Innovations & Inspirations

The past two months have been special.  Each experience could be the subject of a post, but I’ll attempt to capture my learnings (or lack of) succinctly from the 3 highlights:

• I spent a week in Israel and then a day in the West Bank meeting entrepreneurs.  Never before have I heard two sides of an argument and felt so equally compelled by emotion, logic, and passion.  Tel Aviv and Jerusalem are stunning, and Ramallah could not be more different despite being so close.  The longer I stayed, the more I realized how little I knew about one of the most complex issues globally.  Religion has extraordinary power to unite.  It also has extraordinary power to divide.
• I left Cuba deeply honored to be part of such a historic trip, but with a heavy heart. The hospitality, warmth, and drive of the Cuban people made me fall in love with our neighbors.  The locals, for the most part, embrace America.  But entrenched interests (i.e. the Communist Party) don’t.  The country is behind (there are only a handful of wifi hotspots in the whole country, doctors make less than a $1/day…), but the people are looking forward.  I hope change is coming.
• I sat at the dinner table of President Jimmy Carter last night at the We Are Family Foundation Gala, my first time ever dining at the same table as an American President.  We talked about his health, the issue he is most passionate about (eradicating Guinea worm – he is close), and his mentee (and my hero) Mattie Stepanek.  He didn’t just inspire me with his words, but also his energy.  At 91, he has a vibrancy for life and a zest for change that is invigorating.  His legacy will live on far longer than him.

“We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles.” – President Jimmy Carter