When a friend posted this picture on Facebook, first I laughed and thought back to those crazy college days with pranks and practical jokes involving duct tape.  Then my thoughts wandered into the humor of my adult life, where I joke about things being held together with duct tape and Popsicle sticks.  Then it dawned on me there is another meaning to this photo.  We live in a global economy that is being held together by “virtual duct tape” and the masses are willing to remain silent.  Think about it! 

Recently, Japan suffered a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami.  What is really a simple act of nature is still crippling a nation that is known for being the best and the brightest in technologies, engineering and education.  Not only is the affect of this natural disaster being felt in Japan, but industries in other nations that depend on production from Japan have felt a twinge or two of pain.  I bet even your organization has had to make a few adjustments because one of the pieces of the “global economy duct tape” gave way.  What happens to Japan, the Middle East or any other of our “global neighbors”, happens to us too! 

The aftermath of the disaster in Japan touched my life, as a trip with some of my University of California Alumni was slated for this spring.  There was considerable chatter among the group to cancel the trip in lieu of reports of radioactivity.  Then someone planted a seed in the discussion…”Wait!  Are we not among the best and the brightest as UC grads?  Are we not considered to be leaders within our fields?  What happened to our sense of adventure?  Have we lost the insight to make a difference in our world that we had in college?”  All of a sudden the conversation changed and a new adventure began to bloom.  We could no longer pretend that our lives were not connected to the lives in Japan.  I also believe that all things happen for a reason, even if the reason eludes me.

Our highly complex global economy hums along quite nicely with all the pieces of “virtual duct tape” holding it together, but what happens when more than one piece of the “virtual duct tape” gives way?  What will happen if there is a natural disaster and a man-made disaster at the same time in two different regions of the world?  How do you think the global economy will be impacted?  I don’t believe silence will be as golden as once thought.  I think our global neighborhood could get a little loud as the pieces of “virtual duct tape” start to unravel one by one.   

Remaining silent and hoping that nothing happens is a bit like planning to win the lottery without buying a ticket.  Get out your soap box!  Be a stand for your voice and let your voice be a stand for making a difference in our global neighborhood.  Your words might just be the seed that revolutionizes they way we apply “virtual duct tape” to our global economy or make “virtual duct tape” a thing of the past. 

***Related Articles:

Toyota Car Production Plummets After Tsunami in Japan http://ning.it/enGbMb

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