Lately I hear more and more concerns about America losing its way under Obama’s leadership. Russia, China, Iran and other powers are “grabbing” as much as they can while the US is sitting paralyzed and doing nothing. The big question is: What is worth “grabbing” in 2016?
When I was a kid, we used to play with marbles. At that stage in life they were very valuable to us, and we would feel real joy winning and collecting them. The thing is, times have changed, and I no longer have the desire to accumulate more marbles. In today’s world, “grabbing” land, even with resources, is like collecting big marbles in an era where they are not that relevant.
Look at the world around you. Which countries are considered “developed” and desirable to live in? The ones with a lot of land and natural resources? Perhaps not. The top twenty countries, except Australia, have no significant natural resources. But let’s look at the one at the bottom of the pile, Nigeria (listed as the worst country in the world to live in). In terms of resources, it possesses a plethora: uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates, gold, molybdenum, gypsum, salt, and petroleum.
And how about Venezuela or Saudi Arabia – two of the world’s largest oil producers. Would you like to live there? Have you ever purchased anything produced there? What will such countries do when oil is no longer in demand??
When I Google the question: “what is the most precious resource today, the answer is clean WATER. Really? In Israel over 50% of the drinking water is produced by desalination; so what is the precious asset, the drinking water or the minds that can desalinate sea water? The most important resources today, the ones that make countries successful and desirable to live in are creative and innovative minds, and they attract more innovate minds…
Does Putin, by bullying his way through Ukraine and Syria, attract creative and innovative people? Will the Chinese leaders, by grabbing islands in the South China Sea and building new aircraft carriers attract them? I don’t think so. Most young, creative, entrepreneurial individuals want to be in places that possess the infrastructure to nurture their talents and allow them to live the lifestyle they want. You would expect the leaders of two of the largest countries in the world (one in area and the other in population) to understand this, but it seems as though they don’t. America, on the other hand did get it, and the US dollar is a living proof. I am sure you wouldn’t keep Chinese, Russian os Saudi currency under you mattress for a rainy day…
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