Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Freedom in America and the world - thoughts on our history and the vision of our founders

Recently, I was thinking about the Statue of Liberty because the TOCICO International Conference will be held in New York this June. (We were considering which logo to use for the marketing materials.) The Statue of Liberty is a well-known symbol of freedom for America and a gift from France to celebrate friendship. Nearby Ellis Island was the location where millions of immigrants first came to enter America to become part of our “melting pot.” Inside the statue is a poem by Emma Lazarus that reads:

“Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

My research on the statue led me to think more about freedom, what America used to represent, and how the TOCICO International Conference can support “hope and change.” Freedom is what we want to provide with TOC in organizations, to be free from misery and suffering, to find a way to bring the light and life back into humans, all the people of this world, not just in America. The Statue of Liberty represents not only freedom and friendship, but more importantly how this country once had open borders. The TOC community has further opened the door to support organizations in efforts to become ever-flourishing, to continuously and significantly increase value (both growth and stability) for all stakeholders - employees (including suppliers), clients and shareholders.

I wonder about how America has strayed from the vision of its founders, such as those who created and signed the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. The borders are now closed for many people, while for others it is not easy to immigrate to the United States. Many American citizens complain about illegal immigrants and their negative impact on our society. We should not forget that America is a melting pot, once open to people from all over the world, those who chose to become part of our society.

I wonder why a country, any country, needs to have borders at all? Aren’t we all human? Shouldn’t we all be treated equally? Is there really a need for separation of societies? Or can we all live in peace and harmony together, making the world a better place to live, a utopia, an ideal society?

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