TAKE A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

It is easy to become so excited that you jump into action, looking to do something, somewhere. The first step, however, is to be self-reflective as you consider the issues, and to use balance to gather as many different perspectives as possible. The importance of this approach was illustrated to me during a World Economic Forum session on fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa. A woman from Africa seated next to me leaned over and said, “You Americans are so well intentioned, and AIDS is a terrible epidemic in Africa. But there are significantly more people dying of malaria in Africa than of AIDS. You have to understand the problems and root causes before you decide what to do.”

Her observation brought home the importance of having a global perspective—understanding what is really happening and what is required to make a significant difference. In a practical sense, this means that before you tackle problems in a certain region—whether in your home country or abroad—you need to know the context. What are the social, religious, and cultural issues and implications? The farther away from home you focus, the more important such awareness becomes. What if a war breaks out, or a religious skirmish escalates? It is critical to understand the history and the culture first before you decide to rush in with help that may never do much good or could be detrimental.