3rd World To Be The New World

There are two main characteristics that decide whether or not a person will be successful in life. One, their work ethic. And two, their hunger for a better life. That’s really all it takes to accomplish anything in your lifetime — plus a bit of luck of course. The problem that gets in everyone’s way is the laziness that comes with having the pleasure of enjoying comfort.

The more comfortable you are, the less inclined you will be to make an effort to accomplish anything significant; significant things take a lot of energy to accomplish. Why exert yourself when you can just relax, am I right? The problem is that very few people in today’s most modern countries are lazy. Too many people are all right with remaining where they are and don’t bother to try and progress.

You can argue that there are those in these first world countries that are hungry to get ahead in life — sure, there are a few, but they remain a very small percentage of the population. You could also argue that there are millions of people in first world countries that are classified as ‘poor.’ Sure, but they own a pair of shoes, right? They have clean water to drink and food to eat?

To us this seems like no comfort, but rather necessity. Well, somehow there are millions out there that still get by with less. There are those living in places where comfort is something you only hear of in stories — stories that are told by mouth because these families don’t own clothes, so forget about books. People have been complaining for the last few years that they can’t find jobs. Bullsh*t. There is always a job available somewhere or a way of making honest money — people just don’t want to leave their comfort zones. Don’t complain that you can’t find a job if what you truly mean to say is that you can’t find a job that you want.

Those that will go the furthest in their lives are those that can truly understand what it means to go hungry, those that can only wish to one day receive an education. Who do you think is going to learn faster if given the opportunity to educate themselves? Those who never spent a day in a classroom, but pray that one day they will build a school walking distance from their homes or a kid at your local school? How hungry for knowledge were those you grew up with when you went to elementary school and high school?

From what I can remember most kids did all they could to avoid doing homework and avoid actually learning something. If you would give those who have nothing a chance to become educated and a chance at a better life, they would do all that is in their power to use that opportunity to their advantage. I almost feel as if education is being wasted on those living in countries like the United States.

There has been research done that will show that when given the opportunity, those in very poor areas of the world will educate themselves simply because they enjoy it. There are a good number of philanthropists that are currently working on projects bringing schooling to those living in areas where an education is unavailable.

For example, Sugata Mitra was just granted $1 million to start what he likes to call “A School in the Clouds”— a program that will allow children to get together at a laboratory in India where they will be taught via the Internet. You will have several classrooms of children being given access to technology and being taught by people via Skype. There will be no teacher present — it will all be done via cloud networking. Even the building itself — lights and all — will be controlled over the Internet.

Projects like these will do wonders for those living in India who previously weren’t able to get an education. Such a system, I daresay, would never work in the United States. If my memory serves me right, my teachers growing up spent most of their time trying to keep the class in order and focused on something other than throwing crayons at other classmates or doodling.

The fault may very well lie the actual educational system itself; we may all be better off if education would be autonomous — if people would simply be given the tools to educate themselves. However, I don’t see that working in most first world countries because most children don’t want to learn; it’s been ingrained into our culture. We don’t have the hunger; we have comfort. Those in countries that are still developing are the ones that are hungry for knowledge and an education.

This is something that should worry everyone. Developing countries are quickly gaining in wealth and technology; they are catching up faster than you realize. What happens when you have an entire country like India or a continent like Africa with a rising middle class, amazing access to technology and an education, tons of natural resources and a hunger for learning and for success?

They will surpass the current first world countries. Companies will only outsource more in the future. As the world gets smaller, there is no longer a need to start a company in your country of residence. I myself have a company in Turkey. What happens when the most educated, most talented, most diligent workers will not be in your country of residence? What happens when citizens of these third world countries begin to amass wealth and embrace entrepreneurship?What makes for a better entrepreneur than a person that is willing to starve himself or herself to succeed because they know how to deal with starvation and thirst? Out of hardship will rise the future of humanity. With bountiful natural resources, great education, the hunger for success and an impeccable work ethic, these third world countries will surpass the rest as first world countries.

Photo Courtesy: Tumblr