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• By Bob Hicks from the entry 'Vantage Point'
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What was your favorite place? This question gets the award for the most frequently asked upon our return from Asia to Richmond. So, you would think that after two weeks I would know the answer, but I don’t. A broad educational experience simply doesn’t lend itself to sound bite responses. However, I will do my best to mimic Richmond Magazine’s “Best and Worst.”

For natural beauty, it is difficult to best Hawaii; although Japan’s mountains, lakes and gardens come very close.  If I had to choose to live in Japan, China, Vietnam, Cambodia or India, then Japan would win hands down. In addition to natural beauty, the people seem gracious and polite, orderly, clean, welcoming and spiritual.

For economic importance, China astounds. Its government operates seemingly with singularity of purpose—to replace the United States as the most powerful economy on earth. By sheer numbers and the seeming ability to maneuver its people however it wishes, this outcome is not only probable but will likely occur sooner than western experts think. The economic engine of the world has shifted eastward, and Asia is anchored by the Chinese. It will be interesting to observe whether an apparently imminent bursting of the real estate bubble and local stories about their usurious underground banking system delay this inevitability in any meaningful way.

For the best food, I would choose Vietnam. Their Asian flavorings are influenced by the historical presence of the French, and fresh vegetables abound. Cleanliness is less of a detractor than it is in China, where we never felt we could lower our guard in restaurants. Japan wins the award for cleanliness, and its sushi is fantastic. But, after a while you just need a break from raw fish. It amused us to see sushi offered in other countries, where one would be taking one’s life in one’s hand eating anything uncooked!

Cambodia was the most exotic locale we visited. Driving through flooded streets and seeing how orderly life continues for most people instructed me not to over-react to everything I read in the newspaper. While this year’s floods were extraordinary, the rivers flood annually during the monsoon season and people are used to it. Cambodia’s poverty is palpable, and it stands in stark contrast to the glorious civilization in the 12th century that its magnificent ancient temples reveal. The killing fields and land mines are a part of their recent past and present reality, respectively, and yet one senses that this country is emerging in the interest it holds for adventuresome travelers.

India was the most important country we visited because of its contrast of richness and poverty, its blending of the world’s major religions and cultures, and the blossoming of its youthful culture within an environment that is steeped in strict tradition and mired in bureaucracy. For millennia the world’s cultures and religions have co-existed at this crossroad between East and West, yet the dominant Hindu culture prevails. The haunting soulfulness of Varanasi and the weightless beauty of the Taj Mahal delight despite the distraction of ever-present filth. Amazingly in India the ground is one’s trashcan, the rivers are open sewers, and close to half the population is locked in poverty. Yet, the future is bright as an emphasis on education, particularly in the south where there has been a strong Catholic influence, is unleashing a technological powerhouse. The mix of old wealth, new wealth and extreme poverty provides a breeding ground for philanthropy, which we did not witness in any significant way in the other countries we visited.

How have my views changed? I am more of a free market economist and more strongly (if that is possible) in favor of free and open trade. The U.S. has to accept that labor is cheaper in other countries and that the economic center of gravity is shifting eastward. Education and technology are leveling the playing field worldwide, but these are areas in which the U.S. has a competitive advantage. We need to embrace that advantage and compete for our share of emerging wealth, rather than construct barriers in what will ultimately be recognized as a fruitless effort to preserve the past world order. I am convinced that education is the only effective solution to poverty over the long term.

I am more of an environmentalist, having witnessed how the Chinese sacrifice the purity of their air and water with abandon in their pursuit of economic growth. Similarly, India’s blatant disregard for “Mother Ganges” and its trashing of the earth’s surface made me long for the relative cleanliness of the James River. If only the land of Gandhi could produce a Ladybird Johnson!

I am more of a pacifist. The juxtaposition of Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima in our travels was saddening in a way that continues to haunt me. The horrors of the Vietnam War were revealed from the other side’s perspective, leaving me torn between my admiration for our heroes who answered the call to duty and my heightened disappointment that our leaders unleashed chemical weapons on the Vietnamese people and their environment. The peace movement, which seemed mostly flighty and irresponsible to me at the time, now seems to have had at least a valid point of view. I return both cognizant of the need for national security and hesitant to support using our power beyond our borders except when absolutely necessary.  Travel makes one more aware of how our actions are perceived from the perspective of others.

I have come to the realization that governing is a messy business EVERYWHERE. Every country we visited is fighting corruption. We heard over and over how inefficient and bureaucratic each governmental system is. In the U.S., our government seems to get it right as much as any, despite the daily acrimony that dominates the press. The one exception is that our travel companions from Canada and Australia seemed universally pleased with the quality and cost of health care in their countries, so that is something to which we should aspire.

I expected to return ready to invest more in emerging markets, but such is not the case. India is the exception, as they have a younger demographic than their Asian peers, a strengthening commitment to education and a system of government that is least oppressive. However, now I more fully recognize the stability and strength of the U.S. economy and its currency. Our challenge is to eschew deficit spending before we forfeit this most important competitive advantage over our worldwide competitors.

Travel breeds humility. After being among half of the 7 billion people on this planet, it becomes obvious that no one point of view will dominate on the world stage for very long. The ability to extend one’s influence over time on a playing field increasingly leveled by education and technology hinges on one’s willingness to engage with others creatively and respectfully. Leadership has to be earned, and it can be forfeited by a single misguided decision.

Nevertheless, it is impressive how resilient we all are. The Japanese have rebuilt Tokyo seven times, most recently from the firebombs of World War II. Today, the Japanese view Americans as their closest allies. The Chinese are flourishing following occupation by the Japanese up to World War II. The Vietnamese welcomed us seemingly without hesitation.

Education is a lifelong endeavor. We need it to enter our chosen professions. We need it to refresh our skills in an ever-changing workplace. We need it to stave off the inevitable narrowing of our experiences and perspectives as we age. As I prepare for the next leg of our travels in New Zealand and Australia, my mind is newly opened to how much I don’t know.