The diversity here in Silicon Valley can literally be witnessed on every corner. I’m a Brazilian and I don’t even feel like I’m a foreigner. It’s no coincidence that Silicon Valley is considered one of the world’s centers of creativity and innovation, attracting some of the brightest minds in the midst of this tech boom we’re currently in.
Examine things up close, we realize that innovation and creativity emerge from our expressive abilities and capacities. We are constantly thinking and, therefore, we are constantly creating. Among the many variables that lead to success, depositing faith in our own stories and ideas may be one of the most challenging things in life: whether it’s our expressive audacity or by financing our ideas and turning them into realities – not to mention overcoming all the bureaucratic aspects.
Just think about how often we hold ourselves back out of fear of being criticized. The number of standards we have to abide by is inversely proportional to the number of new ideas we manifest, precisely because innovation and creativity mean breaking with tradition. But imagine living in an environment in which contemplating “different things” is encouraged as opposed to frowned upon.
It is precisely at this intersection between welcoming environments and abundant resources that innovation flourishes. And that is precisely what I have witnessed here in Silicon Valley: people of different ethnicities and backgrounds coexisting and making trades by means of a new configuration of values. I’ve noticed that the need to impress others with material goods and appearances is not as strong, while the emphasis given to creativity and expression is much greater. In simple, general terms (without delving into what is right or wrong, for that is relative), I’ve noticed that people here value who you are more than the things you possess.
This configuration inevitably makes me reflect on all the talent and ideas that are squandered in Brazil due to the fact that we still live in a conservative society where we are constantly trying to fit in. Just imagine if there were more equal opportunity and if contact with that which is different were considered pleasant? We are made up of so many different peoples, ethnicities, cultures and religions, and yet I feel that the projects that gain the most attention are precisely the ones that benefit the same old groups as before.
It’s hard to think of innovation in the midst of so much separation. I know that the country is trying to sponsor a more innovation-friendly economic agenda, but I can’t help but point out that there’s no point in being an extremely diverse country if only a small social group possesses access to all the tools needed to effectively express itself. It’s like having a garage filled with different car models that have a huge variety of paint jobs, but only a handful of people know how to drive and they always go out with the same cars.
How do we become more inclusive and strengthen that which goes beyond our notion of normality? How do we connect and bolster the various worlds that exist within Brazil? We can think in terms of globalization, international treaties, etc, but at the end of the day, we Brazilians – and we alone – are capable of organizing and reinventing our own home.
Originally Published at https://spdiario.com.br/fernando-maskobi-inovando-ou-copiando/