You need to read this book
The World is Flat by Thomas L Friedman
I rarely get passionate about books, but seriously, this is the best book I’ve ever read. I bought it in Singapore back in 2008 not really knowing what it was about, only that I’d read Friedman’s columns in the New York Times and enjoyed his punchy style. Stupidly I let it sit on my shelf for almost two years – wish I hadn’t.
It’s incredible.
If you’ve ever been curious about how the world works, you’ll enjoy this. He uses globalization and the technology revolution (computing, the internet, web 2.0) as a springboard to weave together, politics, economics, business, the environment, religion, cultures, societies and people. Sure, most of, if not all these things you might be familiar with, but it’s the way he pulls them all together into focus and connects the dots which is amazing. With these dots connected – an overview at the state of the world today – he then dives into highlighting the trends that are paving way for our future. There’s no sugar coating here either, if you want some happy bed-time reading, this isn’t the book for you.
This book’s energy will force sceptics to recognize that a world in which the cost of communications is falling towards zero and billions of people are trying to participate in the market economy is unprecedented.
Martin Wolf, Financial Times
Friedman has unequalled access to the people and situations that currently drive history.. he brings home the speed, closeness, complexity and deep mutual engagement of the world economy by relating in detail a plethora of truly amazing facts about how it works… riveting.
A. C. Grayling, Independent on Sunday
In short, billions of people are joining the middle class (China, India, Russia). Energy demands will keep going up exacerbating geo-politics. Competition for jobs will keep going up. Outsourcing and hence the commoditization of jobs and skills will continue. Job stability will decrease. Everything will be more expensive. Everything will be harder, less secure, less certain. Basically, this book is screaming out to all of us to compete, work harder, innovate, imagine. We’ve got to ‘dig inside ourselves’.
The ideal country in a flat world is the one with no natural resources, because countries with no natural resources tend to dig inside themselves. They try to tap the energy, entrepreneurship, creativity and intelligence of their own people – men and women – rather than drill in an oil well.
And if you think you work hard because you stayed back last week an hour or two at work without overtime, then think again. There are billions from India and China that are willing to do ten times more than us for the opportunities and lifestyle we have.
This quote really sums it up:
Remember in China when you are one in a million – there are thirteen hundred other people just like you.
Read it, it’ll make you see things in a new way.
