Wasn't I taught, the earth is round?

From the time i read the book, The world is flat by Thomas L. Friedman, i have been tempted to think otherwise.

The world is flat tries to explain the reasons behind the changes that have taken place around us, in the last decade. We have all been a part of these changes but probably have never given a thought to the changes nor to the reasons for their occurrence. Now, what do i mean by 'change'? The simplest way of putting it would be that Today we as an individual are able to compete, challenge & collaborate with any other individual in any part of the world.or in other words globalization has set in like never before. The author explains the reasons behind the sudden, high pace of globalization. The reasons being economic liberalization policies, invention of internet,web browsers, work flow software, offshoring, outsourcing,networking,open source,supply chaining and so on. These have been dealt with chronologically and have been explained with numerous anecdotes unravelling many financial , economic, technological changes that have affected the world. The effect on countries, companies and individuals have been presented in a captivating manner, hence making us think about how our future could be, and the role we play as an individual in a flat world.

This book will give you a lot of things to think about. I particularly like the part where he deals with India, China and their rising status in the view of the west. He doesn't perceive growing economies such as India and China as threats to America but as an opportunity.. He doesn't even blame us for the outsourcing ( or as in the common lingua now.. 'jobs being bangalored') led unemployment trouble in America. An excerpt from the book about the attitude the US should adopt..

The business organization consultant Michael Hummer 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 14th 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."

What he's got to say about India: Louis Pasteur said it a long time ago: "Fortune favors the prepared mind." (This is with reference to Nehru's early insistence on IITs..). Infact this book opens with an interview with Nandan Nilakeni, in his infosys campus in bangalore, who introduces this thought of a 'levelled playing field' to Friedman. That was the first day in the birth of The world is flat!!

What he's got to say about China: China does not want just to get rich. It wants to get powerful. China doesn't just want to learn how to make GM cars. It wants to be GM and put GM out of business. Anyone who doubts that should spend time with young Chinese.

Friedman also talks about the unflat world.The parts still virgin to communication, health and good educational access; how we can make it a part of the flat world. His research impresses me. There is a political vacuum waiting to be filled. There is a real role today for a movement that could advance the agenda of how we globalize -- not whether we globalize. The best place such a movement could start is rural India. The most important forces fighting poverty in India today, in my view, are those NGOs fighting for better local governance.

Ofcourse, he also talks about the ill effects of Globalization; the Islamic interpretation of globalization; why some Muslim countries fail to catch up (with comparisons between India and Pakistan, what makes us different) ; terrorism and Al Qaida. For all that and more, u got to catch a copy of the book.

Well, here's the truth that no one wanted to tell you: The world has been flattened. As a result of the triple convergence, global collaboration and competition -- between individuals and individuals, companies and individuals, companies and companies, and companies and customers -- have been made cheaper, easier, more friction-free, and more productive for more people from more corners of the earth than at any time in the history of the world.

The Fact that I am able to convey all this simultaneously to all of you, at one go, means.. hey it's a flat world after all.It's a different matter we were once taught that the earth is a round planet. Maybe some definitions got to change after all!