We are frequently exposed to views portraying us living in an increasingly dumb, homogenized world, dominated by McDonaldrsquo;s and Coca-Cola, where all thoughts of distinctive cultures are blown away by the all-engulfing consumerism of Nike. A world, some might say, where American culture clouds everything, death-sentencing indigenous people all over the world. No one can escape. In the end all 6.5 billion of us will chew on cheeseburgers and gossip with our friends with the help of a bluetooth ear-piece, while driving our gargantuan SUVs for just 500 metres to Sundayrsquo;s sermon.

Rubbish. To anyone believing the junk briefly exposed above, mind you: itrsquo;s nonsense. Todayrsquo;s view on globalisationrsquo;s effects is exaggerated and rather shaky relative to a modicum of reasonable reasoning. In the hope of ever overcoming such biased views, it is only natural to understand the premises of globalisation. An increased global connectedness, cumulated with the intensified movement of people, objects and ideas made us ponder on its consequences - hence the birth of the world lsquo;globalisationrsquo;. The word has ever since been used in many different ways, in totally differing contexts to describe radically different ideas. The end result, so far? A corrupt and malignant view towards globalisation.

In common parlance, globalisation, with all these corporate giants and almighty products taking over the reigns and with all these tight economic bonds, will erase all our piquant cultural elements and obliterate diversity. Somewhere along this rationale, logic is lost, matters are taken for granted. Coke, hamburgers, jeans and Nike shoes DO NOT radically change underlying social and cultural beliefs, rites and behaviour. Each of these products is assimilated in a specific way, depending on the culture at hand. One such example is the adoption of Christianity in Mexico. Unlike any other Christians, Mexican Catholics place the Virgin of Guadalupe in a position of greater importance than Jesus or even God, creating a layout that resonates with previous social codes: in a Mexican familiy it is the mother that plays the dominant role in holding things together, she is the nucleus.

As for the economics related argument, yes, such economic globalisation exists. Not only does it exist, but it also manifests on a large scale, usually with appalling consequences, as we all are witnessing in the current economic maelstrom. But there is no motive whatsoever for economy to dictate the social and cultural leadership of a people. The fact that capitalism now pervades is only due to the fact that itrsquo;s the best option available. For all its flaws, it is the best economic system man has invented yet.

Moreover, exactly the opposite of what was predicted is happening. We are experiencing a surge in nationalism and lsquo;tribalizationrsquo;, as more and more people from almost everywhere in the world crave for national freedom and are willing to defend their country or their culture with anything from arguments, to coups and even to wars. Kosovo, Abkhazia, South Ossetia all aim to be regarded as autonomous countries. Congo is torn apart by rebel groups fighting for power, fueled by a simmering Hutu-Tutsi fire. Tibet longs for freedom, as Glasgow and Edinburgh look disdainfully at each other, each brandishing its special individuality. It is becoming clearer that globalisation - here defined as an escalating inter-connectedness - is indeed a catalyst for change, but a change of a different sort than initially foreseen.

If we were to pay attention only to the Greek base of the word lsquo;anthropologyrsquo;, its translation - the study of human beings - wouldnrsquo;t explain much. On the contrary, it would further mistify the subject. A similar effect is caused when we try to define it, as both students and teachers of anthropology, even though fascinated by it, have a slight reluctance and an eye-rolling reaction when posed the question: lsquo;what on earth is anthropology?rsquo;. Nothing seems to be fixed firmly in place here, as we are dealing with a social science that straddles the border of the humanities and the scientific world.  Nevertheless, it is crystal-clear to the open-minded.

The classification of anthropologyrsquo;s branches is rather flexible but it looks pretty much like the following. A first branch, called biological anthropology, deals with human physiology and anatomy and is used to draw up theories concerning human evolution (consequent to this branchrsquo;s similarity with archaeology, the latter is at times considered to be part of anthropology). Grosso modo, the other part of anthropology can simply be dubbed as social anthropology, engulfing both linguistics and cultural anthropology. 

What depicts an anthropologist first and foremost is an underlying urge to know and understand different ways people have of looking at the world they live in, as they develop in their respective societies or groups. Through living amongst certain societies for extended periods of time (a method called participant observation), learning their languages and then presenting the etnographies is how anthropologists usually collect data, in the hope of understanding the differences and diversity of the studied groups of people. But it is vital to correctly interpret the momentum of such research: no matter how much interest is seemingly placed on differences between people, the core goal always was and always will be to reveal fundamental principles in the way that human beings organize and stage their social, political and sacramental life. Alas, until now, the world somehow lost touch with this all-too-important subject.

Anthropology should have changed the world, yet the subject is almost invisible in the public sphere outside the academy. [...] Anthropologists should have been at the forefront of public debate about multiculturalism and nationalism, the human aspects of information technology, poverty and economic globalization, human rights issues [...] but somehow [they] fail to get their message across. ( Eriksen, 2006 )

Now, ponder these images for a while. On Sundays, the HSBC building in Hong Kong, a renowned landmark, shades thousands of Filipina women, who swarm into the cityrsquo;s business district to chatter, laugh, gossip, dance and rejoice. But this is in utter contrast with the other days of the week, in which the view is a lot grimmer: spiky and permanently stressed Chinese businessmen shouldering their way through the crowd. On these days of the week, the Filipina women work as amahs (Cantonese for ldquo;domestic helperrdquo;), a job that can easily be translated as slavery, having in mind that they sleep on bathroom floors and in kitchen cupboards, while obeying all of their Chinese masters requirements. Halfway around the globe, an immigrant family from Albania living in Belgium turns on its computer screen and has breakfast with their grandmother back home, via a webcam, just like in every other morning. Somewhat differently, a French entrepreneur, owner of a large mobile-phone producing company, is reflecting on a puzzling fact from the Far East and on how will it influence its business: in some parts of China it is customary to take your mobile-phone to a local Buddhist monk for a blessing.

Although all of the above cases constitute by their very nature anthropological themes, they primarily illustrate something of much more meaning: as the world witnesses more and more diasporas, as transnationalism reigns and rotten theories about globalisation seem to be taken for granted albeit the appalling consequences, anthropology is slowly moving into the spotlight, due to an ubiquitous compelling need for it. In todayrsquo;s syncopated modernity, creativity and lsquo;infinite innovationrsquo; are paramount, with right-brainers leading and reshaping everything around them. It is without doubt that the mere intention of being successful in this increasingly fast-paced world, where space and time seem to shrink, has us all stampeding for an intangibile success-acquiring secret. With all this rush, people seem to forget this rsquo;secretrsquo; lies in the person next to them, itrsquo;s in the human nature itself. The human brain is emotionally wired, the limbic system will always overpower the neocortex, feelings will always throne over logic and reason. Thus, our underlying characteristic is not reason, itrsquo;s being human. 

The technological advances that have been made are astounding and as a result people interact more than they have ever done, comparatively speaking. This, cumulated with the above-mentioned conditions of the modern day leads to only one natural conclusion: the key is in subtleties, in understanding others, in knowing what drives human beings, in answering major questions about the origins, reasons and potential of society, cultural innovation and human nature. Can anthropology provide these vital answers? Most surely. The trick is - yet again - in creatively reinventing bits of it, for general appliance. Wersquo;ll all stay tuned, wonrsquo;t we?

Morning. The 16th of July. The families of Sgt. First Class Ehud Goldwasser and Staff Sgt. Eldad Regev are waiting, frozen with terror, for their sonsrsquo; return from a two-year imprisonment. The two soldiers were captured by the Lebanese Shia militia, Hezbollah, in a cross-border raid on July 12th, 2006, an assault that provoked the month-long Israeli-Lebanese war. Now, the Israeli government has finally yielded to the augmenting pressure: it would trade five Lebanese prisoners along with the bodies of many more for its two missing soldiers. Finally the two-year-long nightmare for the beleaguered families can end. Finally they can resume a worry-free life. At least thatrsquo;s how they thought back when Israel announced the exchange. Now, alas, they are torn between so many different possible scenarios. Theyrsquo;re minds are racing.

For the last two years, Hezbollah had adamantly avoided shedding light on the state of the prisoners, no one really knows if they are alive or not. A couple of days before, Hizbullah officials had apparently changed their minds and decided to let Israel know that one of the kidnapped soldiers is dead. The border had been reinforced, the entry point well prepared. Nearly all televisions are broadcasting the moment, while Israelrsquo;s citizens sit down to watch the exchange, falling prey to that increasingly spreading sinister silence. All cameras focus on Wafiq Safa, a Hezbollah representative. ldquo;The fate of the soldiers will now be revealedrdquo;, he declares, as he opens a jeeprsquo;s back doors.

I end the use of present-tense, further words cannot fully grasp the ending. One can only imagine the shock and horror felt by thousands as two coffins were unveiled.

Emotions aside, it is easily noticeable the script of the story shares a remarkable resemblance to others from the same region. The Middle-East is full of oxymorons. Bittersweet, both permissive and hard-lined, both peaceful and bellicose, of a cruel tenderness. Be that as it may, but it is also brilliantly characterized by a thick omnipresent layer of fog. A murk that is clearly not healthy. A murk that is almost sure to bring about tragedies like the above mentioned.

Accountable for this mess is no other than the worldrsquo;s twisted political stage. Take Pakistan, for example. The army-backed dictator Pervez Musharaf has been Pakistanrsquo;s president for little less than a decade. Facing imminent impeachment, on August the 18th he resigned (continuously declaring that everything he stood for was democracy). In translation, he was thrashed by the first fairly-elected government in Pakistan. Thumbs up for that. Too bad the good news ends there. Musharafrsquo;s sacking occurs in a time of great instability in Pakistan. The north is begging for peaceful leadership, inflation is a mile high and politicians lack a great deal of confidence.

Miles away, Israelrsquo;s prime-minister, Ehud Olmert, fought with a corruption scandal for months, just to be defeated in the end: he promised to leave post after his party decides on a new leader. Mr Olmertrsquo;s party is likely to have lost credibility, leaving the opposition Likud party and its hawkish leader, Binyamin Netanyahu, a lot of space for maneuvers. It is worth underlying that Mr Netanyahu is prone to make even fewer peace efforts.

A little to the north, Syria hosted Lebanonrsquo;s president, Michel Suleiman and brags about a new diplomatic relationship with Lebanon, a normal, friendly one. In the same time, Syria continues to charge a couple of its own citizens on the grounds of lsquo;publicly calling for normal relations with Lebanonrsquo;. Figure that out.

These are truly perilous waters, sailed by the shrewd and cunning. Whatrsquo;s saddening is that the importance of keeping the lights on is dismissed and so wreckages befall, affecting the masses, the bystanders. Nevertheless, the silver lining is present, although currently vague and hardly noticeable. No one really knows what it looks like, but, who knows, it may look a bit like this:

If LMT doesnrsquo;t ring any bells for you, herersquo;s the short story. At its core, LMT (Leaders for the Third Millennium) is an educational programme focused on leadership and soft-skills, programme in which I work myself, as a trainer. Just a few years ago, as the programme engulfed high-school after high-school all over the country, gathering thousands and thousands to its courses, an initially small group of student trainers and alumni formed Club LMT, an NGO firstly destined to put the theory learned in the programme into practice. That initial raw and nebulous goal for the new-born NGO now concretized in its vision - we encourage youth to participate (pro)-actively in building their own future - and its mission - our mission is to transform Romaniarsquo;s youth through their involvement in educational, cultural and civic projects, to build together the country in which we can evolve harmoniously professionally and personally.

From the collective work of the Clubrsquo;s members, Branding Romania was born - a national seminar/boot-camp (13th-19th of August) designed to amass and inspire 65 of Romaniarsquo;s most valuable youngsters. The participants were scattered to the workshops ( Communication amp; Advertising, Tourism amp; Environment, Traditional vs. Urban Culture, Entrepreneurship, Education ) where they were introduced to key-concepts of the respective domains of interest and project management. The end result was a combination of self-improvement and well thought out projects that could be implemented back in their communities.

So far so good. But why does this seemingly serious and business-like post has for a title lsquo;an enlarging microcosmrsquo;? Why do I relentlessly associate LMT with the concept of lsquo;microcosmrsquo;? By definition, a microcosm is a world in miniature, in which the elements share one specific characteristic, like the elements in a mathematical set. To those who have felt it, the question will seem rather silly and out-of-place. Try and follow me and yoursquo;ll see why.

[...], but in later years he recalled that there had been one moment which had given him intimations of another mode of being. His father had taken him to watch the ceremonial ploughing of the fields before the planting of the next yearrsquo;s crop. All the men of the villages and townships took part in this annual event, so Suddhodana had left his small son in the care of his nurses under the shade of a rose-apple tree while he went to work. But the nurses decided to go and watch the ploughing, and, finding himself alone, Gotama sat up. In one version of this story, we are told that when he looked at the field that was being ploughed, he noticed that the young grass had been torn up and that insects and the eggs they had laid in these new shoots had been destroyed . The little boy gazed at the carnage and felt a strange sorrow, as though it were his own relatives that had been killed. But it was a beautiful day, and a feeling of pure joy rose up unbidden in his heart.

Yoursquo;re probably wondering, what on earth do LMT and Gotamarsquo;s episode have in common? Wellhellip;Extasis. Thatrsquo;s right. Extasis. But donrsquo;t be tempted to interpert the word through the prevalent pejorative filter that associates extasis with drug usage. Extasis literally means lsquo;to stand outside the selfrsquo;. And thatrsquo;s the widespread phenomenon thatrsquo;s gripped LMT. If it should be explained furthermore, Irsquo;d say itrsquo;s a stance in which one experiences unpremeditated joy, while fully empathizing with those around him. I daresay this stance, fundamentally based on spontaneous compassion and selfless empathy, triggers a rapture so strong that it brings for those who feel it a moment of spiritual release.

Given the fact that I had been through somewhat similar stories, I figured beforehand that it would mean just work to me. But, lsquo;expect the unexpectedrsquo; eh? As the event unfolded, whatever role I played - organizer, trainer, participant, etc - it was innevitable not to feel the vast surge of energy that now has all of us pointing confidently at whichever goal, dream or vision we hold dear. One big collective thank you. :)

Note: What do you think, fellas? Feel free to add some more thoughts, voi, cei mai iubiti dintre pamanteni.

Social entrepreneurship. A word thatrsquo;s been on my lips more than ever before in the past 5 days. In essence, this very different kind of entrepreneurship is about harnessing an entrepreneurial mindset towards much-needed transformational change. It involves finding innovative, creative solutions to create sustainable systems that trigger social change. But this post isnrsquo;t about social entrepreneurship. Future articles will surely shed further light on the matter.

For the last 5 days, I participated in a summer school dedicated to the before-mentioned concept, destined to explain it to more than 20 young men and women, from different parts of Romania and different ethnic backgrounds. That was the official somewhat-cold version of the story.

The rest of the story is far more thrilling. Everything had its part in creating something much more rewarding. The debates about what communities are made of, the story of a 14th century city, the brain-teasing mafia games that lasted well into the night, creativity, new friendships, writing projects, envisioning, and the list goes on and on. It was more than just a briefing, it was more than just a conference or a summer school. It was about functioning with some blurred, hard-to-describe factor that seems to tie a group so tightly. It was about breathing loads of energy, it was about understanding a creative dimension with which you can move mountains. It was about that vibrant, serene, all-surrounding silence.

Note: Thanks for the pics guys. Cheers

Top Gear, one of the most popular British shows, a must-see on every Sunday night for Britons, usually consists of numerous displays of smoking tires, rumbling engines and mind-blowing speeds. But in June, the pattern suddenly shifted to something else. Shockingly enough, a show about full-throttle driving thrills, now has fuel-efficiency as a serious theme, as Jeremy Clarkson, one of the hosts, spoke about cutting fuel bills through driving in another way, a smarter one. Visit his blog (http://www.topgear.com/blogs/planettopgear/129-jeremy-top-fuel-tips/ ) to see his list of fuel-saving tips, with which, supposedly, he drove 60 miles with fuel for only 12.

Meanwhile, one of the first - if not the first - environmentally-friendly nightclub made its way on the map of Londonrsquo;s nightlife. Surya, a bar amp; club around Kingrsquo;s Cross, is a proud pioneer of a larger manifest, Club4Change. Its founder, Andrew Charalambous, an eye-brow raising bloke, that goes around as lsquo;Dr. Earthrsquo;, tells us that lsquo;therersquo;s no reason why environmental awareness and hedonism shouldnrsquo;t go hand in handrsquo;. See more here: http://www.club4climate.com/

Needless to say what the previous examples have in common. Welcome to an age where going green is groovy. It is clear that more and more people understand the straightforward science thatrsquo;s just a step away from shouting: lsquo;Look at what you unconscious bloody idiots are doingrsquo;. Although relatively few in numbers, these changes look very promising. Airlines are reducing their planesrsquo; speeds, ethanol-mixed fuel is constantly increasing its availability, a plethora of wind farm projects are currently being set into motion and energy companies are tirelessly researching energy-efficient ideas.

But whatrsquo;s really promising is that these green innovative ideas, methods or projects start to spring out from unlikely places. An example of Steve Jobrsquo;s rsquo;stay hungry, stay foolishrsquo;:

I believe American politics is well on its way to reaching a zenith of both excitement and bewilderment. Asian Americans, Americans living abroad, Women, Latinos, Youth and African-Americans are all breathless at the upcoming decision to be made by the deep-rooted white men - go over to the promising young Obama or choose the Republicans, like they have always been prone to do? Even with this seemingly-general trend to become an Obamafan, Obamarsquo;s victory is not yet certain - white men come inhellip;well, huge numbers!

Although problems still exist at home, the man whose middle is Hussein enjoys a never-before-seen popularity all around the world:

If the business of electing the most powerful man in the world were up to the world, rather than just those pesky Americans, Barack Obama would face no contest. [...] Britons would back him against John McCain by the astonishing margin of five to one. The Pew Research Centre reported last month that, in each of the main European countries, at least twice as many people have confidence in Mr Obama as in his rival. Elsewhere things are a bit more nuanced, but from Mexico to China, and from Russia to Australia, the foreigners are firmly in the Obama camp. (The Economist - July 17th)

With his well crafted rhetoric, Obama managed to win the attention and hearts of millions. One volunteer for the Obama-campaign actually told me that every time he heard the campaignrsquo;s ldquo;Changerdquo; message he got goosebumpshellip; These goosebumps made him volunteer. ldquo;This movementhellip;is fascinating. I had to be a part of itrdquo;, he says.

If we take a closer look at Obamarsquo;s approach on his campaign, it is somewhat easy to see why he inspires so many. Besides cleverly thinking out strategies on political, economic and social issues, he tells the people to believe not only in his power to change the status quo, but in theirs. One of the more or less lsquo;veiledrsquo; messages he is transmitting is this: lsquo;You have the powerrsquo;. In other words, he is labeling people, by saying: lsquo;Yoursquo;re the one up for the challengersquo;. Now, although this may not seem revolutionary, it is one of the key-ingredients of persuasion, it has an immense effect on people.

You can see what Irsquo;m talking about just below. Enjoy!

Centuries before the common era, people were gripped by a malaise that had spread to several far-flung regions of the world. They were becoming aware that the spiritual practices of their ancestors were flawed, that the animistic-influenced spiritual hierophanies were kept to the elite few and never shared with the masses. People had enough of their transient, awry and contingent lives. And their only solace was inaccessible to them. Thus, a world-wide spiritual crisis manifested, which triggered massive efforts to reinvent religion. These efforts became real phenomena, having in mind that entire new social classes appeared like mushrooms after rain. For example, Bhikkhus (meaning ldquo;almsmenrdquo;), who basically were mendicant monks appeared in Northern India; they were even revered (it was an honor to give alms to a bhikkhu), because they were looking for a lsquo;curersquo; for lifersquo;s suffering.

This great transformation that the Axial Age implied marked the appearance of Taoism and Confucianism in China, Greek rationalism in Europe, Zoroastrianism in Iran and the Middle East and Buddhism and Hinduism in India - all between 800 and 200 B.C.E. These religions, albeit very different in appearance, share the same fundamental impulse, the Axial impulse. The sages which brought forth and led these movements, systems of thought, religions - whatever you want to call them - all tried to teach common human beings how to transcend their misery, their weaknesses, how to cope with their seemingly dreadful lives and live in peace.

People who participated in this great transformation were convinced they were on the brink of a new era and that the world would never be the same again. During this period, men and women became conscious of their existence, their own nature and their limitations in an unprecedented way. The ethos forged in this [couple of centuries] has continued to nourish men and women to the present day. (Karen Armstrong - Buddha)

Alas, if only that ethos had remained untouched by ignorance, profane lust for power and egotism. Religions and beliefs now are one of the main contributing factors to conflicts, whether inter-religious or intra-religious. It is amazing how different persons or entire groups of persons manage to reinterpret, rethink and reform original principles, documents, beliefs etc. It is a perverse, heinous phenomenon that brings such a bitter after-taste. Al-Qaeda stated that it was simply continuing an ancient conflict, an ancient crusade. In Sri Lanka, buddhist monks support Tamil sepparatists. Conflicts between different forms of Christianity have stormed Northern Ireland and the Balkans. Turkey is one step away from its 24th banning of a ruling party, due to an Islam-impregnated trend. Like I said, the best two adjectives to describe the current situation are lsquo;perversersquo; and lsquo;heinousrsquo;. It is a sad view to watch, how the world looks on religion and how it was supposed to.

But how are we supposed to look at it? I believe the answer is rather straightforward and quite familiar. All that humans have ever tried to do is understand themselves and the cosmos. We can easily eliminate the cosmos out of the equation, by simply looking at what quantum physicists are pointing at more and more: space is directly influenced if mind enters into it (and thus space is a reflection of the mind, more or less accurate). So what it all comes down to, is knowledge of Self. Whether we are talking about Buddhism, Islam, Christianity or Zoroastrianism, in essence, the same message is being transmitted: are all saying that understanding God is understanding yourself. A message that has sadly been lost somewhere beneath all the DOrsquo;s and DONrsquo;Trsquo;s.

What most people do not realize is that understanding yourself means more than meets the eye. It means more than knowing you are altruistic, narcissistic or handsome. Knowledge of Self implies that you meditate at all times, but Irsquo;m certainly not talking about the esoteric-kind of meditation (e.g yoga). To meditate one needs an amazingly keen mind; meditation does not mean controlling onersquo;s thoughts and onersquo;s thinking processes; when controlling is tried, conflict between different instances is automatically triggered. But when thoughts and thinking are understood, when one becomes aware of them, thatrsquo;s when a deep, profound silence sets in. You become conscious of your thoughts, but they do not have the upper hand anymore. You objectively choose your next actions. You no longer see things as good or bad, you see what is. You enter a state of mindfulness. And thatrsquo;s just the beginning.

If you feel like you already knew bits of the last two paragraphs, Irsquo;d like to ask you to think again. Irsquo;m sure you know about how religions merge, why the understanding of Self is so important etc. But are you wise enough to do something with what you know? :) We should all keep in mind that knowledge is just knowledge. Wisdom is applying it, ldquo;wisdom is doing itrdquo;.

Most of the 57m blogs in existence are personal diaries that just happen to be online. That was the initial use of blogs, but over the past few years this tool has proved it can be used in a billion different ways for a billion different goals.

More and more people are quiting their jobs to blog for a living. Om Malik, for example, quit his job as a senior writer as Business 2.0 and now works full-time on his blog. Hersquo;s gathered a team and now his blog attracts about 50,000 readers a day, generating “tens of thousands” in monthly revenues. Costs, including salaries, are around $20,000 a month.

On another note, blogs are becoming handy tools for a large array of goals. CEOs, for example, were encouraged at the World Economic Forum last year to blog. Some really do it.

In different parts of the world, blogging doesnrsquo;t have anything to do with the lsquo;narcissistic habitrsquo; label previously-applied to it. It became a worthy-to-note shaper of political agenda. In Egypt, by simply posting different video footages, bloggers have triggered open scandals on such issues as torture or womenrsquo;s harassment. In the end, the government silenced the group of web-dissidents, for now at least, by arresting a 22-year-old student, for criticizing the al-Azhari University and Mr. Mubarak, Egyptrsquo;s president. Egyptrsquo;s government is not the only one to attack the blogging community: Saudi Arabia blocks tens of thousands of blogs and web-sites and Bahrain picks up bloggers, interrogates them and tries to get them to register with the police. Charming.

Although the mentioned faces of blogging are worth talking about - some may even turn into individual articles as I write - none of them will actually characterize my blog. No matter how different bits of this blog may seem when compared, the big picture will always be about leadership.

Every day people are confronted with different problems. Some are called technical problems - the know-how needed to solve them is available. Who solves these problems? Authorities. Letrsquo;s think of some basic examples: who is going to get the oil to the consumers? Who has the authority to do this? Why the oil companies that distribute oil, of course. But there are also adaptive problems. These defy standard operating procedures or any authority who is believed to have expertise on dealing with them. To solve this kind of problems, new discoveries, experiments and adjustments are needed. Without changing attitudes, values and behaviors, without learning new ways, people cannot make the adaptive leap necessary to thrive in the new environment they suddenly find themselves into. What if oil becomes a scarcity and the prices break record after record? You certainly canrsquo;t wait for the previous authority to solve this for you. Waiting for the oil companies to come up with something is not going to do the trick. Neither is protesting and blocking roads, in hope that things will get back to normal. Both, especially the latter, are very silly things to do. And yet these are the default reactions in which common people, when faced with the oil crisis.

What it is with people that are faced with adaptive changes is that the sustainability of change depends on having them internalize the change itself. They canrsquo;t see anything but a potential loss, if they choose to change. We see the same case when people frequently avoid painful adjustments in their lives, if they can place the burden on somebody else or postpone it. Adaptive change means that values, attitudes and behaviors have to be removed/substituted. Thus, that common reaction is understandable. People love their habits, values, who they are. Why would they want to change? I believe itrsquo;s imperative for everyone to start thinking more about who they really are. Or, better yet, given the fact that the present is the lsquo;residual outcome of the pastrsquo;, they should think about who they want to be in the future.

I could say this blog is about different adaptive changes that we are faced with, about people either trying to solve them or still living in ignorance, but overall Irsquo;d be talking about the same thing: leadership. Leadership brings meaning to life, it creates purpose, itrsquo;s a way of living. To quote Johnny Cash, I believe each and everyone of us can ldquo;walk the linerdquo;, step forward and make a difference. I believe each person has something unique to offer, an inspirational, creative, influential, visionary, pioneering gift that is somewhere deep inside. Leadership is about using that gift. My blogrsquo;s about the same thing.