I don’t discuss this in great detail with many people, but it’s a significant part of the answer to one of the most common questions I am often asked by friends and family. The question, “Why do you like Asia so much?”
The answer lies largely in the dynamism that is exhibited throughout most of the Pacific rim. I often say that when you visit one of the cities, if you go back in two years entire neighborhoods may have been demolished and re-created during your absence. As Susan aludes to, their investment in infrastructure, in a basic layer of services, from mass transit to new construction to high speed fiber optic networks and mobile phones that can stream video in real time that are affordable and common. Throughout Asia this is ongoing and breathtaking in its speed. For those who aren’t living and seeing it firsthand, it’s hard to comprehend.
I’m convinced that the short-term emphasis, on profits over true research and investment, on public policy that makes little to no sense over the long term in order to support short term goals are all contributing to these factors. I won’t say public policy is equally good in all locations throughout the region, but I see a willingness to experiment and invest that is lacking in quite the same way here. We’re too invested in what we have to think about what may have tomorrow, if only we’re truly willing to throw caution to the wind.
Dare to dream.