Entrepreneurship LO7800

Ray Evans Harrell (mcore@soho.ios.com)
Sun, 9 Jun 1996 12:30:55 -0400

Replying to LO7772 --

Chris,
I believe that the problem of language is a very important one.
In a global economic situation (remember the man who asked the initial
question was from China) we run a great risk of misunderstandings because
of the slight changes in meaning that are implied from common usage. That
is the reason the dictionary came into being, i.e. to work out
multi-national (remember the Norman's and Saxons not to mention the
Romans), cross cultural and even cross professional agreements. If I am
in your company I might understand that meaning, but if I am in Korea or
Indonesia and am looking up the meaning of the word it will be gibberish
if the denotative is not used correctly. I believe the issue is not usage
which usually relates to slang and fad, but connotation which is a part of
the grammar. Consider language to be a map that is taking you somewhere,
you might end up somewhere you did not mean.

Americans have been forced to learn other cultures maps but generally have
been very casual about their own. As a result the self knowledge is often
not very high and is confusing to a foreigner. This also, I believe,
makes us very uncomfortable being poly-lingual. Our initial language is
so weak that we can't imagine another.

As for entrpreneurship, the key, which seems to be operative from the
Dictionary is the issue of one individual who takes the responsibility for
the elements of risk to the other individuals who operate in the area of
investors.

I believe this scholarship problem is one of the reasons for our very low
level of cultural and scientific sophistication. I find it maddening that
our people are not truly concerned with using up non-renewable resources
at a frightening rate (mis-naming it "development") while, unlike the
Oriental countries with few natural resources, letting our people go to
rot educationally. Every time I see an Asian national in our schools and
see a homeless (possible genius) person on the street, I remind myself
that the knowledge will go home to Asia and they will eventually be the
owners of that Intellectual Capital and we will be left with the missed
opportunity of that homeless person who we will have to pay for in some
way or other.

To me, like to Benjamin Lee Whorf, your language shapes the world you see.
If you are not precise with your maps you will never know the way home.
Which reminds me of that joke about the old man found sitting beside the
road on his wedding day to a beautiful young wife who loved him deeply. He
could remember what he was missing but he couldn't remember how to get
there.

Regards,

Ray Evans Harrell
mcore@soho.ios.com

=======================================================
>Dear Ray,
>Here's a thought or two as I skim your message and dictionary findings on
>entrepreneurship:
>Responsibility and risk seem like key words. Supposing in an
>organization each of us takes responsibility for the whole system and
>helps co-workers be more mindful of that whole system and its wellbeing.
>Couldn't we each & all then be entrepreneurial on behalf of that whole
>system?.
>Chris Lowenberg
>600 Stratford Ct.
>Lansdale PA 19446
>Phone 215 362-8195
>Fax 215 362-2315
>tcecosue@astro.ocis.temple.edu
>http://astro.ocis.temple.edu/~tcecosue/
>
>

-- 

mcore@soho.ios.com (Ray Evans Harrell)

Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>