Korea Part II- A Story of Sacrifice

I finished my MBA program with a trip to Korea to study the business environment and what I got was a valuable cultural experience.  In 1953 as a result of the devastation caused by the Korean War the city of Seoul was described as unrecognizable, yet today it is one of the world’s largest cities.  Korea’s 50 million people make them the 25th largest country in the world while their GDP is ranked 15th.  For a 60 year old economy this achievement can be described as nothing short of a miracle and that is what is written on the walls in the lobbies of some of their largest businesses.    The question I kept asking myself was how Korea 

achieved such success.

Korea Part I-Where is my box?

As part of my MBA program I recently spent a week in Korea as an exchange student.  I was both excited and nervous to be visiting one of the largest cities in the world.  I have a tendency to live within a box and global travel and experiencing cultures outside of my own are way beyond the walls of my box.  I also am not much of an experimenter when it comes to food and that box is even smaller and boarders on peculiar.  So when I arrived in Korea and was introduced to eating Kimchee while sitting on the floor without shoes my box was blown to smithereens and I was on the adventure of my life. 

  

In loving memory of Raymond Lutzke 1957-2013

Raymond Lutzke was simply the most inspirational man I have ever known.  Ray was born mentally handicapped and grew up down the street from my childhood home in a neighborhood full of kids just outside of Toledo, Ohio.  He was much larger than all the other kids and his mere size could be intimidating.  Our neighborhood had a small community swimming pool that was the spot where we all hung out all summer long.  It was the perfect place for kids to burn off their excess energy while teenagers flirted with their latest crush and parents could relax and gossip with the neighbors.  We all loved the pool, including Ray.  I am sure that’s where we met.   

I Met a Man on a Plane Today

I fly a lot and my usual routine is to find my seat get comfortable and occupy myself with something.  Continental now has Direct TV on most flights and I can rely on that, if nothing else, to keep me occupied.  On today’s flight a very polite man sat next to me.  I say polite because he called me sir and said please and thank you in virtually every sentence that came out of his mouth.  He was a studious guy first checking the news and markets on his iPAD and then on Direct TV.   He mentioned he was going to the Corporate Headquarters of his employer that happens to be near my home.  When I asked how long his stay would be he told me he was on a flight back home tonight.  A quick turn like that begged a question, why?  My tendency is to ask questions sometimes without thinking.  He said he had to return home because he had lost his brother on 9/11/01 and this weekend marked the tenth anniversary of this horrible tragedy and he needed to be home with his family and friends.