the.world.is.flat-第108部分

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purchased　flight　deck　videos　for　the　Boeing　767　Model　300ER　and　the　Airbus　A320　Model　
200　from　the　Ohio　Pilot　Store　。。。　In　or　about　June　2001；　in　Norman；　Oklahoma；　Zacarias　
Moussaoui　made　inquiries　
446　
about　starting　a　cropdusting　company　。　。　。　On　or　about　August　16；　2001；　Zacarias　
Moussaoui；　possessed；　among　other　things：　two　knives；　a　pair　of　binoculars；　flight　
manuals　for　the　Boeing　747　Model　400；　a　flight　simulator　computer　program；　fighting　
gloves　and　shin　guards；　a　piece　of　paper　referring　to　a　handheld　Global　Positioning　
System　receiver　and　a　camcorder；　software　that　could　be　used　to　review　pilot　
procedures　for　the　Boeing　747　Model　400；　letters　indicating　that　Moussaoui　is　a　
marketing　consultant　inthe　United　States　for　Infocus　Tech；　a　computer　disk　containing　
information　related　to　the　aerial　application　of　pesticides；　and　a　hand…held　aviation　
radio。〃　
A　devout　Mormon；　who　grew　up　in　Latin　America　where　his　father　was　a　UPI　correspondent；　
David　Neeleman；　by　contrast；　is　one　of　those　classic　American　entrepreneurs　and　a　
man　of　enormous　integrity。　He　never　went　to　college；　but　he　has　started　two　successful　
airlines；　Morris　Air　and　JetBlue；　and　played　an　important　role　in　shaping　a　third；　
Southwest。　He　is　the　godfather　of　ticketless　air　travel；　now　known　as　e…ticketing。　
〃I　am　a　total　optimist。　I　think　my　father　is　an　optimist；〃　he　said　to　me；　trying　to　
explain　where　his　innovative　genes　came　from。　〃I　grew　up　in　a　very　happy　home　。　。　。　
JetBlue　was　created　in　my　own　mind　before　it　was　created　on　paper。〃　Using　his　
optimistic　imagination　and　his　ability　also　to　quickly　adopt　all　the　latest　technology　
because　he　had　no　legacy　system　to　worry　about；　Neeleman　started　a　highly　profitable　
airline；　creating　jobs；　low…cost　travel；　a　unique　onboard；　satellite…supported　
entertainment　system；　and　one　of　the　most　people…friendly　places　to　work　you　can　
imagine。　He　also　started　a　catastrophe　relief　fund　in　his　company　to　help　employee　
families　who　are　faced　with　a　sudden　death　or　catastrophic　illness　of　a　loved　one。　
Neeleman　donates　1　of　his　salary　for　every　1　any　employee　puts　in　the　fund。　〃I　think　
it　is　important　that　people　give　a　little；〃　said　Neeleman。　〃I　believe　that　there　are　
irrevocable　laws　of　heaven　that　when　you　serve　others　you　get　this　little　buzz。〃　In　
2003；　Neeleman；　already　a　wealthy　man　from　his　JetBlue　stock；　donated　about　120；000　
of　his　200；000　salary　to　the　JetBlue　employee　catastrophe　fund。　
In　the　waiting　room　outside　his　New　York　City　office；　there　is　a　color　photo　of　a　
JetBlue　Airbus　flying　over　the　World　Trade　Center。　Neeleman　
447　
was　in　his　office　on　9/11　and　watched　the　Twin　Towers　burn；　while　his　own　JetBlue　


airliners　were　circling　JFK　in　a　holding　pattern。　When　I　explained　to　him　the　
comparison/contrast　I　was　going　to　make　between　him　and　bin　Laden；　he　was　both　
uncomfortable　and　curious。　As　I　closed　up　my　computer　and　prepared　to　leave　following　
our　interview；　he　said　he　had　one　question　for　me：　〃Do　you　think　Osama　actually　
believes　there　is　a　God　up　there　who　is　happy　with　what　he　is　doing？〃　
I　told　him　I　just　didn't　know。　What　I　do　know　is　this：　There　are　two　ways　to　flatten　
the　world。　One　is　to　use　your　imagination　to　bring　everyone　up　to　the　same　level；　
and　the　other　is　to　use　your　imagination　to　bring　everyone　down　to　the　same　level。　
David　Neeleman　used　his　optimistic　imagination　and　the　easily　available　technologies　
of　the　flat　world　to　lift　people　up。　He　launched　a　surprising　and　successful　new　
airline；　some　profits　of　which　he　turns　over　to　a　catastrophe　relief　fund　for　his　
employees。　Osama　bin　Laden　and　his　disciples　used　their　twisted　imagination；　and　many　
of　the　same　tools；　to　launch　a　surprise　attack；　which　brought　two　enormous　symbols　
of　American　power　down　to　their　level。　Worse；　they　raised　their　money　and　created　
this　massive　human　catastrophe　under　the　guise　of　religion。　
〃From　the　primordial　swamps　of　globalization　have　emerged　two　genetic　variants；〃　
observed　Infosys　CEO　Nandan　Nilekani…one　is　al…Qaeda　and　the　other　are　companies　like　
Infosys　or　JetBlue。　〃Our　focus　therefore　has　to　be　how　we　can　encourage　more　of　the　
good　mutations　and　keep　out　the　bad。〃　
I　could　not　agree　more。　Indeed；　that　effort　may　be　the　most　important　thing　we　learn　
to　do　in　order　to　keep　this　planet　in　one　piece。　
I　have　no　doubt　that　advances　in　technology…from　iris　scans　to　X…ray　machines…will　
help　us　to　identify；　expose；　and　capture　those　who　are　trying　to　use　the　easily　
available　tools　of　the　flat　world　to　destroy　it。　But　in　the　end；　technology　alone　
cannot　keep　us　safe。　We　really　do　have　to　find　ways　to　affect　the　imagination　of　those　
who　would　use　the　tools　of　collaboration　to　destroy　the　world　that　has　invented　those　
tools。　But　how　does　one　go　about　nurturing　a　more　hopeful；　life…affirming；　and　
tolerant　

imagination　in　others？　Everyone　has　to　ask　himself　or　herself　this　question。　I　ask　
it　as　an　American。　I　stress　this　last　point　because　I　think　itstarts　first　and　foremost　
by　America　setting　an　example。　Those　of　us　who　are　fortunate　to　live　in　free　and　
progressive　societies　have　to　set　an　example。　We　have　to　be　the　best　global　citizens　
we　can　be。　We　cannot　retreat　from　the　world。　We　have　to　make　sure　that　we　get　the　
best　of　our　own　imaginations…and　never　let　our　imaginations　get　the　best　of　us。　
It　is　always　hard　to　know　when　we　have　crossed　the　line　between　justified　safety　
measures　and　letting　our　imaginations　get　the　best　of　us　and　thereby　paralyzing　
ourselves　with　precautions。　Iargued　right　after　9/11　thatthe　reason　our　intelligence　
did　not　pick　up　the　9/11　plotters　was　〃a　failure　of　imagination。〃　We　just　did　not　
have　enough　people　within　our　intelligence　community　with　a　sick　enough　imagination　
to　match　that　of　bin　Laden　and　Khalid　Sheikh　Mohammed。　We　do　need　some　people　like　
that　within　our　intelligence　services。　But　we　all　don't　need　to　go　down　that　route。　
We　all　don't　need　to　become　so　gripped　by　imagining　the　worst　in　everyone　around　us　
that　we　shrink　into　ourselves。　


In　2003；　my　older　daughter；　Orly；　was　in　her　high　school's　symphonic　orchestra。　They　
spent　all　year　practicing　to　take　part　in　the　national　high　school　orchestra　
competition　in　New　Orleans　that　March。　When　March　rolled　around；　it　appeared　that　
we　were　heading　for　war　in　Iraq；　so　the　Montgomery　County　School　Board　canceled　all　
out…of…town　trips　by　school　groups…including　the　orchestra's　attendance　at　New　
Orleans…　fearing　an　outbreak　of　terrorism。　I　thought　this　was　absolutely　nuts。　Even　
the　evil　imagination　of　9/11　has　its　limits。　At　some　point　you　do　have　to　ask　yourself　
whether　Osama　bin　Laden　and　Ayman　al…Zawahiri　were　really　sitting　around　a　cave　in　
Afghanistan；　with　Ayman　saying　to　Osama；　〃Say；　Osama；　d'you　remember　that　annual　high　
school　orchestra　competition　in　New　Orleans？　Well；　it's　coming　up　again　next　week。　
Let's　really　make　a　splash　and　go　after　it。〃　
No；　I　don't　think　so。　Let's　leave　the　cave　dwelling　to　bin　Laden。　We　have　to　be　the　
masters　of　our　imaginations；　not　the　prisoners。　I　had　a　friend　in　Beirut　who　used　
to　joke　that　every　time　she　flew　on　an　airplane　she　packed　a　bomb　in　her　suitcase；　
because　the　odds　of　two　people　car

rying　a　bomb　on　the　same　plane　were　so　much　higher。　Do　whatever　it　takes；　but　get　
out　the　door。　
Apropos　of　that；　let　me　share　the　9/11　story　that　touched　me　most　from　the　New　York　
Times　series　〃Portraits　of　Grief；〃　the　little　biographies　of　those　who　were　killed。　
It　was　the　story　of　Candace　Lee　Williams；　the　twenty…year…old　business　student　at　
Northeastern　University；　who　had　worked　from　January　to　June　of　2001　as　a　work…study　
intern　at　the　Merrill　Lynch　office　on　the　fourteenth　floor　of　1　World　Trade　Center。　
Both　Candace's　mother　and　colleagues　described　her　to　The　New　York　Times　as　a　young　
woman　full　of　energy　and　ambition；　who　loved　her　internship。　Indeed；　Candace's　
colleagues　at　Merrill　Lynch　liked　her　so　much　they　took　her　to　dinner　on　her　last　
day　of　work；　sent　her　home　in　a　limousine；　and　later　wrote　Northeastern　to　say；　〃Send　
us　five　more　like　Candace。〃　A　few　weeks　after　finishing　midterm　exams…she　was　on　a　
June…December　academic　schedule…Candace　Lee　Williams　decided　to　meet　her　roommate　
at　her　home　in　California。　Candace　had　recently　made　the　dean's　list。　〃They'd　rented　
a　convertible　preparing　for　the　occasion；　and　Candace　wanted　her　picture　taken　with　
that　Hollywood　sign；〃　her　mother；　Sherri；　told　the　Times。　
Unfortunately；　Candace　took　the　American　Airlines　Flight　11　that　departed　from　
Boston's　Logan　Airport　on　the　morning　of　September　11；　2001；　at　8：02　a。m。　The　plane　
was　hijacked　at　8：14　a。m。　by　five　men；　including　Mohammed　Atta；　who　was　in　seat　8D。　
With　Atta　at　the　controls；　the　Boeing　767…223ER　was　diverted　to　Manhattan　and　slammed　
Candace　Lee　Williams　right　back　into　the　very　same　World　Trade　Center　tower…between　
floors　94　and　98…where　she　had　worked　as　an　intern。　
Airline　records　show　that　she　was　seated　next　to　an　eighty…year…old　grandmother…two　
people　at　opposites　ends　of　life：　one　full　of　memories；　one　full　of　dreams。　
What　does　this　story　say　to　me？　It　says　this：