.......a journey called life

I first read the journalist-author Thomas Friedman 4 years back through his book "World is Flat". While I was reading that book, I knew that I do not have the background on which the author is basing his judgment on globalization. I inquired if he has written another book on the same topic so as to better understand where he is coming from.

That's how I was directed to this GREAT book: The Lexus and The Olive Tree.

This book is one of the most definitive books on globalization. Although written in 1999, it is a timeless book and the explanations and predictions makes perfect sense even now.

"The Lexus" symbolizes the "new" world with new power definition (read as end of cold war), electronic herds, super-empowered individuals, internet, connectivity etc and "The Olive Tree" symbolizes the nation-boundary, culture, religion, identity etc.

The author portrays the constant tension between the lexus and the olive tree and their never-ending attempts to overpower each other. The book has several high points and given that the author is a world traveler, he draws on his experiences in different parts of the world. He has a great observation power and many of his anecdotes are things which we experience everyday but never dwell enough on those incidents to make sense of them.

Picture this: "An Indian woman in traditional saree and heavily laden gold jewellery sitting in an international airport in the USA intently watching two almost-naked fighters wrestling each other on TV and at the same time, typing an SMS on her mobile phone. Next to her, her husband is busy on his laptop catching up on the news on a local indian newspaper website to know what is happening in his hometown." For most of us, this will not attract any attention but to the author, he sees events like this as an amalgamation of lexus and the olive tree.

Overall, I just loved the way the book has been written. Every page leaves you wanting for more and forces you to think hard.

A must read for anyone who wants to make sense of the world!