster　for　us　and　for　the　world。　Yes；　economic　competition　in　the　flat　world　will　
be　more　equal　and　more　intense。　We　Americans　will　have　to　work　harder；　run　faster；　
and　become　smarter　to　make　sure　we　get　our　share。　But　let　us　not　underestimate　our　
strengths　or　the　innovation　that　could　explode　from　the　flat　world　when　we　really　
do　connect　all　of　the　knowledge　centers　together。　On　such　a　flat　earth；　the　most　
important　attribute　you　can　have　is　creative　imagination…the　ability　to　be　the　first　
on　your　block　to　figure　out　how　all　these　enabling　tools　can　be　put　together　in　new　
and　exciting　ways　to　create　products；　communities；　opportunities；　and　profits。　That　
has　always　been　America's　strength；　because　America　was；　and　for　now　still　is；　the　
world's　greatest　dream　machine。　


I　cannot　tell　any　other　society　or　culture　what　to　say　to　its　own　children；　but　I　
can　tell　you　what　I　say　to　my　own：　The　world　is　being　flattened。　I　didn't　start　it　
and　you　can't　stop　it；　except　at　a　great　cost　to　human　development　and　your　own　future。　
But　we　can　manage　it；　for　better　or　for　worse。　If　it　is　to　be　for　better；　not　for　
worse；　then　you　and　your　generation　must　not　live　in　fear　of　either　the　terrorists　
or　of　tomorrow；　of　either　al…Qaeda　or　of　Infosys。　You　can　flourish　in　this　flat　world；　
but　it　does　take　the　right　imagination　and　the　right　motivation。　While　your　lives　
have　been　powerfully　shaped　by　9/11；　the　world　needs　you　to　be　forever　the　generation　
of　11/9…the　generation　of　strategic　optimists；　the　generation　with　more　dreams　than　
memories；　the　generation　that　wakes　up　each　morning　and　not　only　imagines　that　things　
can　be　better　but　also　acts　on　that　imagination　every　day。　

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS　

In　1999　I　published　a　book　on　globalization　called　The　Lexus　and　the　Olive　Tree。　The　
phenomenon　we　call　globalization　was　just　taking　off　then；　and　The　Lexus　and　the　Olive　
Tree　was　one　of　the　early　attempts　to　put　a　frame　around　it。　This　book　is　not　meant　
to　replace　The　Lexus　and　the　Olive　Tree；　but　rather　to　build　on　it　and　push　the　
arguments　forward　as　the　world　has　evolved。　
I　am　deeply　grateful　to　the　publisher　of　The　New　York　Times　and　chairman　of　the　New　
York　Times　Company；　Arthur　Sulzberger　Jr。；　for　granting　me　a　leave　of　absence　to　be　
able　to　undertake　this　book；　and　to　Gail　Collins；　editorial　page　editor　of