Sometimes I wake up and don’t know what continent I’m on.
I’m serious. It last happened a week ago when I woke up in the very elegant Cosmo 100 hotel in downtown Bogota… I had to look around the room for clues and within 60 seconds finally realized that I was in Colombia.
Most of the time this happens because of my travel frequency… it can be hectic sometimes– 2 days here, 3 days there; I’m always chasing new opportunities around the globe and thrive on the excitement.
There always seems to be a new deal, a new business, a new connection around the corner, so my schedule changes all the time. It’s a lifestyle by choice… and I accept the occasional side effect of late night disorientation.
Recently while at an undisclosed location in Latin America, my schedule changed again. I received an important email, and poof, I started making plans for an extensive Asia trip… I flew to the United States immediately to make preparations and meet with my attorney.
I’ve been back in the US for a few days now… at least, that’s what I’m trying to believe. I hear people speaking English and see the flags everywhere. But I’m sitting here wide awake wondering to myself, “where the hell am I?” with the same level of disorientation as I had last week in Colombia.
Intellectually I know that I am within the borders of the United States. I can look at one of my passports and see the stamp– but it just feels different. Perhaps because I travel so much, I notice the changes much more acutely… like not seeing a growing child for several months at a time, or in this case, a rapidly deteriorating terminal patient.
I’m left wondering how a culture can turn away from its roots, how a political establishment can ignore its foundational guidelines, and how a society can devolve so quickly from greatness.
Is it irreversible?
I’m of the opinion that nothing is permanent… but it’s not looking too good in the short-term. The Obama/Geithner/Bernanke trio is taking the country in an entirely new direction that will be costly for each of us, personally as well as financially.
I’m keeping all of this in mind as I plan my trip to Asia in the coming days– Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo, Manila, and a few secret places I cannot mention yet. I have a ridiculously ambitious agenda that includes lawyers, bankers, fund managers, greasers, the occasional politician, and maybe even mob boss or two.
The writing has been on the wall in the western world for some time, and I’m convinced that the answer can definitely be found in Asia… so my goal is to put boots on the ground and find actionable information that supports the key themes of this community– making money, protecting wealth, finding opportunity, and living free.
I would appreciate your input as I plan my schedule for the next few weeks– what are your most burning questions and issues about Asia that I can explore while on the ground? What would you like to hear most about? Do you share my view of the western world?
Let me know.
