Reading+and+Reflection+3

David Brooks
Omaha World Herald, page 9B Sunday, November 14, 201
 * Bibliography Article Cited:**

Bill Clinton used to talk about building a bridge to the 21st cen­tury. President Barack Obama talks about laying down a “new foundation.” But Clinton was al­ways vague about what the land on the other side of that bridge was going to look like, and Obama is vague about what edi­ fice is going to go on top of that foundation. Nobody has quite defined America’s coming eco­nomic identity. Five hundred years ago, agriculture was the major economic activity. In­novation and creativity are the engines of economic growth.
 * Summary:**

 Howard Gardner of Harvard once put together a composite picture of the extraordinarily creative person: She comes from a little place somewhat removed from the center of power and influence. As an adolescent, she feels herself outgrowing her own small circle. She moves to a metropolis and finds a group of people who share her passions and interests. It is tested, refined and improved.

 The main point in this compos­ite story is that creativity is not a solitary process. It happens with­in networks. It happens when tal­ented people get together, when idea systems and mentalities merge.

 You are living in some small town in Ukraine or Kenya or some other place, for­eign or domestic. You long to break out and go to a place where people are gathering to think about the things you are thinking about, creating the things you want to create.

 If you are passionate about fashion, maybe you will go to Paris. If it’s engineering, maybe it’ll be Germany. You’ll want to be there because American institutions are relatively free from cor­ruption. Intellectual property is protected. Huge venture capital funds already exist.

 Moreover, the United States is a universal nation. There are al­ready people there with connec­tions all over the world. A nation of immigrants is more perme­able than say, Chinese society.

 You also observe that Amer­ica hosts the right kind of net­works — ones that are flexible and intense. Study after study suggests that America is one of those societies with high social trust. Americans build large, ef­ficient organizations that are not bound by the circles of kinship and clan.

 Study after study finds that Americans are not hierarchical. American children are raised to challenge their parents. Ameri­can underlings are relatively free to challenge their bosses. The crucial fact about the new epoch is that creativ­ity needs hubs. Information net­works need junction points. The nation that can make itself the crossroads to the world will have tremendous economic and politi­cal power.

 In 2009, Anne-Marie Slaugh­ter, now director of policy plan­ning at the State Department, wrote an essay for Foreign Af­fairs in which she laid out the logic of this new situation: “In a networked world, the issue is no longer relative power, but cen­trality in an increasingly dense global web.”

 Slaughter’s essay was titled “America’s Edge.” That is apt. Americans are now in a de­pressed state of mind. As China and India rise, nearly two-thirds of Americans believe their na­tion is in decline.

 In fact, the United States is well situated to be the cross­roads nation. It is well situated to be the center of global networks and to nurture the right kinds of networks. Building that America means doing everything possible to thicken connections: finance research to attract scientists; improve infrastructure to ease travel; fix immigration to funnel talent; reform taxes to attract superstars; make study abroad a rite of passage for college students; take advantage of the millions of veterans who have served overseas.

 The nation with the thickest and most expansive networks will define the age. There’s no reason to be pessimistic about that.


 * Reflection:**

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I thought this article was interesting because I felt it focused on the WHY of what puts the immediacy into the drive for 21st Century skills in schools in the United States. We have focused a great deal on these skills. We have learned how creativity will play an increasing role in our future.=====

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 The main point in this compos­ite story is that creativity is not a solitary process. It happens with­in networks. It happens when tal­ented people get together, when idea systems and mentalities merge. While we do have to work on getting our students and schools to buy into this idea more, we also need to stress that we will be a crossroads for many different cultures as we shift our thinking from an industrial way of thinking to more of a global way of thinking. =====