The wrong trip

Most failed ecosystems don’t fall from bad ideas. They fall from polite agreement.

Everyone nods in meetings — government, business, universities — but few say what they really think. And before long, the whole region’s halfway to Abilene, working on plans nobody truly believes in.

That’s how alignment turns into drift. Money gets spent, reports get written, and the work loses its edge.

Real integration needs friction. The kind that tests ideas, not egos. The kind that builds trust by earning it.

Progress doesn’t come from silence. It comes from saying, “this part’s not working,” and staying long enough to fix it.

If the trail feels off, stop the convoy. Better a pause now than another trip to nowhere.