Had Your Assumptions Challenged Lately?

I came across a newsletter this morning that made me stop and question my assumptions. Again.

I think many of us indeed DO question what we assume about the world. But probably not often enough.

Here’s what I read in the newsletter from Rob Stokes @ Quirk:

“I’ve just come back from Bucharest where I spent a week with the Quirk UK Team training one of our clients on eMarketing and in particular Social Media and Web Analytics. It was a fantastic trip and we learnt a huge amount about Romania – its friendly people and its truly fantastic Internet access, which was without doubt the best I’ve ever experienced anywhere in the world. Not only is it lightening fast, but it’s free pretty much everywhere. A geek’s paradise indeed.”

Uh – lightning fast – and FREE – Internet access in, of all places, Romania?

Gee, I don’t think I get out enough. I shouldn’t be surprised at this, however. Living here in the USA, it’s easy to think that much of what we have is the best and the fastest – no matter what it is.

Even if you don’t travel much (and I don’t – at least not as much as I’d like) it’s easy to get complacent about what’s going on ‘out there.’ When I see a brief anecdote about how lightning-fast the Internet access is in Romania, it’s a good eye-opener.

When I read that Japan’s computer technology, especially cell phones, is a couple of years ahead of the US, it makes me wonder why the US is lagging.

When I hear that students from many schools around the world are beating the academics of American students, I wonder what it is we’re doing wrong.

All of that is for another discussion in another time or place. My thoughts in this piece are really about how the rest of the world probably doesn’t live up to (or down to) our expectations. There is a lot of fantastic things out there – and the instant communication and sharing brings those stories to my desktop on a regular basis.

It’s good to know what’s happening elsewhere because it gives me a better perspective on what I have. Or don’t.

What about you? Are you making assumptions about the rest of the world that may ultimately prove to be wrong?

And if you are, are those assumptions getting in the way of your understanding of other cultures and places? And does it impact your efforts to communicate with them when the opportunity arises?

Communicating with people from other locations on the globe brings its own set of demands, not the least of which is to keep an open mind about virtually everything to do with that communication.

Is your mind open? Or is it shut?

photo credit: paulgalbraith