WORLD IS FLAT

Few months before I read this fascinating book by Thomas L Freidman called World is Flat.

In that book the author highlighted the 7 major factors that contributed the flattening of the world and seamless synchronization among different countries/cultures/time zones and the eventual globalization. Of course he was focusing on the business/economic globalization of the world.

Last week I found out the 8^th factor (and to me the most important one of all) that made me believe in this concept even stronger. But then I am referring to the human side of the globalization. The side this world is fast forgetting to maintain due to the fast paced meaningless life packed with everyday mundane stuffs.

This discovery happened when two non Chinese speaking Indian brothers (one vegetarian) daring themselves and others known to them (some friends were wishing them good luck) went backpacking to Taiwan for four days.

Before we went to Taiwan I knew it’s a place of real beauty with lots of mountains, seas, cultural locations and night life.

But once we were there we saw all these and the most beautiful thing of all. The one that made the beautiful mountains look more beautiful, the stunning seas look more blue and vast, the one that made our trip more memorable.

Taiwan’s PEOPLE.

You are right Mr. Freidman the World is Flat indeed and it always will be as long as the world is not deprived of people like

1. the polite bus driver who took us on a rainy night to the MRT station, showed us the correct train, helped us buy the tickets (but for him we would not have reached our hotel) and parted apologizing for his broken English (if only I could believe my ears)
2. the caring lady in the bus
3. the old man who did his best to indicate us the time of bus arrival
4. the guy at the keelung visitor centre
5. the restaurant guy who gave us the cakes on the house at 11pm
6. the man who offered to call his son on mobile to help us with the direction as he felt his English was not good enough
7. the old man who volunteered himself to help us out in yangmingshan
8. the lady who walked almost 200m to show us the right bus stop and walked back the same distance with a smile in her face and a spring in her steps
9. and the Four Friends we met in Taiwan who took us for dinner on 2 occasions

Because you see ladies and gentleman it’s these people (who do that extra bit for others) to whom the two Indian brothers would be eternally thankful for, makes this world one seamless, boundary less and a special place to live.

Cos that’s the bottom line of life, the one for which people from Mr. Christ to Mr. Gandhi to Mr. Mandela lived and died for. It’s that wonderful thing called HUMANITY. It’s the only engine that could drive this world forward towards peace and happiness.

It’s the mother of all religions that this world should dearly not worship but practice.

It’s the SON OF GOD.

Actually….. IT IS GOD.

During our last night one of the 4 friends we met asked wat memories we would carry with us of Taiwan.

To him and to all others who want to visit this wonderful place, I wish this Blog would confirm the memories me and my brother took with us as we left Taiwan.