In China They Say: It's A Big World -- And In A Big World -- There Are Many Types Of Birds!
America — Eagles, Ostriches Or Dodos?
Will we soar like eagles in the state of Michigan and America or go the way of the dodo bird? Clearly China is challenging us on may fronts.
Friends have a way of flying in and out of one's life. Sometimes they are physically present and at other times it is a smell, a song, a change in temperature or a saying or thought that brings a friend to our consciousness.
One such friend in my life is Koralo Chen. Koralo was born in Mianyang, in Sichuan Providence of central China. He has lived in Michigan for more than a decade and is now a U.S. citizen. Growing up in Mao’s China, seeing China open up to the world under Deng Xiaoping, and later emigrating to America, has given Koralo a bird’s eye view of change in life.
“Tom,” Koralo always reminds me, “It is a big world — and in a big world, there are many different types of birds.”
This has gotten to be a standing joke between Koralo and me during our trips made together in China. During our travels, we have met many different kind of “birds.”
As exotic as the food, language, terrain, culture and the 55 distinct minority groups are to me in ever-changing China, this saying from Koralo invades my thoughts more back home in the mitten state of plenty, Michigan, than it does in a foreign land.
If You Seek Strange Birds — Look About You
“Why?” you ask. Like different species of birds, it seems that in Michigan we seldom truly mingle together to solve problems that impact us all.
Michigan is a big state and we have “many different type of birds!” You seldom see city birds with suburban birds, Southeast Michigan birds with Western Michigan birds. Nope, it seems we all fly solo.
Watching Michigan’s and America's economy implode and seeing our leaders scatter like a bunch of pigeons in Central Park, I wonder: Are they capable of not ducking the problems long enough to actually flock together and make progress on the issues on our behalf?
How long can we be ostriches and ignore the problems our state is facing?
Do we have to be like the penguins in the film “March of the Penguins” — huddled together, frozen in place in the dark of the long Arctic winter, unable to move forward?
Sure, it would be easier if our elected leaders were one species and not black, brown, yellow, white, suburban, urban, rural, rich, poor, business, labor, west side, east side, trolls, Yoopers, gays, straight, Republicans, Independent and Democrats.
Clearly, the birds of a feather flock together in Lansing, our state capitol. Our feathers may be different, but we all we share the same DNA — we are all Michiganians.
Imagine if we were to form a wedge, like geese, each different bird taking its turn leading and battling the headwind as we collectively make progress.
Let's be very clear, China and the rest of the world is not sitting ideally by waiting for us to get our act together.
As Michigan continues to confront the global headwind of disruptive, transformational change, we have to hope we will find ways to spread our collective wings and soar to a better future.
It is a big world. Michigan, we can continue to be buzzards, picking each other apart; ostriches with our heads in the sand; or, worse yet, dodo birds becoming extinct.
What kind a birds do we wish to be in this “Big World?”
“V” for victory sounds right to me.
Tom Watkins of Northville is a business and education consultant in the United States and China. He served the citizens of the state of Michigan as state superintendent of schools 2001-2005; and state mental health director, 1986-1990. He can be reached at: tdwatkins@aol.com. |
