Worldly Philosophers Club

The Worldly Philosophers, Vol.2, Number 2	February 19, 2008
THE Worldly Philosophers Club For Individualists Who Seek Worldly Wisdom

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MARCO POLO:
THE PLEASURES AND PERILS OF A WORLD TRAVELER
By Mark Skousen

In this issue . . . -

	The advantages of traveling the globe
	How commerce and trade cures prejudices
	A new book on the life and times of Marco Polo

“Ye emperors, Kings, Dukes, Marquises, Earls, and Knights, and all other people desirous of knowing the diversities of kingdoms, provinces, and regions of all parts of the East, read this book!” -- The Travels of Marco Polo (1298)

Dear Worldly Philosopher,

Like the great Italian adventurer, Marco Polo (1254-1324), I’ve always enjoyed traveling the globe. After a month of living at home, I get a wanderlust and look forward to my next trip. Home is important, and always something to come back to, but there’s nothing like breaking away from the routine and visiting foreign lands and experiencing how strangers live. Who knows? It may even make you a better investor and a better person.

I admire my friends who travel regularly and have lived abroad. Jimmy Rogers, a modern-day Marco Polo, has traveled the world twice, once on a motorcycle as told in his book “Investment Biker” and another in a sports car as told in “Adventure Capitalist.”

Paul and Vicki Torhorst are PTs, meaning “permanent travelers,” although the recently built a home in Argentina. They’ve lived in such diverse places as Mexico, Paris, Thailand, and Las Vegas (!). To know more about the Terhorsts, see my September 24, 2007, issue of WP: http://www.worldlyphilosophers.com/sept24_terhorst.htm

I sometimes answer to the name “Marco Polo,” because I have lectured or visited 70 countries, and am planning to visit my 71st nation when I speak at a conference in Belize, Central America (formerly British Honduras) next month. (Of course, my friend Doug Casey puts us all to shame, having visited some 150 countries.)

Last month I picked up a copy of “The Travels of Marco Polo,” a personal account of his travels to China, the first Westerner to report on the mysterious East. Marco Polo was born into a merchant family in Venice in 1254 and traveled throughout Asia with his father and uncle. He was gone for 27 years, and their relatives had long given up hope that they were alive. At the end of his illustrious career, he wrote down his astonishing tale.

To compliment his history, a recent biography has been published by historian Laurence Bergreen called “Marco Polo: From Venice to Xanadu,” both in hardback and audio CD. Lately I’ve been listening to the audio CD, which has been very helpful to fill in the details of Marco Polo’s fascinating journey. Bergreen points out that there are over 100 versions of Marco Polo's history, so there is plenty to dispute.

The Benefits of Globe Trotting

The impressionable Marco Polo began traveling as a teenager, and was fascinated with all things new. The three Polos (his father, uncle, and he) were merchants who were constantly curious about trade, money, risks and profits. But he also had an eye for nature, and in his journal made numerous references to birds, animals, trees and fruits. He wrote in detail about geography, hunting, sports, and the culture of the Mongols and the Chinese, including their sex life. In fact, Bergreen contends that Marco Polo succumb to the sexual promiscuity of the nomadic inhabitants of the Gobi Desert in the Middle East. He also become entrenched in the politics of Kublai Klan, great emperor of the Tartars and ruler of the East.

Marco Polo’s discoveries opened up a whole new world to the West. He saw the invention of paper money, book publishing through movable type, new products like silk and coconut, and the use of coal as fuel. He may have witnessed the use of gunpowder in producing rockets during this time. As one historian writes, “A thousand, or even a hundred, cultured men living in China at this time and returning home at various periods would have changed the course of human events.”

With exception of silk, Italians refused to believe Marco Polo’s fantastic tales, much to their loss. As a result, the “dark ages” lasted a few more centuries in the West.

On the other hand, there was one benefit to a long distance between China and Europe in the 13th century. The Mongolians, led by Kublai Klan, were so ferocious that they conquered the whole of China. If they had turned on the West, they may have conquered the world.

Today, it is the Chinese who are borrowing from the West and reinventing a new version of capitalism. Fortunately, we have the means to profit by investing in top Chinese companies and funds. One of my favorite is the Templeton Dragon Fund, run by Mark Mobius, himself another modern-day Marco Polo (he travels constantly throughout Asia to find the best companies).

Traveling Corrects Misconceptions and Makes You More Tolerant

Traveling abroad can correct any misunderstandings or inaccurate views of a country and its people. Marco Polo witnessed many Eastern traditions that went counter to Western culture and religion, causing him to be more tolerant and open minded. "Commerce cures destructive prejudices," writes Montesquieu in his great work, "The Spirit of the Laws." "It polishes and softens barbarous mores....The natural effect of commerce is to lead to peace."

I find that whenever I visit a country for the first time, I’m always surprised that things are different from what I expected. For example, in the 1970s and 1980s, I was under the impression from what I had read in the press that the Japanese were wealthier than Americans, and had a higher standard of living. After all, they were buying up Hawaiian hotels and apartments, and the Rockefeller Center in New York City. Then in the late 1980s, I finally took my first trip to Tokyo and surrounding regions. I was shocked to see the Japanese living in tiny apartments, all crammed together. Although they had lots of electronic gadgets and appliances in their homes, their lifestyle was very confining compared to America and its open spaces.

Good living, AEIOU,

Marco Polo

P. S. We have several world traveler and investment gurus speaking at my private international conference, FreedomFest, July 10-12, in Las Vegas: Frank Holmes, president of U. S. Global Investors; Nicholas Vardy, editor of the Global Guru; Ken Schoolland, professor of economics at Hawaii Pacific University and author of the delightful novel, “The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible.” 88 speakers and 100 exhibitors in all. We even have a speaker from the Audubon Society speaking on "Free as a Bird: The Pleasures of Bird Watching." Marco Polo would love it. To sign up, call Tami Holland, 1-866-266-5101, or go to www.freedomfest.com. Early bird discount ends on March 15 so call today!