"What a Wonderful World" by Lois Armstrong is playing in my head. And that is really making me think 'It's all right".
Why do I feel so positive? I feel accountability and sustainability is slowly gaining prominence in the general psyche of the population. It's slow, but that's how it should be - slow and steady.
- Yes, we are reaching the 7 Billion mark and the prospect of being able to feed, clothe, provide safe water, sanitation and shelter is a scary thought. Furthermore by 2030 we may be close to 10 Billion.
- Yes, the economy is really bad and with 9%+ unemployment, these are hard times. All the 'developed' nations seem to be in debt crisis, Wall Street is fluctuating every minute taking us on a roller coaster ride of our lifetime.
- Yes, there is still political uncertainty in the Middle East, from Syria to Iraq to Afghanistan. There are wars going on in so many places around the world.
- Yes, there are still natural disasters happening - earthquakes, tsunamis, droughts, and tornadoes. The arctic ice and major glaciers are melting at a rapid rate further intensifying the impact of these natural disasters.
- Yes, there is corruption and fraud. And there are people who are making every effort every day to rob you of your identity, your finances, your livelihood.
- Yes, the list goes of everything that is going wrong or can go wrong.
Then, What is Making Me So Happy?
- When governments around the world are not being able to pull it together, non-profits like Water For People, Gates Foundation, etc. are working to solve the food-water-shelter problem from the grassroots level. They are not blindly throwing money and equipment at it, they are working on social entrepreneurship model, building from the ground up, empowering the masses to device fit-for-purpose local sustainable solutions.
- A huge number of people across the world is asking for accountability in the way we do business. I may not agree with every person in that group about the methods employed in these protests, but I feel that there is a general consensus around the world population that the way we have been running the economy is not sustainable and it has to change. And with that kind of change in people's expectations is good. Governments will hear and so will businesses if they want to survive. This recent story about Amazon is good and I hope it is true.
- Unaided by major external forces, a large chunk of the world is moving towards democracy, especially in the Middle East. The democracy we will find there may not be similar to the definition we have in the US or elsewhere, it will be tailored to their culture and local requirement. The good thing here is that the people have realized that they have the power to bring about change, and they are doing it.
- Natural disasters have happened in the past and will happen in the future. Too bad that the quantity and the intensity seem to have increased. But, look at the rapid response you get these days and from all around the world. With communication so rapid and news spreading so fast in this flat world, people see, they feel, and they react. Emergency relief is happening faster than ever. Is it perfect yet, no I am not saying that. But it is getting better by leaps an bounds. Better mapping leads to better decision making, better portable aid systems are being designed and deployed. There is room for improvement, and we are on track.
- Everyday I hear stories of some fight going on around the world against corruption and fraud. Again, I did not agree with the Anna Hazare method in India, but the underlying cause is commendable. There are still some very tenacious journalists and caring social workers crusading on issues to help build an equitable world. These people are slowly getting traction.
As each day goes by, I sense people starting to ask the hard questions about finite resources, methods of reuse, sustainable business practices, life-cycle costs, etc. I feel that all these changes are happening for the good. There is no quick fix to any problem - every change has to happen slow if you want it to last. It has to happen one step at a time. With 7 billion people taking one step at a time in the same direction, the progress will be amplified.
I am delighted to be able to sense the beginning of this change, I hope that I will live to see a great deal more. And even if my time comes before I see these changes being amplified by resonance, I will still be happy.
Why do I feel so positive? I feel accountability and sustainability is slowly gaining prominence in the general psyche of the population. It's slow, but that's how it should be - slow and steady.
- Yes, we are reaching the 7 Billion mark and the prospect of being able to feed, clothe, provide safe water, sanitation and shelter is a scary thought. Furthermore by 2030 we may be close to 10 Billion.
- Yes, the economy is really bad and with 9%+ unemployment, these are hard times. All the 'developed' nations seem to be in debt crisis, Wall Street is fluctuating every minute taking us on a roller coaster ride of our lifetime.
- Yes, there is still political uncertainty in the Middle East, from Syria to Iraq to Afghanistan. There are wars going on in so many places around the world.
- Yes, there are still natural disasters happening - earthquakes, tsunamis, droughts, and tornadoes. The arctic ice and major glaciers are melting at a rapid rate further intensifying the impact of these natural disasters.
- Yes, there is corruption and fraud. And there are people who are making every effort every day to rob you of your identity, your finances, your livelihood.
- Yes, the list goes of everything that is going wrong or can go wrong.
Then, What is Making Me So Happy?
- When governments around the world are not being able to pull it together, non-profits like Water For People, Gates Foundation, etc. are working to solve the food-water-shelter problem from the grassroots level. They are not blindly throwing money and equipment at it, they are working on social entrepreneurship model, building from the ground up, empowering the masses to device fit-for-purpose local sustainable solutions.
- A huge number of people across the world is asking for accountability in the way we do business. I may not agree with every person in that group about the methods employed in these protests, but I feel that there is a general consensus around the world population that the way we have been running the economy is not sustainable and it has to change. And with that kind of change in people's expectations is good. Governments will hear and so will businesses if they want to survive. This recent story about Amazon is good and I hope it is true.
- Unaided by major external forces, a large chunk of the world is moving towards democracy, especially in the Middle East. The democracy we will find there may not be similar to the definition we have in the US or elsewhere, it will be tailored to their culture and local requirement. The good thing here is that the people have realized that they have the power to bring about change, and they are doing it.
- Natural disasters have happened in the past and will happen in the future. Too bad that the quantity and the intensity seem to have increased. But, look at the rapid response you get these days and from all around the world. With communication so rapid and news spreading so fast in this flat world, people see, they feel, and they react. Emergency relief is happening faster than ever. Is it perfect yet, no I am not saying that. But it is getting better by leaps an bounds. Better mapping leads to better decision making, better portable aid systems are being designed and deployed. There is room for improvement, and we are on track.
- Everyday I hear stories of some fight going on around the world against corruption and fraud. Again, I did not agree with the Anna Hazare method in India, but the underlying cause is commendable. There are still some very tenacious journalists and caring social workers crusading on issues to help build an equitable world. These people are slowly getting traction.
As each day goes by, I sense people starting to ask the hard questions about finite resources, methods of reuse, sustainable business practices, life-cycle costs, etc. I feel that all these changes are happening for the good. There is no quick fix to any problem - every change has to happen slow if you want it to last. It has to happen one step at a time. With 7 billion people taking one step at a time in the same direction, the progress will be amplified.
I am delighted to be able to sense the beginning of this change, I hope that I will live to see a great deal more. And even if my time comes before I see these changes being amplified by resonance, I will still be happy.
Because ......
I see trees of green........ red roses too
I see 'em bloom..... for me and for you
And I think to myself.... what a wonderful world.
I see skies of blue..... clouds of white
Bright blessed days....dark sacred nights
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world.
The colors of a rainbow.....so pretty ..in the sky
Are also on the faces.....of people ..going by
I see friends shaking hands.....sayin'.. how do you do
They're really sayin'......I love you.
I hear babies cry...... I watch them grow
They'll learn much more.....than I'll never know
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world
What a Wonderful World!
I see trees of green........ red roses too
I see 'em bloom..... for me and for you
And I think to myself.... what a wonderful world.
I see skies of blue..... clouds of white
Bright blessed days....dark sacred nights
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world.
The colors of a rainbow.....so pretty ..in the sky
Are also on the faces.....of people ..going by
I see friends shaking hands.....sayin'.. how do you do
They're really sayin'......I love you.
I hear babies cry...... I watch them grow
They'll learn much more.....than I'll never know
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world
What a Wonderful World!
