If it is not apparent yet, the blog relates the concept of sets and subsets in modern math to our reality, being a subset of the universe. In other words, the existence of divine oneness.
And why a growth mindset is in keeping with the dynamic character – i.e., 24/7 – of the universe. The growth mindset isn’t exclusive to Bill Gates though it isn’t surprising he represents the 1-% phenomenon. And why at Microsoft, it is religion.
And because Gates has internalized its import, he recognizes that we can’t manifest the growth mindset in every facet of our endeavors. For example, he admits that when playing basketball, he doesn’t. Yet, when playing bridge, he does.
It applies to me too and the wife. I was in the middle of working on our tax organizer — before the accountant can do the taxes — and writing this posting when she needed assistance in the kitchen. And I failed only to see her do it herself. A short time later, when I was getting set to do an errand, she asked to add a stop for something she needed. This time I made a caveat that I’m in between chores but will do so once my mind settles.
The brain is powerful, yet it has to be managed and directed to deliver its potential. And why the blog distinguishes cognitive development from intelligence. Or that a hardy or robust mindset has 3 Cs: Commitment, Challenge, Control.
For example, we Filipinos must commit to the challenge of turning poverty into prosperity. But to succeed, we must recognize that we control only ourselves. We cannot dictate on others, yet we can leverage situations to our advantage. And it explains why Lee and Mahathir told Deng to “Beg for Western money and technology.”
And in this century, where innovation and global competitiveness are the entry prices, we cannot afford to stick to Pinoy abilidad.
Recall the “The Innovator’s DNA” by Jeffrey H. Dyer, Hal Gregersen, and Clayton M. Christensen, Harvard Business Review, 2009 December. “The ability to successfully connect seemingly unrelated questions, problems, or ideas from different fields, is central to the innovator’s DNA.
Still, can we internalize “dynamism”?
Sadly, we haven’t demonstrated that we can. And it explains why we may be overtaken even by Cambodia and Myanmar sooner than later. On the other hand, we’re into destiny, as in poverty – that we are a poor country, and Juan de la Cruz’s primary need is paternalism.
And it comes down to our instincts: We are parochial and insular. We value hierarchy and paternalism and rely on political patronage and oligarchy that ours is a culture of impunity.
Should we blame Padre Damaso? But aren’t we the present-day Padre Damaso?
In other words, rank has its privileges – RHIP. We in the Philippine elite class will always call the shots. Because we can dispense paternalism – and it is all that keeps Juan de la Cruz on an even keel. And there is the World Bank to lend us tens of millions (USD) for the 4Ps.
We call it destiny – as in we shall be the regional laggard if not the laughingstock of the world.
“As an economist and political analyst, I am painfully aware that the country has two fatal weaknesses which, unless resolved, will consign future generations of Filipinos to a life of poverty and struggle. These weaknesses are our ever-eroding educational system and a fundamentally weak economy.” [“A sensible presidential or vice-presidential choice,” Andrew J. Masigan, THE CORNER ORACLE, The Philippine Star, 17th Mar 2021]
“Even before the pandemic struck, the economy was already standing on shaky ground. Ours is an economy based on consumption, not propelled by production.
“Exacerbating matters is our laws, which is one of the world’s most restrictive to foreign investors. Our “laws” (and our inhospitable business environment) have deprived us of valuable foreign investments, technology transfer, taxes, and jobs. It is why our manufacturing sector has not fully developed and why we will soon be surpassed even by Cambodia.
“On education, a global assessment conducted by the Program of International Student Assessment (PISA) tells the story of the state of Philippine education.
“In reading, or the ability of students to identify the main idea of a moderately long text, Filipino children were dead last among 79 nationalities evaluated. The test showed that none of our students could comprehend lengthy text, deal with abstract concepts, or distinguish between fact and opinion.
“In math, or the ability to interpret mathematics in simple situations (e.g., comparing currencies), Filipino students were second to the last among all nationalities tested. In science, or the ability to recognize basic scientific principles, Filipino students were 71st out of 79. Less than one percent of Filipino students are at the level of their counterparts from Singapore.
“At the rate – our educational system is spiraling – the majority of next-generation Filipinos will be manual laborers or low-cost workers. The need to reform our educational system is dire.”
Here’s a quote from an earlier posting: “How else could we have ended up trailing far behind our neighbors whose pioneer agricultural scientists trained and studied with us at UPLB?
“And this is where I began to see Doctor Javier’s point in saying that ‘we (at UPLB) were part of the problem.’ As he listed six areas of reform UPLB must pursue, his first item immediately resonated with me: UPLB must build strength in the long-undervalued social sciences — economics, sociology, psychology, and anthropology included — and their crucial application to agricultural policy and governance.
“He recalled how the late great Dr. Gelia Castillo, National Scientist in Sociology, had once lamented that social scientists were ‘second-class citizens’ in a world-class university that UPLB is — and he noted that they appear to remain so today. ‘It is about time to recognize [that] the more significant challenges in our agriculture are not so much the agri part but the culture dimension.
“The bigger and more problematic part of our challenges in agriculture had to do with governance and social conflict.” [“Great man, great ideas;” Cielito F. Habito, NO FREE LUNCH, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 9th Mar 2021]
Then consider: The blog often references the failings of American higher education and the ensuing discovery of the 21st-century skills – of (1) Critical Thinking, (B) Creativity, (C) Collaboration, and (D) Communication.
In other words, we have our job cut out for us – in education and the economy.
Let’s pause right there and ponder.
Has the OFW phenomenon exacerbated our brain drain? Teachers – and doctors, nurses, among others – have left for the simple reason that they can’t make both ends meet and accept jobs as caregivers.
Is our underdevelopment the root cause of Juan de la Cruz’s predicament?
That is why Einstein called it “insanity.” The more we invoke “Pinoy abilidad,” the more we sink into the abyss.
Recall our instincts: We are parochial and insular. We value hierarchy and paternalism and rely on political patronage and oligarchy that ours is a culture of impunity.
Let’s get back to Padre Damaso. We won’t touch him with a ten-foot pole, yet we mirror him. Unsurprisingly, Rizal called us out: He who submits to tyranny loves it.
Padre Damaso is the epitome of binary thinking, i.e., dualism instead of relativism, which reflected his cognitive development level.
As the blog asserts, our neighbors are far-advanced in cognitive development and leverage what this world has to offer. “Beg for Western money and technology,” said Lee and Mahathir to Deng.
A couple of them are today ahead of the US in the democracy index. Again, not a surprise because, just like other wealthy nations, right-wing extremism has taken hold in America.
That is why Pope Francis has spoken against taking religion as a license for extremism. And has continued to preach about divine oneness; Christ is about restorative justice, not retributive. In other words, the Creator wants to restore humankind to its character, in his image and likeness.
The Creator is a God of love, as we know from the story of the prodigal Son and Romans 8:31. “What then shall we say of these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
“We know that God is for us because he sent his one and only Son to die for us and redeem us from the sin and rebellion that once separated us from God. But now, because of Christ, none of these things can separate us from God, because he has proven that he is ‘for us.’”
But why is there evil? Because humankind may opt to reject this unconditional love. On the other hand, the “Good thief” did not.
The Jesuits and Franciscans, for example, continue to echo the teaching. Who are we to take the law into our hands? Padre Damaso did.
Does Padre Damaso explain why we lag our neighbors in cognitive development? Because we still claim we are “holier than thou”?
And we don’t have to go very far. We in the Philippine elite class assume that we can lift Juan de la Cruz from poverty’s bondage. And we have several poverty measures under our belt to reinforce the assumption.
Unfortunately, because of our parochialism and insularity, we can’t see beyond our shores.
I still remember hosting delegations from the WB-IMF at my old Philippine-company facility being a pioneering enterprise. And that was only four years after I had visited the Esso refinery in Singapore. And when I saw this city-state again, I was a guess to their light industry economic zone – a customer of their heavy-duty oil piping valves they produced in partnership with a US company.
And they were already well on their way to becoming a first-world nation.
In the meantime, we continue to lionize our top companies. Yet, over the span of almost 50 years, our eight top companies can’t even match one Vietnam enterprise’s economic contribution.
That is how we allowed ourselves to regress and why today we remain an underdeveloped economy and nation.
That is not our destiny. Underdevelopment is what we brought upon ourselves.
But we won’t figure out how to overcome our predicament if we don’t learn to look outward to our neighbors and forward – to want to traverse poverty to prosperity.
Padre Damaso won’t let us move up in cognitive development – from binary thinking to relativism. And it explains why even a world-class institution like the UPLB can acknowledge that they were part of the problem.
The challenge of education and the economy is well beyond Juan de la Cruz unless we come to recognize that we are not “holier than thou.” And that especially applies to us in the Philippine elite class.
Why does the blog keep speaking to (a) our caste system and (b) instincts and (c) our inability to internalize social mobility, and (d) not to rely on political patronage and oligarchy?
Gising bayan!
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