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The Open-Mindedness of Youth

Over the last several months, I’ve had the privilege of traveling to a number of different countries and interacting with various young people. It really amazes me that despite all the cultural differences, young people generally share the same desire to explore and the enthusiasm about life.

One of my closest friends in Chile is a 24-year old who recently graduated from university in Santiago. Our upbringings couldn’t have been more different. My parents were first-generation immigrants from India who are liberal, exploratory people. The culture in Silicon Valley has always been very open-minded and exploratory. On the other hand, Chilean culture is significantly more formal, with an emphasis on tradition. This isn’t meant to be critical; both tradition and innovation are important to cultural and personal growth.

Even with our different upbringings, my friend and I have very similar outlooks right now. We both want to explore the world and meet different types of people. We are both tolerant of different opinions and culture, and we both have substantial amounts of energy and enthusiasm about the future. Most importantly, we can have frank and honest conversations even though we have so little in common.

Its a testament to a global world; 50 years ago, I could never have imagined this.

April 12th, 2010 | Category: Uncategorized

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