Village Intelligence

About 40 folks from elite universities decided to head into a 15-day village immersion, leaving behind all the comforts of their home, to understand the lives and mindsets of many millions of their rural brothers and sisters.



In my talk, I spoke to them about tuning into "village intelligence".  It is very different from the kind of intelligence we learn elsewhere.  Village intelligence tells you it's okay to give a tomato as gift; it tells it's okay to not be obsessed about your retirement plan; it tells you that it's okay to tell someone, "I'm not sure how old I am.  Maybe 80, give or take a few years." 

In the village of India, you can learn that it's not about the quantity of your giving but the quality.  That social connections offer far greater security than banks and markets.  That the dials on your clock move in proportion to the waves of your mind.

Unfortunately, not all villagers today are connected to this intelligence, but you can still find it in many people.   

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