The world is getting smaller and smaller. With air travel, communications, and Internet, the ability to do business around the world at all hours is no longer just a possibility, it is now the norm. In my business, we contract with workers all over the world including Ukraine, Philippines, New Zealand, England, Brazil, and Russia to name a few. Free computer to computer calls through Skype. Message boards that connect people around the world. Social networking connecting people around the world. Despite all these venues of connection, do people really understand one another?
I have spent the last several years participating on a Soccer board that talks about Hungarian Football. The participants are all 1st generation Hungarians living in the United States, Canada, Australia, and several countries in Europe. Despite our common connection through our ethnicity, there is an underlying separation because of where we live. I find it interesting the perceptions my European cousins have about the United States. At the same time, my North American cousins have their stereotypes and prejudices about their cousins in Europe.
In some cases, there are some open discussions about the differences. In others, there are battle lines drawn that takes the exchanges into personal attacks and innuendo. I recently participated in a discussion about life in Hungary. It was an exchange between English speaking Hungarians and expats that are living there. The criticisms against Hungary were the typical, they don't do things like we do in our country, therefore, it is not a good place to live. My response was simply, "I have spent a lifetime searching for the perfect country where everything is done the right way. In my 44 years, I have yet to find this paradise. When you do, please let us know, so we can experience it."
The other part of the lesson is that my Hungarian cousins have a low view of themselves. Despite their beautiful language, big skies, and great cuisine, they see their world as a glass half empty. My response to them is quit wishing for more. Take some time to see what it is you already have and make it even better.
So, despite all this available communication, why is there no real understanding? Well, I believe nothing can take away experience. There is an old Hungarian saying,
"It is better to see something once, than to hear about it a hundred times."
Now, you can bring all your prejudices and stereotypes with you and still not understand anything you are seeing, but you are still getting more than hearing about it. But one thing you can not really do is pass judgement on something you have never seen. To criticize all people in the United States though you have never visited the United States it absurd. To criticize Europe though you have never been to Europe is absurd. To judge people because they do things differently than you is absurd as well. There is a reason they do it that way and it is relative to their experience.
I tell people who are traveling abroad. Before you can really enjoy it, you must leave your stereotypes and judgements at home. If you plan on going somewhere to compare it to home, you will never enjoy it. If you are not open to the differences, you will never be open to appreciating what you are seeing. It is important to spend 80% of your time listening and 20% of your time asking questions. You are an Ambassador to your country. You must respect what you are seeing and experiencing.
An Ambassador learns the way of the locals and respects the traditions. I used to be in the travel industry and would take distributors and corporate accounts to destinations that we served. They itineraries were generally filled with tourist type attractions. Something I learned from my Grandfather, go to a local pub and start talking to people. Get the real story from the locals, not the sanitized story from the tourist trip. I was in London once and went to a pub across from Victoria station. I ended up spending a couple of hours talking to a Swiss, a German, and a Dutch guy. It was great. Another favorite pub story was in England where I spent time talking about the 1986 World Cup and the hand of God. The local was surprised by my knowledge and the conversation was great. Most important, I learned about how people live there. It was Friday night, he was at a pub having a pint waiting for the bus to take him home for the weekend.
While the world is getting smaller with the communication tools we did not have even 25 years ago, it is no substitute for truly experiencing other cultures and communicating directly with people from other countries. Not everyone is ever going to be open to truly understanding others. However, if we combine the use of these new communication tools with the ability to travel and experience it for ourselves, there could indeed be a better understanding between cultures. The result could be better economic ties that bring the world closer together and not further apart.
