Tag: John Kerry

Wake me when October ends

Limits to power. Limits to growth. Speed limits.

We finally see ourselves in the mirror.

Dying, decaying, decomposing.

Long live Blue Jeans, T-shirt and Rock “n” Roll.

60 Minutes capitalized on their archive footage to show us the evolution of John Kerry.

Our evolution, from idealism to realism.

The aging process that takes a toll on a powerful nation.

Shrinking. Going private (BlackBerry, Dell) , going home fishing (Steve Ballmer) or going home (Jobs).

Wake me when October ends or when the government is back to work again (as of this, it is facing another shut-down).

My friend is worried about his pension.

I told him to get out and vote.

A country is strong when its young people feel like they can make a difference, or can affect change.

The options are now limited: voters drive, enlistment (not a good idea given Syria and the rise of soft powers), volunteer for  NGO‘s or work in the mill (Amazon is now hiring seasonal workers only).

When NGO”s are on the rise, more than private sector, we have a problem.

Instead of churning out paper money, the nation is better off with “greed is good” days on Wall Street.

At least,  people have reasons to get up in the morning and read the WSJ.

Now, it’s “wake me up when October ends”.

What motivates people are still the same (Maslow scale).

But the mechanism to bring it about seems to be broken: it’s one thing for young people to give up a Wall Street job for Peace Corps, it’s another not to have a job at all, hence, compassion fatigue.

Back in the days of Peace Corps, a generation vowed to “Ask Not…”.

Now, they stop asking, eye glued to the screen, playing war games.

Drone nation.

Everything is available in small sizes (USB, blue tooth etc…).

Digitized. Think in code.

Machine (Google Search) is learning semantics and contextual relations while human refuses to seek understanding (Iran, Iraq, what’s the difference?).

Wake me when October ends.

Let the brain sort it out while we sleep our way through October.

May it wake up fully recharged, reactivated for full-use.

Einstein only used up a tiny portion of his brain cells. Look where it has taken him and us. Imagine when all of us wake up by month end, start thinking in semantics and contextual relevance. A thinking nation is a dangerous one. Sleep tight!

Brand America

American Apparel ‘s tag line is “sweatshop free”. Nike‘s Just Do It (i.e. Just Buy It).

Apple‘s – Think Different.

Meanwhile, Haier and Huawei are trying to copy Hundai and Kia who tried to copy Honda and Toyota who had tried to copy VW and Mercedes. Brand building in and outside of America.

What would John Kerry ‘s “elevator speech” be?

That America is exceptional?

America has always reinvented itself?

Or it has lucked out, despite its short history (compared to other nations). Ironically, its short memory has been its strength – less dogma and insistence on a set way, more adapting and opened to adopting best practices (sort of leap-frogging its political history).

We have heard so much about brain drain (to America, it’s brain-gain).

Perhaps Brand America pays well, encourages mistakes and risk-taking.

Brand America is quite tolerant even forgiving (entrepreneur’s oxygen).

Brand America has always been youthful (Rock and Roll) and sporty (Super Bowl).

Brand America might have its British roots, but then Britain had to invade it again (the British Invasion e.g. the Beatles).

Brand America exports Hollywood and imports not Bollywood.

Brand America exports clean toilets (American Standard) and fast food.

Brand America leverages low-interest rates and cheap labor.

People line up to get in, many stay on, but some have left because of the recession.

Brand America advocates racial and gender equality, champions environmental and civil rights.

Brand America is indeed exceptional in the way it treats its weakest link – from pets to children – from the handicapped to the retired.

When values are at odd, it’s where Brand America shines albeit with vigorous debates and violent disagreement.

Brand America has enduring values that need constant refresh.

It is continuously transformed and transfigured: two World Wars , two Recessions and two Towers. Brand America’s strength lies in its people.

Free thinking and swift action. Some residue from Frontier’s Days won’t hurt. Shoot from the hip. You add to this train of thought. Because you are as much a part of the brand as I. Brand America’s tag line: reinventing you (from Eisenhower to Einstein), sweatshop free, but not free of sweat.