Open, Flexible & Flat

A great quote from Thomas Friedman in “The World Is Flat”:

 “It is essential that we stay as open and flexible as possible.  America’s cultural willingness to tear things down and rebuild them anew gives us an enormous advantage in the age of flatness, when you are required to tear down and build up more often to achieve innovation and growth.”

I do believe that we are a predisposed to be country of progress - one that is congenitally dissatisfied with what is and always pushing for what could be.  At the same time, though, our educational system is in many ways broken and our collective interests tend to skew to the world of want vs. need.  Will we still have what it takes in the future to disrupt and transform with the same sense of urgency?

 What do you think?  Is the United States uniquely positioned to innovate?  Will we have an advantage is this area ongoing?  And what are the things we need to do to push this predisposition forward?  Would love your thoughts.  (And if you haven’t yet read The World is Flat, go out and buy it today!)