The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman
Friday, October 20th, 2006It took me some time to finish reading this book, lagi sibuk euy… hehehe…
In this book the author points out how the world is now flat, where all the playing fields are levelled. The fall of Berlin Wall in 1989 had triggerred more openness throughout the world (end of Cold War, no more Soviet and so on), and that coincided by many breakthroughs and advancements of information technology (personal computers, Windows, the Internet, softwares, applications, Google, VOIP, mobile technology and so on) has quickly and dramatically empowered individuals, groups, companies and even countries to work, collaborate and compete more equally, creatively, intelligently in a new platform. This new platform operates without regard to geography, distance, and, in the near future, even language. Everybody everywhere can plug and play with everybody else.
It’s interesting to know how Mr. Friedman as an American is worried that the US is not preparing the current generation well enough to face the future competition to China, India, East Europe and the others. Well, look at us here in Indonesia… Who’s not worried now?
Then Mr. Friedman also admits he realizes that in many ways many parts of the world are still unflat, being left behind, which are the unflattening forces: many people are too sick (by AIDS, malaria, TB, etc), too poor (no access to participate), too frustrated (al-Qaeda and other Islamist terror organizations), and too much consuming natural resources (big cities eating up fuels and polluting the earth).
This is an exciting read, pointing out our modern history now. Mr. Friedman’s comments on Arab-Muslim world should be read by muslims as valuable critics. As a muslim I can admit that most muslims are left behind now (and most left behinds are muslims). So like our heartwarmer Aa Gym always says, we should change: start from the simplest things, start from each one of us, start NOW.
I’d like to say Selamat Idul Fitri, Mohon Maaf Lahir dan Batin to all my muslim friends, and to all my friends in Jakarta: have a nice, safe holidays…
