Beyond the knee jerk

There are leaders. And there are thought leaders. We in the chattering classes are supposed to be the thought leaders.

But then again, the Philippines is the regional laggard. After all, we don’t challenge the knee jerk, and our caste system smiles upon us. Are we then the de facto cheerleaders of the status quo?

The knee jerk is deceiving when it feels that we are building on technology, for example, when all it does is confirm the linear and the logical. Recall what happened to the IBM PC. And it came from the world’s most prolific innovator, with the most patents. 

Lenovo of China acquired IBM PC; meanwhile, Haier, also of China, now owns GE Appliances. In other words, it is not a surprise that Singapore today is more competitive than the US. And Vietnam is poised to overtake even Singapore.

Then think of Procter & Gamble. It had to take an activist investor for them to go against the status quo.

Can we Filipinos even in our dreams see how dynamic this world is?

We are on a downward spiral, recognize it or not. The excellent news is Pandemic 2020 brought every nation to their knees. And that gives us the chance to step on the gas.

But then, we need more than the DICT and a national ID. Indeed, they are enablers, but not drivers. We must distinguish between the two. It is like “analysis” and “analytics.” And analytics is beyond information technology: garbage-in, garbage-out.

The writer and his Eastern European friends are upgrading their current AI-driven IT reports. A supposedly state-of-the-art software still cannot generate the reports the group envisioned.

Recall these simple questions: Where are we? Where do we want to be? How do we get there?

Artificial intelligence is here, but not entirely. And why the writer even when WFH does his daily “analytics exercises” to ensure the enterprise is focused on the drivers – of revenues and margins and market shares. 

The good news is, in their heads, there is a template – the playbook they used to overcome the 2008 Great Recession.

But that is because, over several years, they kept creating the ecosystem. It is a virtuous circle. It starts with understanding human needs that then drive new product innovation; to bring it full circle through the trade channels until the consumers recognized their “reasons for being” – to respond to their needs and raise their well-being.

A virtuous circle is far beyond a knee jerk.

But let’s get back to the Philippines. Look at our per capita income versus our neighbors. That is why we are the regional laggard. We need the drivers to boost it through the roof – to beat the hell out of our neighbors.

It may feel good to wear our paternalistic hat, but there is only so much we can sprinkle around. We need the miracle of the loaves and fishes. But we are not Christ. We need to roll up our sleeves and drive per capita income like crazy.

We cannot figure out “where we want to be” if we can’t come to terms with “where are we.” That is why we always fall into the trap of linear and logical.

Sadly, how do we undo almost 50 years of dependence on OFW remittances?

Because of rising populism in the world, we want to celebrate our parochialism immediately. And many nations will do that. But then again, that opens the flood gates to those steeped in innovation.

How did the writer’s Eastern European friends move from one small, emerging country to selling in over 70 despite the crises of 2008 and 2020? Products and services that address the ever-changing human needs will always find a home.

Of course, we see that as consumerism and why we struggle to get a good handle on innovation. And innovation is not limited to 5G and AI, for example. Change is about responding to the dynamism of the universe. It is to be so, not to be static, as Juan de la Cruz insists. Blame Padre Damaso.

If we are ever to fix our higher education, it will have to start with something fundamental.

For example, if the best way to learn something is to teach it, those responsible for higher education will have to figure out how to move away from our static view of the world.

Dynamism won’t come if we continue to shelter our kids and do the same in our schools because of our caste system. It perpetuates the entitlement culture cum impunity.

But that is why we must build on our Christian heritage and how it relates to the universal law of “divine” oneness. And that the “common good” must be inherent in us. That beyond self, we must strive to attain what is right for all. What is odd is the crab mentality.

We now know that “All human beings are 99.9 percent identical in their genetic makeup. Differences in the remaining 0.1 percent hold important clues about the causes of diseases.

“Understanding more about diseases caused by a single gene (using genetics) and complex diseases caused by multiple genes and environmental factors (using genomics) can lead to earlier diagnoses, interventions, and targeted treatments. A person’s health flows from his/her family history and shared environmental factors. That makes family history an important, personalized tool that can help identify many of the causative factors for conditions that also have a genetic component. The family history can serve as the cornerstone for learning about genetic and genomic conditions in a family and developing individualized approaches to disease prevention, intervention, and treatment." [https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/fact-sheets/Genetics-vs-Genomics]

Then think of how Apple, for example, has moved into the pursuit of wellness and healthcare. Many that wear the Apple Watch know they became more health conscious with a little help from the device. Everyone thought Steve Jobs was merely an egoist: “We’re here to put a dent in the universe.”

Likewise, Laurene Powell Jobs is doing her part, committing her inheritance to follow through with her husband’s big dream.

“It’s a diverse set of concerns and reflects her belief that issues like poverty, education, personal health, and environmental justice are all interconnected.

‘When you pull one thread, you get the whole tapestry, she said. ‘When you’re working in the social sector, you actually cannot make any lasting forward movement when limited by one thing.’

“Ms. Powell Jobs, 56, is acting with a sense of urgency these days. She believes that President Trump’s statements and policies have unleashed dark forces that tear apart society’s very fabric.

‘There’s been a significant breakdown in Americans’ ability to speak to one another and to hear one another. That’s become much worse in the last three years, where there’s been full license given to the otherization of our neighbor.’

“Her conviction has brought Ms. Powell Jobs off the sidelines and into some of the most contentious political fights of the day. A longtime supporter of people brought into the United States as children, known as Dreamers, bought television ads opposing Mr. Trump’s decision to end a program that gave the group temporary protection from deportation. Last year, said Ms. Jobs, Mr. Trump’s attacks on the media were ‘right out of a dictator’s playbook,’ and gave a speech defending independent journalism.

“As someone attuned to society’s structural inequalities, Ms. Powell Jobs grasps the immensity of her privilege. She is a Silicon Valley billionaire, pushing back against the wealthy occupant of the White House. The very fact that such fortunes exist while others struggle to get by comes to her as unjust.

‘It’s not right for individuals to accumulate a massive amount of wealth equivalent to millions and millions of others combined. There’s nothing fair about that.’

“And yet Ms. Powell Jobs is hardly apologetic. ‘I inherited my wealth from my husband, who didn’t care about the accumulation of wealth. I am doing this in honor of his work. I’ve dedicated my life to doing the very best I can to effectively distribute it in ways that sustainably lift individuals and communities.

‘I’m not interested in legacy wealth buildings, and my children know that,’ she added. ‘Steve wasn’t interested in that. If I live long enough, it ends with me.’” [Laurene Powell Jobs Is Putting Her Own Dent in the Universe, David Gelles, Corner Office, The New York Times, 27th Feb 2020]

But let’s get back to the Philippines.

We don’t have to put a dent in the universe. We can lift Juan de la Cruz by focusing on the drivers of national income – that is, beyond the knee jerk even of technology – as in DICT – and charity – as in the national ID.

Dynamism teaches us how to forward-think, look outward, figure out the common good, and connect the dots – which is how Steve Jobs defined creativity. That is why the blog keeps raising Vietnam and the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone. And more recently, how to view CREATE and RICH as two sides of the same coin. 

We must start to believe in Juan de la Cruz that we can create a virtuous circle and once and for all beat the hell out of our neighbors. 

Gising bayan!

“Here is a land in which a few are spectacularly rich while the masses remain abjectly poor. And where freedom and its blessings are a reality for a minority and an illusion for the many. Here is a land consecrated to democracy but run by an entrenched plutocracy, dedicated to equality but mired in an archaic system of caste. 

“But the fault was chiefly their own. Filipinos profess the love of country, but love themselves – individually – more.” [Ninoy Aquino, Foreign Affairs magazine, July 1968; Stanley Karnow, New York Times Magazine, “Cory Aquino’s Downhill Slide,” 19th Aug 1990.]

“Why independence, if the slaves of today will be the tyrants of tomorrow? Moreover, that they will be such is not to be doubted, for he who submits to tyranny loves it.” [We are ruled by Rizal’s ‘tyrants of tomorrow,’ Editorial, The Manila Times, 29th Dec 2015]

“True social reform has little to do with politics. To unmoor ourselves from the burdens of the past, we must be engaged in the act of continual and conscious self-renewal. All men are partially buried in the grave of custom. Even virtue is no longer such if it is stagnant.

“Change begins when we finally choose to examine critically and then recalibrate the ill-serving codes and conventions handed down to us, often unquestioned, by the past and its power structures. It is essentially an act of imagination first.” [David Henry Thoreau; American essayist, poet, and philosopher; 1817-1862]

“National prosperity is created, not inherited. It does not grow out of a country’s natural endowments, its labor pool, its interest rates, or its currency’s value, as classical economics insists. [A] nation’s competitiveness depends on the capacity of its industry to innovate and upgrade.” [The Competitive Advantage of Nations, Michael E. Porter, Harvard Business Review, March–April 1990]

“You have to have a dream, whether big or small. Then plan, focus, work hard, and be very determined to achieve your goals.” [Henry Sy Sr., Chairman Emeritus and Founder, SM Group (1924 - 2019)]

“Learning and innovation go hand in hand. The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow.” [William Pollard, 1911-1989, physicist-priest, Manhattan Project]

“Development is informed by a people’s worldview, cognitive capacity, values, moral development, self-identity, spirituality, and leadership . . .” [Frederic Laloux, Reinventing organizations, Nelson Parker, 2014]

“Now I know why Paul dared to speak of ‘the curse of the law’ (Galatians 3:13). Law reigns and discernment is unnecessary, which means there is little growth or change in such people. When you do not grow, you remain an infant.” [Faith and Science, Open to Change, Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditation, 23rd Oct 2017]

“As a major component for the education and reorientation of our people, mainstream media – their reporters, writers, photographers, columnists, and editors – have an obligation to this country . . .” [Era of documented irrelevance: Mainstream media, critics and protesters, Homobono A. Adaza, The Manila Times, 25th Nov 2015]