We are not merely consumers of knowledge.

Sadly, because of our caste system, we can’t wrap our heads around this fundamental given: We are not merely consumers of knowledge.

In other words, rank confers us privileges – including knowledge – that, wittingly or not, we (a) defer to those above us and (b) pull rank on those below us.

As Rizal saw it, we submit to tyranny because we love it.

Let’s hold it right there.

Do we wonder why we can’t move to a “growth mindset” – beyond a “fixed mindset”?

How can we then “create knowledge”?

We stand proud that we do logical thinking; while failing to recognize that it restricts us to linear and incremental thinking.

Consider: We are parochial and insular. We value hierarchy and paternalism and rely on political patronage and oligarchy; ours is a culture of impunity.

Unsurprisingly, Philippine education, like its economy, lags behind our neighbors.

The bottom line: Unless we overcome parochialism and insularity, we limit ourselves as consumers of knowledge because we are (a) deferential to hierarchy, (b) stuck to a “fixed mindset,” (c) uninformed of the “state-of-the-art,” (d) uneducated on freedom, democracy, and the free market, and (e) unschooled on forward, lateral, and creative thinking.

The evidence? We have been the regional laggard for the longest time.

And we acknowledge that: “DTI industrialization push a welcome development,” EDITORIAL, The Manila Times, 25th Aug 2022.

"IN a Senate hearing earlier this week, Secretary Alfredo Pascual announced a major policy shift for the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). He intends to shift his department’s focus to industrialization, characterizing the country’s economic reliance on imports and remittances as “unsustainable.” That is most welcome policy development and decades overdue for the country.”

The policy shift – or industrialization push – is decades overdue.

In other words, it is not a secret, but we took it for granted because we were unprepared to come to grips with “reality.”

As Rizal saw it, we submit to tyranny because we love it.

Still, our challenge remains. We cannot turn Juan de la Cruz on a dime. For example, embracing forward, lateral, and creative thinking is not a walk in the park.

And it starts with upending our parochialism and insularity and challenging our deeply rooted instincts.

And that is why the blog found inspiration from my Eastern European friends that were born and raised as socialists under Soviet rule.

The big difference is that these people experienced infamy being the poorest country in Europe.

On the other hand, consider: “We used to boast that the Filipino family was the “social security” of the country: whatever went wrong, the family was always there to help each of us. We never seem to learn to stand on our own feet because we are confident that the family will always be behind us to prop us up.

“We have been conditioned by our family experience to expect somebody to pick us up when we fail. But the boss is not our “itay” or “inay.” We are no longer children.” [AN EDUCATOR’S REACTION TO ‘AMBISYON NATIN 2040’ – A WAKE-UP CALL TO THE TROUBLED SOUL OF OUR NATION (PART 1), Preciosa S. Soliven, The Philippine Star. 7th Sep 2017]

We are a rudderless ship, within and without our borders.

And so we like to debate democracy versus autocracy and pit the West against the rest of the world.

Why? Because we see ourselves as consumers of knowledge, and those higher up in the hierarchy are proud of our knowledge base. See above; we defer to those above us and pull rank on those below us.

Our caste system is the root of PH poverty.

Recall that “reality” is beyond any human experience or system. 

Consider: It is pointless to debate democracy versus autocracy. It is like comparing apples and oranges, the former being self-government.

Self-government is as good or as bad as the governed conduct themselves.

Let’s say that one more time: Self-government is as good or as bad as the governed conduct themselves.

What would be the blog’s character if I retired from a Philippine oligarchy instead of the eight years under my belt?

How did I become a citizen of the world? 

And why did I opt to be a volunteer development worker in the poorest European country over “a life of leisure” retirement plan?

Given that we are a subset of the Universe, we can’t be an island unto ourselves. We cannot afford not to be in constant motion and expansion.

Recall how the blog explains freedom, democracy, and free enterprise: Personal responsibility is imperative to pursue the common good. And why the blog often references St. Francis, who saw the oneness of the Universe. 

And today, the Franciscans continue to be critical of extremism on the right or left. They shun the “holier than thou” mantra.

Still, the blog keeps offering translations of the above premises to real-world terms.

Let's start with our hubris, given our knowledge base.

I gave two examples from my old MNC company.

It is a two-hundred-year-old Fortune 500 doing business in over 200 countries. The bosses did not assume that their knowledge base was superior. It chose to change its planning and budget model after the president saw how the model we created in the Asia Pacific worked better in “getting the best” out of its people.

And again, when the company was in a race to discover the following generation formula for its most prominent brand. Recall that I cut through the bureaucracy and bought technology outside despite our technology center’s over a thousand scientists.

We are not merely consumers of knowledge. We can and must create knowledge given that we are a subset of the Universe that is in constant motion and expansion.

And why would people born and raised socialists under Soviet rule want to embrace freedom, democracy, and the free market?

Because they realized that they could create knowledge and outdo the industry’s most significant western player, and they’re still hard at work. Look how they navigated the global recession of 2008-2009 and how they are dealing with the fallouts of the pandemic. And even Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

On the other hand, how come we Filipinos keep sinking into the abyss?

Our caste system is the root of Philippine poverty.

The good news is that the DTI is shifting its focus to industrialization. But that will not be a walk in the park.

Benchmark before we can industrialize. We must recognize the state-of-the-art courtesy of our neighbors. It is beyond conventional fiscal and monetary interventions.

We are not merely consumers of knowledge.

Sadly, because of our caste system, we can’t wrap our heads around this fundamental given: We are not merely consumers of knowledge.

In other words, rank confers us privileges – including knowledge – that, wittingly or not, we (a) defer to those above us and (b) pull rank on those below us.

As Rizal saw it, we submit to tyranny because we love it.

The bottom line: Unless we overcome parochialism and insularity, we limit ourselves as consumers of knowledge because we are (a) deferential to hierarchy, (b) stuck to a “fixed mindset,” (c) uninformed of the “state-of-the-art,” (d) uneducated on freedom, democracy, and the free market, and (e) unschooled on forward, lateral, and creative thinking.

Gising bayan!