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At my workplace, I could sense very readily who has travelled a lot and who has not. Even in those who have travelled, I am able to observe the differences between those who travelled a lot within urban spaces and those who have experienced significantly different cultures.

The one trait that stands out is they often turn up to learning situations with an empty cup. Well travelled people accept that there are multiple normals and multiple ways of living and doing things, this primes them to question status quo, accept new ideas and also handle new situations with a calmness that is infectious. They are also very comfortable about who they are and often found not wanting to impress others.

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These are the common top traits that I have seen that makes them stand out

  • Learning mindset
  • Ability to read the room even when people are not speaking
  • Ready to experience a wide range of cuisines, they are not picky.
    • In general they become less polarised in almost all subjects
  • Conversation starters, often able to connect with anyone on any topic and build stories
  • Sense of calmness and composure even in very new situations

A bonus that amplifies the above traits are having worked in offices across different locations both within the country and outside. When working in a new location, you have to very quickly blend in to be part of the team by adapting to local culture of that place. Our work is a team sport, the more people you meet in individual or team setting the more you become a good team player who stands out at work.

Always look for the experience that is going to frequently put you into new people situations either as a form of leisure travel or official travel. See the magic of how fast are you able to grow as a person.

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A lot of CEOs are openly misanthropic, they dehumanise people as another expense in their sheet. Very open statements like the ‘New tech is going to do all the jobs, we do not need to hire humans anymore” are presented to drive insecurities among people. Historically, every revolution has required lesser and lesser humans for an activity thereby contributing to more people to higher order work. One single farmer can easily feed another 10 while a hunter-gatherer could not feed beyond their family; which meant farming communities had a lot of people available to figure out to do more than just try to figure out how to eat day in and out.

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What if everyone loses their job to AI? It will lead to extreme poverty and zero buying power leaving the companies with no buyers which is nothing but a self destruction. Another issue is with the thinking, every other leader I come across, hate humans and see them as expenses. A very bad mindset where the very nature of human existence is questioned. Society truly advances when there is boredom, not enough work to do while still being able to afford a living. When an executive only thinks about a cheaper present and not an advanced future, it is not anything about progression but regression disguised as progress.

If the executives still push for a cheaper present in a misanthropic manner, then governments have to turn to being socialist. Pay people a living wage, healthcare and basic shelter which will build boredom in people’s life to do something meaningful to create a higher order future that results in progress. If that does not happen and no one takes any step against misanthropy, there will be a collapse in the society to reach a breaking point, before misanthropists are dethroned but not before extreme regression resembling feudal societies.

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During my school holidays, I used to visit my hometown and also the nearby villages. In the 80s and early 90s farms were dominated by use of animals for transport, ploughing, milling etc. I used to jokingly refer to as being in a self driving car as the bulls when leaving the farm will always go by default to the home without anyone controlling them. On narrow roads, the bulls drag the cart to the side and give way for the oncoming traffic.

Human and animal power was so intertwined in the life that when mopeds and tractors became affordable and available, a few people started switching to it once they gave a try and saw the promise. Mopeds helped to ferry small loads very far and frequently, helped supply on demand mobility. Tractor’s raw power was visible when it was able to till big swathes of land in the first of half of the day.

It was a dream to adopt technology and reap the benefits, but it was often short-lived. A majority of the village population lived a cycle of food – work – entertainment until they became too ill. They visited a doc only when major ailments arise, often getting very late treatment for preventable diseases. This mindset went into use of vehicles. No one cared to do pre-emptive maintenance, rampant misuse of kerosene as fuel because it was cheaper due to rationing.

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When I visited a farm one summer, I noticed a tv program on how to get the best out of your tractor and a few people watching very eagerly. The tips were simple, it was educating on using the right gears. A good portion of them were selecting a high gear and keeping it that way instead of starting low and shifting up when needed. A more shocking thing I learnt was on the maintenance, no one was informed enough that coolant, brake oil and engine oil needs change or topup. The list went on, not a single person in the village fixed their tractor until it ground to a halt just like how they were using animals on the farm. Using a tractor meant slowing down in many areas whereas it was supposed to speed up and ease things.

The next generation picked up these issues and fixed it; I thought that is it, until I visited a farm in Europe later that used tractors that had features like GPS navigation and auto steer for precise tilling and planting reducing a lot of human labour needed to take care of large farms. This came with an even steeper learning curve, but with far greater productivity. Technology isn’t usually additive like a telephone enabling anyone to make calls; it is sometimes a multiplier which requires the baseline capabilities to be higher to reap large benefits.