the.world.is.flat-第96部分

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multilateral　nonprolif…eration　regime　that　soaks　up　this　fissile　material。　Finally；　
no　new　nuclear　states　means　〃drawing　a　line　under　the　current　eight　nuclear　powers　
and　determining　that；　however　unfair　and　unreasonable　it　may　be；　that　club　will　have　
no　more　members　than　those　eight；〃　says　Allison；　adding　that　these　three　steps　might　
then　buy　us　time　to　develop　a　more　formal；　sustainable；　internationally　approved　
regime。　
It　would　be　nice　also　to　be　able　to　deny　the　Internet　to　al…Qaeda　and　its　ilk；　but　
that；　alas；　is　impossible…without　undermining　ourselves。　That　is　why　limiting　their　
capabilities　is　necessary　but　not　sufficient。　We　also　have　to　find　a　way　to　get　at　
their　worst　intentions。　If　we　are　not　going　to　shut　down　the　Internet　and　all　the　
other　creative　and　collaborative　tools　that　have　flattened　the　world；　and　if　we　can't　
restrict　access　to　them；　

the　only　thing　we　can　do　is　try　to　influence　the　imagination　and　intentions　that　people　
bring　to　them　and　draw　from　them。　When　I　raised　this　issue；　and　the　broad　themes　of　
this　book；　with　my　religious　teacher；　Rabbi　Tzvi　Marx　from　Holland；　he　surprised　me　
by　saying　that　the　flat　world　I　was　describing　reminded　him　of　the　story　of　the　Tower　
of　Babel。　
How　so？　I　asked。　〃The　reason　God　banished　all　the　people　from　the　Tower　of　Babel　and　
made　them　all　speak　different　languages　was　not　because　he　did　not　want　them　to　
collaborate　per　se；〃　answered　Rabbi　Marx。　〃It　was　because　he　was　enraged　at　what　they　
were　collaborating　on…an　effort　to　build　a　tower　to　the　heavens　so　they　could　become　
God。〃　This　was　a　distortion　of　the　human　capacity；　so　God　broke　their　union　and　their　
ability　to　communicate　with　one　another。　Now；　all　these　years　later；　humankind　has　
again　created　a　new　platform　for　more　people　from　more　places　to　communicate　and　
collaborate　with　less　friction　and　more　ease　than　ever：　the　Internet。　Would　God　see　
the　Internet　as　heresy？　
〃Absolutely　not；〃　said　Marx。　〃The　heresy　is　not　that　mankind　works　together…it　is　
to　what　ends。　It　is　essential　that　we　use　this　new　ability　to　communicate　and　
collaborate　for　the　right　ends…for　constructive　human　aims　and　not　megalomaniacal　
ends。　Building　a　tower　was　megalo…maniacal。　Bin　Laden's　insistence　that　he　has　the　
truth　and　can　flatten　anyone　else's　tower　who　doesn't　heed　him　is　megalomaniacal。　
Collaborating　so　mankind　can　achieve　its　full　potential　is　God's　hope。〃　
How　we　promote　more　of　that　kind　of　collaboration　is　what　the　final　chapter　is　all　
about。　


：：：：：　Conclusion：　Imagination　

：：：：：　THIRTEEN　
11/9　Versus　9/11　
Imagination　is　more　important　than　knowledge。　
…Albert　Einstein　
On　the　Internet；　nobody　knows　you're　a　dog。　
…Two　dogs　talking　to　each　other；　in　a　New　Yorker　cartoon　by　Peter　Steiner；　July　5；　
1993　
Reflecting　on　this　past　decade　and　a　half；　during　which　the　world　went　flat；　it　strikes　
me　that　our　lives　have　been　powerfully　shaped　by　two　dates：　11/9　and　9/11。　These　two　
dates　represent　the　two　competing　forms　of　imagination　at　work　in　the　world　today：　
the　creative　imagination　of　11/9　and　the　destructive　imagination　of　9/11。　One　brought　
down　a　wall　and　opened　the　windows　of　the　world…both　the　operating　system　and　the　
kind　we　look　through。　It　unlocked　half　the　planet　and　made　the　citizens　there　our　
potential　partners　and　competitors。　Another　brought　down　the　World　Trade　Center；　
closing　its　Windows　on　the　World　restaurant　forever　and　putting　up　new　invisible　and　
concrete　walls　among　people　at　a　time　when　we　thought　11　The　dismantling　of　the　Berlin　
Wall　on　11/9　was　brought　about　by　people　who　dared　to　imagine　a　different；　more　open　
world…one　where　every　human　being　would　be　free　to　realize　his　or　her　full　potential　

…　and　who　then　summoned　the　courage　to　act　on　that　imagination。　Do　
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you　remember　how　it　happened？　It　was　so　simple；　really：　In　July　1989；　hundreds　of　
East　Germans　sought　refuge　at　the　West　German　embassy　in　Hungary。　In　September　1989；　
Hungary　decided　to　remove　its　border　restrictions　with　Austria。　That　meant　that　any　
East　German　who　got　into　Hungary　could　pass　through　to　Austria　and　the　free　world。　
Sure　enough；　more　than　thirteen　thousand　East　Germans　escaped　through　Hungary's　back　
door。　Pressure　built　up　on　the　East　German　government。　When　in　November　it　announced　
plans　to　ease　travel　restrictions；　tens　of　thousands　of　East　Germans　converged　on　
the　Berlin　Wall；　where；　on　11/9/89；　border　guards　just　opened　the　gates。　
Someone　there　in　Hungary；　maybe　it　was　the　prime　minister；　maybe　it　was　just　a　
bureaucrat；　must　have　said　to　himself　or　herself；　〃Imagine…　imagine　what　might　happen　
if　we　opened　the　border　with　Austria。〃　Imagine　if　the　Soviet　Union　were　frozen　in　
place。　Imagine…imagine　if　East　German　citizens；　young　and　old；　men　and　women；　were　
so　emboldened　by　seeing　their　neighbors　flee　to　the　West　that　one　day　they　just　swarmed　
that　Berlin　Wall　and　started　to　tear　it　down？　Some　people　must　have　had　a　conversation　
just　like　that；　and　because　they　did；　millions　of　Eastern　Europeans　were　able　to　walk　
out　from　behind　the　Iron　Curtain　and　engage　with　a　flattening　world。　It　was　a　great　
era　in　which　to　be　an　American。　We　were　the　only　superpower；　and　the　world　was　our　
oyster。　There　were　no　walls。　Young　Americans　could　think　about　traveling；　for　a　
semester　or　a　summer；　to　more　countries　than　any　American　generation　before　them。　
Indeed；　they　could　travel　as　far　as　their　imagination　and　wallets　could　take　them。　
They　could　also　look　around　at　their　classmates　and　see　people　from　more　different　
countries　and　cultures　than　any　other　class　before　them。　

Nine…eleven；　of　course；　changed　all　that。　It　showed　us　the　power　of　a　very　different　
kind　of　imagination。　It　showed　us　the　power　of　a　group　of　hateful　men　who　spent　several　
years　imagining　how　to　kill　as　many　innocent　people　as　they　could。　At　some　point　bin　
Laden　and　his　gang　literally　must　have　looked　at　one　another　and　said；　〃Imagine　if　
we　actually　could　hit　both　towers　of　the　World　Trade　Center　at　the　exact　right　spot；　
between　the　ninety…fourth　and　ninety…eighth　floors。　And　imagine　if　each　tower　were　
to　come　crashing　down　like　a　house　of　cards。〃　Yes；　I　am　sorry　
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to　say；　some　people　had　that　conversation；　too。　And；　as　a　result；　the　world　that　was　
our　oyster　seemed　to　close　up　like　a　shell。　
There　has　never　been　a　time　in　history　when　the　character　of　human　imagination　wasn't　
important；　but　writing　this　book　tells　me　that　it　has　never　been　more　important　than　
now；　because　in　a　flat　world　so　many　of　the　inputs　and　tools　of　collaboration　are　
becoming　commodities　available　to　everyone。　They　are　all　out　there　for　anyone　to　grasp。　
There　is　one　thing；　though；　that　has　not　and　can　never　be　commoditized　…　and　that　
is　imagination。　
When　we　lived　in　a　more　centralized；　and　more　vertically　organized；　world　…where　
states　had　a　near　total　monopoly　of　power…individual　imagination　was　a　big　problem　
when　the　leader　of　a　superpower　state　…a　Stalin；　a　Mao；　or　a　Hitler…became　warped。　
But　today；　when　individuals　can　easily　access　all　the　tools　of　collaboration　and　
superempower　themselves；　or　their　small　cells；　individuals　do　not　need　to　control　
a　country　to　threaten　large　numbers　of　other　people。　The　small　can　act　very　big　today　
and　pose　a　serious　danger　to　world　order…without　the　instruments　of　a　state。　
Therefore；　thinking　about　how　we　stimulate　positive　imaginations　is　of　the　utmost　
importance。　As　Irving　Wladawsky…Berger；　the　IBM　computer　scientist；　put　it　to　me：　
We　need　to　think　more　seriously　than　ever　about　how　we　encourage　people　to　focus　on　
productive　outcomes　that　advance　and　unite　civilization…peaceful　imaginations　that　
seek　to　〃minimize　alienation　and　celebrate　interdependence　rather　than　
self…sufficiency；　inclusion　rather　than　exclusion；〃　openness；　opportunity；　and　hope　
rather　than　limits；　suspicion；　and　grievance。　
Let　me　try　to　illustrate　this　by　example。　In　early　1999；　two　men　started　airlines　
from　scratch；　just　a　few　weeks　apart。　Both　men　had　a　dream　involving　airplanes　and　
the　savvy　to　do　something　about　it。　One　was　named　David　Neeleman。　In　February　1999；　
he　started　JetBlue。　He　assembled　130　million　in　venture　capital；　bought　a　fleet　of　
Airbus　A…320　passenger　jets；　recruited　pilots　and　signed　them　to　seven…year　contracts；　
and　outsourced　his　reservation　system　to　stay…at…home　moms　and　retirees　living　around　
Salt　Lake　City；　Utah；　who　booked　passengers　on　their　home　computers。　
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The　other　person　who　started　an　airline　was；　as　we　now　know　from　the　9/11　Commission　
Report；　Osama　bin　Laden。　At　a　meeting　in　Kandahar；　Afghanistan；　in　March　or　April　
1999；　he　accepted　a　proposal　initially　drawn　up　by　Khalid　Sheikh　Mohammed；　the　
Pakistan…born　mechanical　engineer　who　was　the　architect　of　the　9/11　plot。　JetBlue's　
motto　was　〃Same　Altitude。　Different　Attitude。〃　Al…Qaeda's　motto　was　〃Allahu　Akbar；〃　
God　is　great。　Both　airlines　were　designed　to　fly　into　New　York　City…Neeleman's　into　


JFK　and　bin　Laden's　into　lower　Manhattan。　
Maybe　it　was　because　I　read　the　9/11　report　while　on　a　trip　to　Silicon　Valley　that　
I　could　not　help　but　notice　how　much　Khalid　Sheikh　Mohammed　spoke　and　presented　himself　
as　just　another　eager　engineer…entrepreneur；　with　his　degree　from　North　Carolina　
Agricultural　and　Technical　State　University；　pitching　his　ideas　to　Osama　bin　Laden；　
who　comes　off　as　just　another　wealthy　venture　capitalist。　But　Mohammed；　alas；　was　
looking　for　adventure　capital。　As　the　9/11　Commission　Report　put　it；　〃No　one　
exemplifies　the　model　of　the　terrorist　entrepreneur　more　clearly　than　Khalid　Sheikh　
Mohammed　（KSM）；　the　principal　architect　of　the　9/11　attacks。　。　。　Highly　educated　and　
equally　comfortable　in　a　government　office　or　a　terrorist　safe　house；　KSM　applied　
his　imagination；　technical　aptitude　and　managerial　skills　to　hatching　and　planning　
an　extraordinary　array　of　terrorist　schemes。　These　ideas　included　conventional　car　
bombing；　political　assassination；　aircraft　bombing；　hijacking；　reservoir　poisoning；　
and；　ultimately；　the　use　of　aircraft　as　missiles　guided　by　suicide　operatives　。　。　。　
KSM　presents　himself　as　an　entrepreneur　seeking　venture　capit