Knowing

When you change your perspective, your perspective changes you.

As I sit here, thinking about the negotiations for the land lease of our cottages, I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to learn as much as I am about different nations.

About how they work together. About how they operate, what drives success and change, what factors influence both, and how you can pull different levers to make a difference.

The most interesting discovery for me today is how important education is. How much it matters, and how much exposure there is to risk if you don’t have it.

The rise and fall of nations depends on the education of it’s citizens, and how you educate is important. Do your people memorize, and regurgitate, or do they understand?

Those are two very different subjects. Mark memorized French, but didn’t understand it. He was able to pass all his tests, and end up with a really good mark in the class. But ask him today, and he can barely count to ten after 7 years of classes.

In contrast Mark understands history, geography, and the implications of what is happening today on a macroeconomic stage. He knows what country is where, where it fits in the political climate, and the potential implications of actions on the world stage.

Same person, different learning and understanding. It’s amazing how much you can know, and not understand, and how much you can understand, and still not know.

This journey is a fascinating one, and the more I know, the more I realize I don’t have a clue, and I have to learn more.