IP: RE: Two items -- please read and reply if you care to

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> From: requested anonymity
> To: dave () farber net
>
> Dave,
>
> It's not a reply to your questions. It regards the difficulties to learn
> from others.
>
> I very appreciate your objectivity, and balance, regarding other's opinions
> and value it highly. It's a rare value. It's an approach I am always trying
> to take in my job and personnal life. It's a necessity when like me you work
> in an international environment.
>
> However I feel you missed one major point:
>
> > It is important
> > that we understand how others view us -- our friends and
> > enemies, so we may understand how to correct their views
> > if they are negative.
>
> I think you should add: "or adjust ours when it can be improved". Their is a
> lot to gain from others. In foreign/international affairs there is a much
> too long tradition to try to "correct other's views" without improving our
> own views.
>
> In particular this is why some may find frustrating that their "help" is not
> always appreciated. The 1973 editorial from a Canadian you sent in September
> ("America the good neighbour"), is a good illustration. I think it should be
> read in this perspective too. I investigated a lot with older friends to
> obtain this "other point of view" and factual elements on what happened in
> Europe w.r.t. to US aid initiatives.
>
> Since these times I thing that foreign aid has evolved significantly,
> nowadays most developped countries are no longer helping others by doing
> major tasks on their behalf but by providing necessary help (funds,
> technology, food, etc...) and letting the receiver take a greater part in
> organising itself to manage it. It has proven very succesful.
>
> This is where it is difficult to accept that "others" may have different
> ways of doing it, and this is where you can learn too. There is always
> something to learn from others, and it's not always a good idea to "correct"
> them.
>
> Foreign aid programmes are starting to take that way, but slowly. In
> particular towards less developped countries. Past history often comes back
> and we all have to fight back not to repeat the same things of the past,
> just to keep the best bones and learn from mistakes by building improved aid
> programmes. It is better not to impose our essential values and views, but
> to just expose them, explain them, and let other interpret them, adapt them,
> and sometimes adopt them, but in their own ways, taking into account local
> history, culture, organisation, economy, etc...
>
> But it requires to set our own pride aside from time to time, when our
> essential values or not immediately understood. It's nevertheless worthwhile
> because it comes back grown by new success as time goes.


For archives see:
http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/