Articles
Nations that romanticize war will never find peace (China Daily)
2022 04 27
Perhaps this notion of a wayward devotion borne of inner conflict unresolved within man and nation has never rung so true as in times as these, where once again we have been made witness to the destructive tendency of humanity when the love of power overshadows the power of love. Click here to continue reading
The Other Side of Darkness (China Daily)
2021 10 01
Since the beginning of time, there has been light. And there has been darkness present, forever challenging the preservation of such -- within and throughout. Life was designed in such manner to ensure both, to ensure choice, choice as a means of determining our understanding as requisite our knowing. Darkness. Required. So that we may know ourselves better in truth. Click here to continue reading
A Madman’s Diary and an Emperor with No Clothes (China Daily)
2020 08 01
Humanity is at it again: master storyteller for those who enjoy a good tale. This one comes by way of a man who would be king, a man in need of an enemy, fictional as it may be. And by way of a nation consumed by a fear of its own devising. Click here to continue reading
Two Truths, One Reality (China Daily)
2020 05 16
There are two truths. There used to be one. Two truths. The narrative we tell ourselves, tell one another, to satisfy our worries, our fears, doubts, uncertainties. To conspire for what we desire, what we "need", even, determined through the narrowest of lens, the shortest of plans in sight, foresight. Click here to continue reading
A Virus and a Cancer (China Daily)
2020 02 29
A new agent. An old paradigm. With the recent introduction of a novel coronavirus — a nightmare unto the consciousness of a nation's activity — we are once again facing our feared extinction. But not by the manner of a singular virus. Click here to continue reading
The Perfect Storm and Ed Reform (China Daily)
2019 12 14
Change. The one constant in the continuation of all things. Indisputable, unavoidable that we as humanity must go through such transformations. It is part of the pattern of nature, of life, one we must endure to the end, with little choice in whether to weather change — only in how. Click here to continue reading
Freedom and Liberty: A Matter of Right and Responsibility (China Daily)
2019 10 31
Freedom. Liberty. Synonyms. But not the same. Limited by our own filters, distanced by degrees of definition, action. Freedom, by definition, is "the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint". And liberty as defined is simply "the state of being free; the power or scope to act as one pleases''. Sounds similar by definition. Yet this is not what defines the essence of freedom... Click here to continue reading
Challenges We Face as Sister Cities, Brother Nations (China Daily)
2019 07 20
What is the purpose of life but to live? And what is the destiny of humanity but to understand our relativity — to ourselves, to one another, to the nature of all things? For through the complexity of our diversity lay threads of simplicity. It is simply our fate to relate, to cooperate, to innovate to elevate. And the simple truth that life exists for this reason among few others... Click here to continue reading
Defining Community (Beijing Review)
2019 05 17
Communication and collaboration—the ability to listen, understand, then do something meaningful with the information provided through openness and exchange—has been fundamental to the growth and development of the individual, societies, and humanity. It remains so still. This reality is at the center of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations (CDAC), their histories, cultural interactions, challenges and opportunities as Asian nations. Under the auspices of President Xi Jinping, China seeks to build a community with a shared future for humanity. Click here to continue reading
The Role of Education in Societal Progress and Sustainability (Beijing Review)
2018 10 10
Periods of enlightenment, of the individual and of society in its totality, have marked the path of mankind throughout history. Nations have been forged from the imagination, arisen through reason, concretized through common sense and practicality, ripe with possibility to improve the human and world condition. The arc of characters echoing through the chambers of time, timely in message and meaning even today, have been as diverse as they have been divulging in answer to our most basic questions, needs... Click here to continue reading
A Tale of Two Nations (Beijing Review)
2018 06 06
Why China’s narrative is relevant in the world today “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…” In his novel A Tale of Two Cities, famed British author Charles Dickens was speaking not of two cities per se, but two experiences, perspectives, and of a divergence of ideals that resulted in the convergence of disharmonious forces. And while his setting was centuries in the past, he might well have been invoking the global landscape of today, one of nations in dichotomy central to our collective fate as humanity. China and the United States, a tale of two nations, a destiny shared by one world. The remarkable story of China’s reemergence as a world power and purveyor of ideals and... Click here to continue reading
The Destiny of Nations: the One Sum Game (Beijing Review)
2017 10 05
What does it mean to have a destiny? And are we destined to know the truth of our own reason for existence, as individuals, as nations--as a race? These are the questions of the age--the Human Age--if we desire to go higher, and not merely expire. With yet another UN General Assembly (UNGA 72) concluding, one that se our collective consciousness on "Focusing on People: Striving for Peace and a Decent Life for All on a Sustainable Planet," perhaps it would be useful to look at the state of mankind under its current set of rules, games, conditions. We seek nations united. In a world that... Click here to continue reading
Why America Needs a Donald Trump (Huffington Post)
2017 07 27
Rarely in life do we experience the kind of evolutionary leap in consciousness without an agent involved. This agent may come in the form of an event, such as that which shakes us to the core of our being. The premature death of my father provided such for me, 9/11 for so many more. It may come in the form of a person, as well...
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The Essential Skills for Any Century (Huffington Post) 21st century skills.
2016 04 14
Throughout the world, we are talking about 21st century skills as if these particular skills have found their place in this particular time in the evolution of humanity. For those less familiar, the skills I speak of include: communication, collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, adaptability. There are more, but these are generally agreed upon as the skills required to navigate the waters of the 21st century. And they represent more than merely the skills required for this century. These are the essentials skills for any century - including the period currently in play... Click here to continue reading
It Tolls for Thee, America (Huffington Post)
2015 12 02
No man is an island, Entire of itself. Each is a piece of the continent, A part of the main... Each man's death diminishes me, For I am involved in mankind. Therefore, send not to know For whom the bell tolls, It tolls for thee. John Donne captured in his famous poem made more so by Ernest Hemmingway in novel form, For Whom the Bell Tolls, the matter of life and death, and in essence the grave responsibility that comes with being human - a human being. Do you hear it, America? Do you hear the sound? Do you hear the cries from the graves of our forefathers? For we are in... …to read the full article on Huffington Post, please click here.
Leadership for the Human Age (Huffington Post)
2015 11 12
The defining question as we quest for a new era in human beings and human doings - a new age, a Human Age. Education is evolving. It always has. It always will. Yet how it evolves and to what end it serves will be derived in no small measure by how our leaders in education lead, and how they by this very nature prepare those who will someday... …to read the full article on Huffington Post, please click here.
Previous Address: Mother Earth (Huffington Post)
2015 10 29
To Whom It Should Concern, We, the race known as humanity, have been relocated - evicted really - due to unruly activity here on Mother Earth. The move was rather sudden, although the build up to it took ages. Our landlord was exceptionally patient with our behavior. We were not as kind. You may likely hear from the neighbors we were anything but neighborly. In just a few short millennia: ...
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Schooling Ourselves: The Opening of the American Mind (Huffington Post)
2015 07 20
What does it mean to be open-minded? We hear this all the time. "You must open your mind." "Be open-minded." "Have an open mind." To be open-minded is to be receptive to new ideas, opinions, arguments; with impartiality; without prejudice. Simply, to be willing to let go and allow for something else to stream the consciousness. …to read the full article on Huffington Post, please click here.
The 5 Things We Must Never Forget to Do (Huffington Post)
2015 04 23
There was once a poet and mystic from Persia by the name of Rumi. His gift to the world lay in the simplicity by which he saw such complexity -- with love, life, truth. Rumi was once quoted as sharing (and since translated by Coleman Barks): There is one thing you must never forget to do. If you forget everything else and not this, there's nothing left to worry about; But if you remember everything else and forget this, then you will have done nothing in your life.One thing. The one thing. Yet what is this "one thing" he refers to? And how would one know when they have found it? …to read the full article on Huffington Post, please click here.
Mindfulness at School: Breathe Easy, Everyone! (Huffington Post)
2015 04 08
Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out.
When You Travel, Leave Your Baggage Behind (Huffington Post)
2015 02 20
When I was a little boy, I used to spin the globe. And wherevermy finger would land, I was destined to someday visit -- and have a best friend there. Of this, I was certain. For I had the DNA of an explorer, and nesting was 'for the birds.' I have lived my life much in the way I imagined. I am blessed in this regard. From San Francisco to St. Petersburg; Colombia to China; Dubai, Mumbai, and virtually everywhere in between, I have been given the rare opportunity to know humanity through the context of a conversation, the embrace of a smile and sharing in situations, circumstances with others -- many others -- that have all brought me to the moment of now... …to read the full article on Huffington Post, please click here.
From Student to Teacher: The Rise of Singapore Education (Huffington Post)
2015 01 14
How did they do it? How did an island nation of five million peoplebecome one of the elite education systems on the planet? What is their secret, their special formula? What is the Singapore story? Singapore's meteoric rise as an education power has been nothing less than remarkable. It has taken just over four decades -- slightly more than one generation -- to evolve from an essentially illiterate nation with virtually no natural resources to a world-class education system, and a rapidly expanding knowledge economy. There was no magic formula for their rise. In fact, it was ... …to read the full article on Huffington Post, please click here.
Success in the 21st Century: Does Matter Still Matter? (CEO Magazine)
2014 11 12
No regrets. Living one’s purpose. Leaving the world better than you found it. Being versus doing. Are we prepared for what’s coming – what has already arrived? As a CEO, an entrepreneur, one who has traversed the planet time and again, I have found my life evolving in terms of terms, definitions, means of capturing the true meaning of life beyond physical means. It is the longest distance I have traveled, the one from my mind in its ‘infinite wisdom’ to the source of wisdom itself, my creativity that has fostered my success in the world as a leader, innovator – and most importantly, as a human being. As fellows in the fraternity of successful practitioners, I have good news and bad. Matter still matters. But it does not matter as much. The accumulation of wealth still plays its part in the world. It drives opportunity for many.
The Common Core Standards: A Matter of One Nation (Huffington Post)
2014 11 06
We the people... in order to form a more perfect union...' There have been statements made throughout the history of the United States of America that have served in defining a nation bound together by certain beliefs, ideals, that forged a pathway, a blueprint for what it means to be free, and united in such cause. We Americans speak of freedom as equal to liberty - that is, a right or privilege -- and held to account by the very nature of a republic, in action. A republic, 'of the people, by the people and for the people.' But does being free allow us the liberty to act as something other than a unified nation with a common set of intentions, principles, objectives - standards even? ...
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Why Asian Education is Better and Why It Is Not (Huffington Post)
2014 09 05
Everywhere I go these days it seems I'm faced with the same question: what is wrong with America's education system? The query is usually followed with a defining statement that Asian students are 'kicking our butts' on the international exams. The good news is, at least people in America are paying more attention to the global landscape. But are they correct? Is an Asian education better than a US one? ……to read the full article on Huffington Post, please click here.
Education, Education, Education and the Role We Play in Its Unfolding (Huffington Post)
2014 08 20
My daughter was five years old when she turned to her favorite stuffed animal during one of my many moments of distraction via the telephone and expressed with a veracity that only finds itself when we are present with the moment, "Education! Education! Education! All my daddy ever talks about is education!" This was, of course, followed by a most delightful little smirk, as the winds of greater wisdom came sweeping across her youthful yet deliberate face. It was a learning moment -- for me. I am an educator. This is true. Education has been where my passion has met with …to read the full article on Huffington Post, please click here.
Why Most Men Prefer the Shallow End of the Spiritual Pool (Huffington Post)
2014 08 07
At the risk of turning upside down my own awareness, and in the process exposing myself as a member of the male species, I am fascinated by the great divide that exists when one considers why it is precisely that women are far more comfortable exploring the depths of the unknown than men. This is not fable, but rather fact: plain truth. While we find more and more women willing to swim into the deep end of the pool of possibility, exploring further that which lies within, men conversely are often not. Feet planted firmly beneath them, the average male finds little need to tread into ...to read the full article on Huffington Post, please click here.