“When the winds of change blow, some people build walls and others build windmills.”
- Unknown, Chinese proverb
Many countries are celebrating their national and special days during the first week of October. Beginning with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) celebrating its National Day on the 1st with a 7-day holiday, known as the “Golden Week.” The 1st is also the Nigerian Independence Day.
2nd October is the International Day of Non-Violence, declared by the United Nations to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday for his philosophy of non-violence. Many in India refer to him as the Father of the Nation. Then on 3rd October, our friends in Germany will celebrate their National Day, also known as the Unity Day, on which East and West Germany reunified (1990). Do not be mistaken for the Berlin Wall; it fell on 9th November in 1989, before the unification.
In Canada, some families will celebrate the harvest festival on the 11th. It is their Thanksgiving Day, yes, ahead of their neighbour, the U.S.A. To end the month, Halloween’s “Trick-or-Treating” will take its fun on the evening of 31st October. Do you know that the Americans did not start the tradition? Join me to find out what you might not know about Halloween from this article and clip: 10 Things you did not know about Halloween by Country Living: https://www.countryliving.com/
May the October Marigold bring its magic to the field of our hearts this month!
A Journey A Month…
Your Story. Our Story. The Human Story.
Chang’an (长安), Luoyang (洛阳), Nalanda, Alexandria, Athens, Rome, Paris, London, L.A., cities of the ancient and our modern worlds. What do they have in common? They either were or are centres where people gathered to exchange goods and ideas. Governors and residents of these cities integrate and assimilate new cultures and customs into their local communities, thus forming multicultural societies.
A few of them were along the ancient Silk Road, where trades between the East and West made wealthy merchants and prosperous communities. The societies became more affluent because they welcomed diversity to make them better. It is a perfect example of finding a shared goal, leveraging the differences, et voila, resulting in greater value for all.
As Winston Churchill once said, “The longer you can look back, the farther you can look forward.” When we trace the history of the “rise and fall” of ancient mega-cities around the world, we cannot ignore the importance of integrating and assimilating multi-culturalism.
According to Harvard University’s research published in 2019 (Driving Diversity and Inclusion – The Role for Chairs and CEOs), there are four statistics that stood out for organizations where senior leadership champions Diversity and Inclusion: 25% of the employees become more engaged, 47% more creative, 41% feel they belong, and 43% likely to stay.
It is like building the ancient cities (remember the video game, Civilization ?) Ensuring a stable, harmonious and engaging society will create a sense of belonging. It, in turn, will grow or attract more talents and resources. The community can then be more ready to withstand unexpected calamities and prosper.
While we may not be Kings or Queens of nations or governors of cities, and we may no longer have the time to play video games, we can certainly apply the lessons derived from those who have built mega-cities of the past. With the advancement of technology, diversity is a given in our society today. Yet, inclusivity must take hearts, minds and conscious effort to exercise.
“If you look at history, innovation doesn’t come just from giving people incentives; it comes from creating environments where their ideas can connect.“ – Steven Johnson, Science author & media theorist.
Let’s not speak about D&I for the sake of having to jump on the bandwagon because it is the latest B-School’s buzzword, for it will backfire when it is not authentic. The concept has been there thousands of years ago and has served as the foundation of great civilizations. Let that wisdom guide us in our increasingly connected world so that we continue to innovate and make our world a better place for all.
The world is fascinating simply because differences exist!
Join us to spread the words, share the vision, and do our parts.
At TransCultural Group (TCG), we are determined to play our part in making the world a better place. We have launched an e-book for Youth. We have also uploaded the complete series of “Food around the World” on our YouTube channel.
Please share it If you love our effort, and please give us a “like” and subscribe to our “YouTube” channel (it is free!) Come support us!
Crossing Cultures – Beyond Boundaries
Keng Keng Tan
Founder & CEO
TransCultural Group
kengkeng@transculturalgroup.com
www.transculturalgroup.com
