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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
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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
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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