“What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.”
Richard Bach - Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah
“America makes Chinese Americans, but China does not make American Chinese.”
Eric Liu - CEO of Citizen University, author of A Chinaman’s Chance
Image: © Wuwei1970 | Dreamstime.com
Greetings!
This week we find out who the real boss is, learn how empires eventually end, remember what makes America great (no, really), cut commercial ties with Moscow, launch tourists into space, celebrate women’s month (sort of), and try to decipher the language of aliens.
Enjoy.
FROM BEIJING WITH LOVE: Whatever happens in Ukraine, China will emerge the victor, many have suggested, as it stands to benefit from the crisis both geopolitically and economically. In the meantime, the yuan is already growing as a “safe haven” currency and China’s Cross-Border International Payments System (CIPS) could potentially help reduce the country’s reliance on the US dollar. More importantly, China continues to push its Belt and Road Initiative forward, while America and Europe have no choice but to revisit their disastrous energy policies and spend exorbitant amounts of financial, political and diplomatic resources containing the ripple effects of fractured supply chains. And while Putin fantasizes about his Russian-led “sphere of influence”, the reality of global trade paints a clear picture of who is in charge.
LIFE CYCLES: According to investor Ray Dalio, the rise and fall of empires is a regular occurrence throughout history, and there are clear metrics that can be used to track their strength (or vulnerability) at any given moment, starting with education. In this phenomenally well crafted video (an excerpt from his new book by the same title), he searches for the repeating patterns and cause/effect relationships underlying all major changes in wealth and power over the last 500 years, and puts into perspective the “Big Cycle” that has driven the successes and failures of all the world’s major countries throughout history. What might be awaiting us down the road? Check it out.
MOSCOW ON THE HUDSON: The scene in the coffee aisle of the grocery store is probably my favorite in this 80’s classic, but the encounter between two Russians in a New York diner (click below) also resonates on many levels. As an immigrant myself (luckily under more favorable circumstances than many have experienced), I have always admired the one quality that truly makes America unique - the ability to adopt people from all over the world and have them adopt her, too (hundreds of thousands of people every year!). E Pluribus Unum remains a radical idea, and bringing it to fruition is nothing short of a miracle. Though Mr. Dalio’s presentation (above) is eye-opening and educational, it gives the false impression that empires are destined to collapse or fall into oblivion. Some do, of course. But history tends to not be so linear. My hope is that the U.S. finds its place in the new global order, and that it continues to play a lead role - and cooperate with other nations - in elevating the human experience to new heights. We’ll know soon enough.
MASS EXODUS: While Europe braces itself to receive 2 million Ukranian refugees, McDonalds has decided to temporarily close its 850 restaurants in Russia in response to Putin’s invasion. The 62,000 people it employs there will stay on payroll, at least for now. Starbucks and KFC are following suit, and so are at least 100 other firms, such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Heineken, Adidas and Ikea, which are suspending operations there. For a moment of nostalgia, watch the commercial celebrating the arrival of Pizza Hut in 1990 (following the collapse of the Soviet Union).
SPACE TOURISM: Apparently it’s not only President Joe Biden who will go out of his way in order not to mention (or give any credit to) Elon Musk (nor Tesla) when discussing electric vehicles. This clip from the WSJ, comparing Blue Origin and CAS Space technologies, also manages to skip the part about SpaceX founder pioneering the development of reusable rockets. Nevertheless, it’s a cool preview of what could be the next phase of the commercial aerospace industry. One way to look at it is that the more time we spend developing these kinds of rockets, the sooner we forget (or finally get rid of) the ones that blow things up. And who knows, we may live to see the day when a ticket to the moon costs only a few hundred bucks (by the way, some of us will not mind if the spacecraft’s design evokes toxic masculinity).
EXHIBITION VS. COMPETITION: Happy Women’s History Month! On March 16th, Lia Thomas will swim in the NCAA Women’s Division I Swimming and Diving Championships, where she is favored to win the individual 100-, 200- and 500-yard freestyle events, and likely continue smashing collegiate records, including those held by the likes of Katie Ledecky and Missy Franklin, two of the most beloved female swimmers of this century. Not surprisingly, she has already set her sights on representing Team USA at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. The 22-year old was recently featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated as ‘the most controversial athlete in America’ and a ‘real-time Rorschach test for how society views those who challenge conventions’. Why controversial? According to the author of the piece, “science allegedly showed trans women had larger hands and feet, bigger hearts and greater bone density and lung capacity”. Allegedly!? Thomas swam for the men’s team at the University of Pennsylvania for three years and saw moderate success before joining the women’s team in the summer of 2021, and since then obliterating her opponents (winning some races by half a minute or half a pool length). Not everyone is thrilled with Lia’s success, including some members of her own team. However, very few have dared to speak out publicly, especially women. Check out the latest in this battle between fairness and inclusion HERE.
Image: © Kiosea39 | Dreamstime.com
FLICK OF THE WEEK: The science fiction film Arrival begins with a series of enormous pod-shaped crafts arriving on earth, hovering just above the ground (or water) in twelve locations around the globe. As world governments struggle to sort out how to respond — and countries descend into chaos and confusion — the main character, Dr. Louise Banks (played by Amy Adams), is recruited as an expert linguist to help a military task force communicate with the foreign visitors. However, it quickly becomes apparent that overcoming our domestic differences and uniting as one species is an even bigger challenge than decoding the language of seven-legged giant squid-like creatures from outer space.
Wanna go deeper into the movie’s hidden message and symbolism? Read chapter six of my book, Paths to Meaning. If you’ve already read it, don’t forget to rate it on Amazon. Much appreciated!