Chapter 13: 11/9 Versus 9/11

11/9 and 9/11 have had two huge competing forms of imagination, one a creative one while the other a destructive one. The dismantling of the Berlin Wall on 11/9 dared to imagine an open world where everyone would be free to realize his or her full potential, while the other

9/11  dared to imagine the wrath that could be brought in this open world. In today’s world where small can act big it’s not only the imagination of the leaders, but now of the people that can shape the way the world moves. This new idea makes it important to stimulate positive imaginations. We can see how the aim of the imagination can effect the outcome when you look at howNeeleman worked hard and used his

intelligence to create a successful airline, while at the same time Khalid Sheikh Mohammedwas using his imagination to scheme up a horrific set of acts to inflict hard on innocent people. The attacks of 9/11 worked through a global supply chain like any other business would in the global world. The ease of communication, travel, and connection made it possible for terrorists all over the world to collaborate. This is what we are facing in today’s open world.

While we must accept that these new issues face us in the new world, it is important for us as American’s to ensure that it doesn’t dominate our lives. We can’t let fear dominate our lives or else the terrorists h

ave won. Our sense of dreaming and optimism has brought us this far and will bring us much farther as long as we keep pushing for it.America is the dream factory of the world and we must ensure that it isn’t outsourced to another country while we sit and dwell in fear. Looking backward will never get you forward, we must continue

 to be a society that has more dreams than memories. Knowing who we are and where we come from is important as long as we only use that to help guide our future dreams. President Bush used 9/11 and the emotions surrounding it

for political purposes. He changed the United States of America into solely a terrorist fighting group and drove a wedge between the United Statesand many other people. He turned the U.S. from a place that exports hope to one that exports fear.We can never let the attacks of 9/11 define us, only the Fourth of July like always.

It’s amazing what a little recognition and a little hope can do for the imagination. Take the opportunity Ebay has offered people. One person turned his Ebay selling into a personal entrepreneur development with employees and all. He was able to become a star member of his family that

had pre viously disowned him. Also you can see how the opportunity can vastly change the imagination and thought process through the Muslims of India. We haven’t so far seen one Indian Muslim tied into the 9/11 attacks, none fighting along jihadists in Iraq, and none with the angry backlash at the civilized world like the Arab Muslims. This can be explained by the democratic and opportunistic system they live in. They see hope in their lives and focus on meeting their own potential. Many times if you give people a chance to be a part of the world, they would rather join it then blow it up.

One of the major things retarding the emergence of a democratic context in many places in the world is oil. Since the leaders can get rich by drilling their natural resources they have no need to tax or develop the skills of their people. Sometimes it takes necessity to create imagination and development. When you have to look to new skills for success, then you look to new skills rather than depend on what’s already there. We see that the

 most creative innovation in the Arab Muslim world is happening in places with little or no oil reserves. They are being pushed to adapt and better their societies.

There are good stories out there such as Aramex who made over 400 Arab employees proud owners of a successful company in the flat world, or

Abraham Georges who is using his wealth to create schools for the less fortunate untouchables. He is giving them access to the global world as well as teaching new journalists to try and create responsible newspapers and journalists to create better governance. Stories like these develop imaginations like those of 11/9 and hinder the goals of those seeking another 9/11.

In the end Friedman talks about how when his own daughter went off to college he felt as though he was dropping his daughter off in a much more dangerous world than she was born. She can’t explore the world like he was able to. The flattening of the world has created many challenges, opportunities, as well as problems and threats. We as Americans must find the delicate balance between all of these things. We must nurture the Abraham George’s and Fadi Ghandour’s of the world and push the smaller world in the right direction. On this flat earth the most important attribute you can have is imagination and innovation, we must push ourselves to continue to thrive in these areas as we compete in the global world.America has always been and must always be the dream machine.