Can we internalize “dynamism and interdependence”? Let’s pause right there – and ponder.
Consider: Amongst our neighbors, only Mongolia is less competitive than we are. And Juan de la Cruz pays a heavy price – abject poverty.
But the word “competitive” bothers us because it smacks of insensitivity – and a lack of compassion. We are Asians, and we value harmony.
And that’s precisely the point. We are stuck in our particular perspective, reflective of where we are in the cognitive development scale – of dualistic to relative thinking. And in more ways than one, it is because of our lack of experience in development.
Every time we visit Singapore or KL, or even Bangkok, our eyes go green with envy. The evidence? In our heart of hearts: we know we are the regional laggard.
That is why the blog often speaks to the character of creation and the universe. They are about dynamism and interdependence – as in the photosynthesis phenomenon. It is not static nor permanent. And Darwin codified it via his treatise on the “survival of the fittest.”
Yet, our instincts presuppose static and permanence – as in our caste system: We are parochial and insular. So, we value hierarchy and paternalism and rely on political patronage and oligarchy that ours is a culture of impunity.
That’s why the blog never tires of reminding us that we are the present-day Padre Damaso. We are more catholic than the pope.
Here’s a quote from an earlier posting: “Even the conservative US bishops did not follow through with their instincts. They won't withhold Communion from politicians. Days after a vote triggered a tsunami of Catholic debate about Communion and politics, leading US Catholic bishops working on an upcoming pronouncement about the sacrament are now deemphasizing confrontation with President Biden or other Catholic politicians who support abortion rights.
“A public document on the Eucharist is very appropriate. But it must focus on ‘How do we attract people and make the beauty of what it means to us more evident to our young people and for them to understand why it’s so significant, instead of being focused on who can and who cannot receive.’” [The Washington Post, 25th May 2021]
Recall that the blog always speaks to the Philippine Constitution as an expression of our instincts. In other words, systems or institutions are a human construct. They are not cast in stone given the demands of this universe, i.e., dynamism and interdependence.
But then again, we in the Philippine elite class are predisposed to speak in absolutes – as in binary or dualistic thinking. And it is not surprising given rank has its privileges.
The evidence? We created a Marcos and a Duterte. Yet, given our reactive than proactive nature, we are raising issues against Duterte now, but not before. Why before? What he did in Davao explains why EJKs have become our reality – and why we are the pariah to the rest of the world.
But then again, that goes back to our caste system, our instincts.
That’s why the blog never fails to raise our struggles with foreign and trade relations.
See above; systems and institutions are a human construct – and dynamism and interdependence reflect the character of creation and the universe.
Moreover, democracy is the mirror image of Christianity, i.e., the imperative of personal responsibility for the common good.
Recall the poverty in China – as there was in every one of our neighbors, if not every country. Then think of how Lee and Mahathir advised Deng Xiaoping to “beg for Western money and technology.”
In other words, even the communist system is a human construct. And so, Deng committed China to be a “good neighbor” to the rest of the world. And he did. And ever since, for example, the US has invested over a trillion dollars in China. What did China do in return? They have invested in US treasuries to the tune of over a trillion dollars. It is a classic case of interdependence.
If the communist system is a human construct, so are democratic and market systems. In other words, they are also dynamic, i.e., not cast in stone. That’s why they come in different shapes and colors.
Recall that the blog always raises that despite their imperfections, freedom-loving nations come together and commit personal responsibility for the common good.
But then again, perfection is not of this world. There will be despots and autocracies – and they are a culture of impunity. Unsurprisingly, we remain unsettled about foreign and trade relations.
In other words, because we created a Marcos and a Duterte, we can’t just toss a culture of impunity. Because it comes from our instincts – expressed in our caste system.
Consider: Do we wonder why despite the adventurism of Russia and China that the United States and its allies have not resorted to the 21st century “D-Day” or rehash Hiroshima and Nagasaki? The world has learned its lessons, and that's why interdependence, as demonstrated by nature, is valued – especially by freedom-loving nations.
For the recent Fourth of July celebration, France loaned a mini ‘Statue of Liberty’ to join the original in the New York harbor, to remind freedom-loving nations to uphold democratic ideals and values.
Sadly, given the enormous challenges Juan de la Cruz faces, we can’t find relevance in such ideals and values. For example, beyond military power is soft power. Recall how Kennedy turned around the Cuban missile crisis and averted what could have been WWIII.
And I can speak to soft power given the almost two decades I’ve assisted my Eastern European friends. And in recognition, they offered me citizenship. How many more Belarus would we have today if the West did not deploy soft power post the fall of the Soviet empire?
As the blog has discussed, despite Trump’s appeal to the far-right wing of the GOP, the majority of Americans won’t submit to tyranny.
In other words, even among Americans, the nuances inherent in cognitive development aren't a given precisely because binary thinking molds the instincts of specific sectors within any shared universe.
For example, what I’ve done in Eastern Europe, while beneficial to these people, created a competition for Western enterprises, including Americans. That is how Trump attacked globalization, i.e., America first.
But if American exceptionalism is to flourish and for freedom-loving people to uphold democratic ideals and values, the US can’t be static. It must represent dynamism and demonstrate interdependence and be the best practice model. And that’s why I called out The Economist article that I sensed wavered from the imperative of “dynamism and interdependence.”
Consider: How did the US overcome Japan Inc.? By moving the world from the analog age to digital. In other words, this universe is dynamic, and the US has no business being the hegemon if it can’t survive by being the fittest,
Let’s get to trade relations.
We cannot overcome being the regional laggard until we internalize dynamism and interdependence – because we will be victims of Darwin’s “survival of the fittest.”
Think of the Asian Tigers, and then China, and now Vietnam – i.e., they have cornered FDIs because they embraced dynamism and interdependence.
Many of us, myself included, are involved in teaching, if not educating others – or those following us. And because of our value of hierarchy, we can’t instinctively walk in another’s shoes.
Consider: I assisted my Eastern European friends in elevating an MSME to be a global player in the industry, respected by Western behemoths. They were born and raised as socialists under communist rule and required hours and hours of workshops – beyond lectures, i.e., to generate the best ideas – and installing systems and processes beyond physical facilities.
That’s why while they asked me to organize and develop a regional and then global sales organization, I stepped aside after two years because learning is experiential. They must learn how to swim or sink.
And today, they have attained state-of-the-art in many areas but haven’t morphed into complacency. They reflect dynamism to a T. Moreover, they have internalized interdependence. For example, in partnership with third-party providers from the West, they are the leading edge in three of their brands – and the journey continues.
In other words, interdependence is not limited to the global supply chain familiar to the Philippines. Many postings ago, the blog discussed how Steve Jobs tapped a Japanese technology, a hard disk the size of a dollar coin, in developing the iPod.
And the model extends to the chips technology and manufacturing. “A massive machine sold by a Dutch company has emerged as a critical lever for policymakers — and illustrates how any country’s hopes of building an utterly self-sufficient supply chain in semiconductor technology are unrealistic.
“ASML Holding, based in the Netherlands, makes the machine. Its system uses a different kind of light to define ultrasmall circuitry on chips, packing more performance into the small slices of silicon. The tool, which took decades to develop and introduced for high-volume manufacturing in 2017, costs more than $150 million. Shipping it to customers requires 40 shipping containers, 20 trucks, and three Boeing 747s.
“The complex machine is widely acknowledged as necessary for making the most advanced chips, an ability with geopolitical implications. The Trump administration successfully lobbied the Dutch government to block shipments of such a machine to China in 2019, and the Biden administration has shown no signs of reversing that stance.
“Manufacturers can’t produce leading-edge chips without the system that the Dutch firm ASML only makes. It would take China at least a decade to build its similar equipment. From China’s perspective, that is a frustrating thing.
“ASML’s machine has effectively turned into a choke point in the supply chain for chips, which act as the brains of computers and other digital devices. The tool’s three-continent development and production entailed expertise and parts from Japan, the United States, and Germany. It is also a reminder of just how global that supply chain is, providing a reality check for any country that wants to leap ahead – in semiconductor development – by itself.” [“The Tech Cold War’s ‘Most Complicated Machine’ That’s Out of China’s reach,” Don Clark, The New York Times, 4th Jul 2021]
In other words, even among the big guys, parochialism and insularity are out of place in the 21st century. Sadly, that is too way beyond our instincts.
One more time with feeling: Dynamism and interdependence are inherent in creation and the universe. That systems and institutions are a human construct and are not cast in stone.
Recall that I changed the planning and budgeting system of a 200-year-old Fortune 500. We probably only have one enterprise in the Philippines that is that old. But can we imagine a foreigner from a small, developing country coming over to tell this company to change its planning and budgeting system?
Still, because of our instincts, we miss the import.
I may have already shared it many postings ago, but it’s worth repeating: A couple of times, I objected and argued against the decisions of the president of my old MNC-company.
The first time was when I was a regional manager but still based in the Philippines. Over a senior staff meeting, I stopped the president to the shock of those in the conference room. A few years later, when I was already in New York, a similar subject came to the president’s desk. He called to say, “Why don’t you visit this country manager in Europe and show her the ropes.”
The other one was a policy he had issued to the entire global company. I happened to disagree. We were (soon after) on a business trip to Asia, and on the flight back to New York, we talked about it. “Please rewrite the policy and tell the manager that initiated the original policy to check with you every time they have something of this nature.”
Still, the president who valued the planning and budgeting system I installed in the region asked the CEO to make it a global model that required every manager to take the course designed for the purpose.
I have been outside the Philippines for over three decades and have lots more stories that demonstrate that systems and institutions are a human construct, not cast in stone.
And they explain why we struggle with foreign and trade relations to the detriment of Juan de la Cruz.
Why does Juan de la Cruz struggle to thrive in this world, this universe?
Gising bayan!
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