579 - Thank You, Birthday at the Taj Mahal and Perspective
May 13, 2009 Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - May 13, 2009.
#579 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
54,724 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Special Edition: From Agra, India - At the Foot of the Taj Mahal!
Dear Learning TRENDS Colleagues,
This is a very special day for me. Today is my birthday, my wife and are celebrating a slightly time-shifted anniversary and we are staying at the foot of the Taj Mahal in Agra India.
Birthdays are ideal times for gaining perspective and to give thanks. Today, I am 59 years young! I really appreciate the over 50,000 colleagues who are readers of Learning TRENDS. It is such a treat to have a global network of colleagues and friends - sharing perspectives on learning, business and the world at large. During this trip, we have already met with over 50 learning colleagues in different cities in India and will meet others in Mumbai early next week.
I feel very blessed to be able to travel globally and to learn with other learning professionals and advocates. During our trip to India, it has become quite clear that the challenges of learning, ReSkilling and evolving the nature of e-Learning are shared and yet distinctly different in this part of the world. I so appreciate experiencing the “learning focused” culture here in India. Every hour, we see a section of the newspaper, a billboard on the side of the road or a conversation with a taxi driver about skilling, certification and the link between education and work/careers.
Visiting the Taj Mahal is a breathtaking experience. It creates a personal moment to reflect on the beauty, spirituality and scale of life. Visiting it on my birthday and anniversary celebration is intensely awesome.
Thanks for my wife, life partner and business partner Cathy DiMiceli Masie for 14 incredible years of togetherness. It is a rare treat and opportunity to live and work with someone who is your full partner. It was her idea that we shift our anniversary a week and celebrate this special day, May 13th, with the glow of the Taj Mahal in our hearts.
One more set of thanks! Fifteen years ago, the idea of online or e-Learning was only an emerging experiment amongst a handful of learning pioneers. In places like India, Dublin, Brazil, Hong Kong and the United States, a handful of learning colleagues saw the potential for leveraging networks and the emerging internet as a platform for creating global access to instructional and learning resources. Thanks to the suppliers who invested in these technologies. Thanks to the implementers who have evolved e-Learning. And, thanks to the learning colleagues who are continuing to push the opportunity for learning to be a resource for development, employment and growth.
And, a final perspective. India, like other parts of the world, is a sharp contrast of wealth, opportunity and poverty. Yesterday, we were at CyberCity - an incredible area where steel and glass buildings are filled with tens of thousands of young people working as IT and Business professionals. We were moved by their openness and curiosity in our meetings about learning and the future of business. Today we took the train to Agra, moving through crowds and towns filled with people living on less than $1.50 a day. As we worry about the current economic downturns in many regions, let us keep in mind the larger scale of need and poverty in the world.
If you would like to follow the blog for this trip, go to http://indiamasie.blogspot.com or send me an email to emasie@masie.com
Namaste,
Elliott Masie
Host, Learning 2009 - Nov 8 to 11 - Orlando, FL
Contact: emasie@masie.com
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