Groupthink and linear thinking

[This is a reprint from 2017, with an expanded discussion on “groupthink.” And as the blog argues, our instincts and caste system have rendered us “helpless,” mutually reinforcing one another. Its scientific name is “learned helplessness,” expounded by the blog before. “A mental state that occurs when people find out that nothing they do matters.”]

Wittingly or not, we are falling into the trap of “Que sera, sera.”

Or why PHL isn’t synonymous with innovation. “Pinoy abilidad” is classic linear thinking and inside-the-box thinking?

“President Duterte has a valid point. He has the support of many Catholics, especially those who have grown tired of toothless pastoral messages that hardly anyone pays attention to nowadays.” [Can local clergy do more to combat the drug menace (?), Atty. Joey D. Lina, Former Senator, Manila Bulletin, 23rd Aug 2017]

Recalls Lina, “We protested against fascism, militarism, and your wife (referring to the dictator Ferdinand Marcos’ profligate wife, Imelda.)

“Despite his years of activism, Lina’s animosity against Imelda melted away when she attended his concert and praised him for his talent.

“‘Ngayon, kaibigan ko na siya (Now she’s my friend),’ Lina admits with a smile, proving that the adage ‘music gets people together’ is true. ‘In fact, we had dinner a few weeks ago.’” [Dreaming the Impossible Dream in an evening with Joey Lina, Simeon G. Silverio, Jr., Publisher & Editor in Chief, Asian Journal San Diego, Our Life & Times, 3rd Jul 2016]

All’s well that ends well.

Yet, if Juan de la Cruz is to lift himself from poverty, he must learn to think “outside the box.”

With due respect to Senator Lina, what body of knowledge would support Du30’s war on drugs? And which the blog has discussed before. More to the point, nations tried and failed to combat this menace, and the one singular success story – and has become the model and best practice – as far as the UN is concerned is that of Portugal.

Conversely, the rest of the world saw us as the pariah. Still, our blindness was so profound that we rallied behind Duterte – including the business sector that is now applauding the recycling of economic managers?

But our streets feel safer? Like a police state feels safer because tyranny appropriates the rule of law, paraphrasing Garry Kasparov, arguably the greatest chess player. And why he became an activist and a symbol of opposition to Putin. Tyrants are accountable to no one, yet Juan de la Cruz loves tyranny that he submits himself – first to Marcos and now to Duterte?

“In a police state, there is no drug problem. [The wife and I experienced what a police state is like during earlier visits to Bulgaria. Within 48 hours of arrival, we report to the police, where their dossiers are updated each time.] The dictatorship insulated them from the drug culture in Portugal – until freedom descended. And “freedom” is what “freedom” is – the freedom to experiment.” [https://news.vice.com/article/ungass-portugal-what-happened-after-decriminalization-drugs-weed-to-heroin; 20th Apr 2016]

But let’s come back to PHL. Because of groupthink and our hierarchical instincts, we swear by Du30’s war on drugs? And so we view everyone that does not toe the Du30 line as unpatriotic? Do we like to talk about history yet easily forget the past? Do we need to be reminded of where a cult of personality can lead?

“Both Hitler and Mussolini built their empires on a cult of personality with themselves at the center.” [http://www.media-studies.ca/articles/fascism.htm]

Yet even the well-informed among us would be forwarding trolls and fake news, wittingly or not, spreading propaganda? Is it called groupthink or our hierarchical instincts?

Let’s get back to the Portugal experience.

“Today, Portuguese authorities don’t arrest anyone found holding less than a 10-day supply of an illicit drug — a gram of heroin, ecstasy, or amphetamine, two grams of cocaine, or twenty-five grams of cannabis. Instead, drug offenders receive a citation, ordered to appear before so-called “dissuasion panels” of legal, social, and psychological experts. Individuals who repeatedly come before the panels may be prescribed treatment, ranging from motivational counseling to opiate substitution therapy. And they suspended most cases.

“‘We had much criticism at first,’ recalled Goulão, a physician specializing in addiction treatment whose work led Portugal to reform its drug laws in 2000 and is today its national drug coordinator. After decriminalizing, the first inquiries Portugal received from the International Narcotics Control Board — the quasi-judicial UN oversight body established by the UN drug convention system — were sharp and scolding.

“‘Now things have changed completely,’ he went on. ‘We are pointed to as an example of best practices inside the spirit of the conventions.’ Indeed, Werner Sipp, the board’s new head, said as much at the UN’s Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna.

“Though often narrowly assessed about its decriminalization law, Portugal’s experience over the last decade and a half speak as much to its free public health system, extensive treatment programs, and the hard-to-mimmer trickle-down effects of the legislation. Though at least twenty-five countries have introduced some form of decriminalization, Portugal’s holistic model and its use of dissuasion panels set it apart. In a society where drugs are less stigmatized, problem users are more likely to seek care. Police, even if they suspect someone of using drugs, are less likely to bother them.

"Usually, the focus is on the decriminalization itself, but it worked because there were other services. The coverage increased for needle replacement, detox, therapeutic communities, and employment options for people who use drugs. The combination of the law and these services made it a success. It's tough to find people in Portugal who disagree with this model.

“In the run-up to the UN General Assembly’s special session, Goulão cautioned that countries had to consider their domestic environments first in learning from Portugal’s experience.

“We don’t assume that this is the silver bullet, but in my view, it has been crucial because it introduced coherence into the entire system. If our responses come from the idea that we are talking about addiction, chronic disease, and health issues, having it out of the penal system is a clear improvement. It was crucial for our society because it allowed us to drop the stigma.’”

The blog’s consistent theme speaks to how we as a people and a nation have yet to learn to be forward-thinking to undo linear thinking, think beyond “Pinoy abilidad,” and overcome groupthink.

Are we the regional laggard because we can’t “think outside the box” – and beyond the cult of Du30’s personality? And we’re back to the Marcos cult?

“Groupthink is a phenomenon that occurs when a group of well-intentioned people makes irrational or non-optimal decisions spurred by the urge to conform or the belief that dissent is impossible. A particular agenda may fuel the problematic or premature consensus characteristic of groupthink—or it may be due to group members valuing harmony and coherence above critical thought.

“The term “groupthink” was first introduced in the November 1971 issue of Psychology today by psychologist Irving Janis. Janis had conducted extensive research on group decision-making under conditions of stress.

“Since then, Janis and other researchers have found that in a situation characterized as groupthink, individuals tend to refrain from expressing doubts and judgments or disagreeing with the consensus. In making a decision that furthers their group cause, members may also ignore ethical or moral consequences. While it is often invoked at the level of geopolitics or within business organizations, groupthink can also refer to subtler social or ideological conformity processes, such as participating in bullying or rationalizing a poor decision by one’s friends.” [Groupthink | Psychology Today]

Let’s speak to our go-to initiative of addressing poverty and job generation, being the two sides of the same coin.

And we argue that economic development has failed to address inequality.

That brings us to why the blog keeps raising our instincts, reinforced by our caste system. 

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

Can we pause and ponder?

We like to point to the inequality of the West, forgetting that we are comparing apples and oranges. Specifically, the West has attained economic equilibrium being a well-developed economy – as evidenced by their GDP per person that is many folds ours.

In short, indeed, there is an argument against the Western model.

But that is why we must benchmark not against the West but our neighbors. They have moved from third- to first-world.

We have indulged in a fallacy for the longest time despite the price we had to pay. And it comes from our “fixed mindset.”

In other words, the comprehensive agrarian reform program, the OFW phenomenon, and the priority we put on call centers – over industrialization, for example – are elements of the reality we can’t admit.

They were all meant to address poverty and job creation, leaving our GDP per person at underdeveloped levels.

Unsurprisingly, that is not how our neighbors pursued economic development.

Beg for Western money and technology was how Lee and Mahathir explained it to Deng.

What is so mysterious about that? Why is Vietnam succeeding in adopting the same playbook?

Beyond groupthink and linear thinking, the blog again discussed the “fixed mindset” versus “growth mindset” and the 3 Cs of a sturdy mindset: commitment, challenge, and control.

Recall cognitive development. It is not IQ but the ability to move across the continuum of dualism (or binary thinking) and relativism. And it is a function of experience – in development, for example. It explains why Singapore has overtaken the US in competitiveness and GDP per person.

We are in deep doo-do. We can’t keep falling into the trap of a fixed mindset.

Let’s say that one more time: We are between a rock and a hard place because we don’t have the development experience of our neighbors, yet we can’t “think out of the box.” 

In other words, we are the regional laggard, yet we keep celebrating our “experts.”

The evidence? We keep recycling economic managers across administrations, confirming our caste system. Unsurprisingly, business groups are applauding the appointments. 

Question: How do we explain why even Vietnam left us in the dust? And how do we ensure we stop the bleeding, our downward spiral – despite growing GDP by 6%-7% over a decade – that Juan de la Cruz suffers from abject poverty? What about the volatility the world faces given the Russian invasion of Ukraine, among others? And why can’t we grasp that PHL suffers from a structural problem and why Arangkada was a welcome effort yet failed to exploit over two administrations?

In other words, we are riding on the back of Juan de la Cruz – the over ten million OFWs and over a million call center workers – yet we in the Philippine elite want to take the credit. 

Consider: “Because of the proper handling of our macroeconomic affairs over the past two decades, only 10 to 15 percent of our national budget now pays our debts.” [“Continuity in our economic policy,” Sonny M. Angora, Better Days, BusinessMirror, 27th May 2022.]

“Your view of yourself can determine everything. If you believe that your qualities are unchangeable — the fixed mindset — you will want to prove yourself correct over and over rather than learning from your mistakes.” [Carol Dweck: A Summary of The Two Mindsets (fs.blog)]

Why is PHL not synonymous with innovation?

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

Gising bayan!

Philippine prognosis

Why did the blog stop post after the 8th of April 2022? Events, personal and otherwise, were taking place.

The Philippine presidential election would be a month away, the 9th of May. And there’s the news report from Reuters, “Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine on the 24th of February.”

On a personal note, in March, the wife and I took our first plane travel – since covid, outside road trips – and flew to Florida. (The last one was to return to New York after our annual visit to the Philippines at the end of February 2019, when covid had reared its ugly head.)

We spent two weeks driving from Tampa to Sarasota to Naples to Boca Grande – visited the daughter and son-in-law (still working from home.) And the in-laws themselves, who are snowbirds, dividing their time between Connecticut and Florida – and back to Tampa before returning to New York.

It was a celebration; the wife survived skin cancer (in the tongue) after three surgeries and thirty radiation sessions between March and July 2021. She’s a sturdy woman; she beat cancer too ten years ago.

And other trips came too: We traveled to Bulgaria in April, to be there until July – to be on the ground again, assisting my Eastern European friends with their business. And took a 10-day tour of Israel in May – the fourth attempt was a charm. Twice, armed conflicts derailed our plans, and the last one, covid, stood in the way.

Philippine prognosis.

Events taking place aren’t solely personal. They have geopolitical implications – think of the Asian crisis and then the global recession in 2008 – and what they mean for the Philippines.

Consider what my Eastern European friends requested from me upon arrival: “Please address the management team and talk about managing in times of crisis.”

They remember that I pursued restructuring projects at my old MNC-company. And one, in particular, they won’t forget is a country manager saying, “My wife asked me to ask you if you are firing me.”

“I am here to assist you, and your team answer three things: Where are you; where do you want to be; how do you get there.”

These Eastern European friends were giving me an earful. And one question I asked is: Why is the Ukraine business growing despite the Russian invasion?

Consider: Year-to-date, sales in Ukraine are up 19%, although the expectations are they would only increase 7% from the prior year despite the price increases – owing to inflation, i.e., raw and packing materials and “logistics costs” and wages are also rising, beyond gas and energy.

Ukraine is their third-biggest market in Central and Eastern Europe. Following their successes in the region, they began to develop Western Europe. For example, Germany, year-to-date, is up 92% and should be 60% over the prior year. Compared to Ukraine, that is not surprising because the German business is still a fourth of the Ukrainian one even when Germany’s population and GDP per person are more significant, twice and over four times, respectively.

So, what crises are these friends raising? Moreover, they requested me to launch the “Sustainability” initiative of the company.

Those familiar with the blog may recall that nineteen years ago, this Eastern European enterprise was an MSME with sales of less than $10 million and had not made money in eight years. When I challenged them to gear up to be a one-hundred-million-dollar company, they could not comprehend it, save my friend who owns the company – who kept his sight glued to the future. They had to match and be competitive with the median size of a Fortune 500 consumer goods company.

Unsurprisingly, they blew past the hundred million mark years ago.

Philippine prognosis.

The blog came to life just before the PNoy administration took office. And Arangkada had just launched – “to double GDP growth in three years and target US$7.5 billion in annual FDI and US$100 billion in exports” – and thought the new administration as receptive.

And the blog felt that Arangkada could represent the “paradigm shift” that we could only talk about before. But the JFC, at the end of the Aquino administration, didn’t hide its frustration. It was same old, same old. And with the Duterte administration also over and with BBM at the helm, how optimistic can we be?

We have our work cut out for us until we recognize and internalize the imperatives of (a) a “growth mindset” and (b) the 3 Cs of a hardy mindset: commitment, challenge, and control.

Translation: How long have we been stepping forward with unsolicited advice to the government and our economic managers? These recommendations haven’t gained traction all these decades, whether strategic or tactical.

Why?

They are a product of a “fixed mindset” versus “growth mindset” or “fast” versus “conscious” thinking. That is to borrow from the more recent bodies of knowledge, aka neuroscience.

“Neuroscience examines the structure and function of the human brain and nervous system. Neuroscientists use cellular and molecular biology, anatomy and physiology, human behavior and cognition, and other disciplines to map the brain at a mechanistic level.

“Humans have an estimated hundred billion neurons, or brain cells, each with about a thousand connections to other cells. One of the great challenges of modern neuroscience is to map out all the networks of cell-to-cell communication—the brain circuits that process all thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Emerging bit by bit, the resulting picture is known as “the connectome.” The ability of the brain to elaborate new connections and neuronal circuits—neuroplasticity—underlies all learning.

“Just as computers are hard-wired with electrical connections, the brain is hard-wired with neural connections. These connections link its various lobes and connect sensory input and motor output with the brain’s message centers, allowing information to come in and push outback.

“Neuroplasticity is the brain’s capacity to continue growing and evolving in response to life experiences. Plasticity is the capacity to be reshaped or altered; neuroplasticity, then, is the ability of the brain to adapt or change over time by creating new neurons and building new networks.

“Historically, scientists believed that the brain stopped growing after childhood. But current research shows that the brain can continue developing and changing throughout the lifespan, refining its architecture or shifting functions to different brain regions.

“Neuroplasticity says that it is possible to change dysfunctional thinking and behavior patterns and develop new mindsets, memories, skills, and abilities.

“It encompasses how nerve cells adapt to circumstances—to respond to stimulation by generating new tendrils of connection to other nerve cells, called synapses, and to respond to deprivation and excess stress by weakening “connections.”

“Neuroplasticity underlies the capacity for learning and memory, enabling mental and behavioral flexibility. Research has firmly established that the brain is a dynamic organ and can change its design throughout life, responding to experience by reorganizing connections – via so-called “wiring” and “rewiring.” Scientists sometimes refer to the process of neuroplasticity as structural remodeling of the brain.

“The brain changes most rapidly in childhood, but it’s now clear that the brain continues to develop throughout life. These changes in middle age highlight the role of neuroplasticity in learning across the lifespan.

“Neurogenesis refers to the creation of new brain cells. Scientists long believed that the brain was not capable of producing new neurons. Still, modern research has revealed that certain regions of the brain, particularly the hippocampus, are capable of generating new cells throughout adult life.” [Neuroscience | Psychology Today]

Should we pause and ponder?

Should our social scientists figure out how we can mitigate our instincts given newer sciences?

Consider how the blog constantly plays out these instincts: We are parochial and insular. We value hierarchy and paternalism and rely on political patronage and oligarchy; ours is a culture of impunity.

“Your view of yourself can determine everything. If you believe that your qualities are unchangeable — the fixed mindset — you will want to prove yourself correct over and over rather than learning from your mistakes.

“If you have only a certain amount of intelligence, a particular personality, and a specific moral character, you’d better prove that you have a healthy dose of them. It simply wouldn’t do to look or feel deficient in these most basic characteristics.

“There’s another mindset in which these traits are not simply a hand you’re dealt and have to live with, always trying to convince yourself and others that you have a royal flush when you’re secretly worried it’s a pair of tens. In this mindset, the hand you possess is just the starting point for development. This growth mindset believes that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts.” [Carol Dweck: A Summary of The Two Mindsets (fs.blog)]

Over the blog’s life, the postings have raised all these barriers to nation-building.

Are our prayers our only hope?

It could be a sheer coincidence: On the 9th of May, the day we Filipinos elected BBM, my wife and I visited the Basilica of the Annunciation and Mount of Beatitudes.

“The Basilica of the Annunciation is a Catholic church in Nazareth, in northern Israel. Catholic tradition holds it to be the site of the house of the Virgin Mary and where the angel Gabriel appeared to her and announced that she would conceive and bear the Son of God, Jesus – an event known as the Annunciation.

“The church was established at the site where the Annunciation took place according to one tradition. Another tradition, based on the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James, holds that this event commenced while Mary was drawing water from a local spring in Nazareth. And the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation was erected at that alternate site.

“The Mount of Beatitudes is a hill in northern Israel, in the Korazim Plateau. And the belief is that it is where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount.

“The traditional location for the Mount of Beatitudes is on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, between Capernaum and the archeological site of Gennesaret (Ginosar), on the southern slopes of the Korazim Plateau. Its negative altitude (around twenty-five meters below sea level, two hundred meters above the Sea of Galilee) makes it one of the lowest summits in the world.” [Wikipedia]

Are our prayers our only hope?

Can we develop a growth mindset?

What about the 3 Cs of a sturdy mindset?

“Commitment. To be involved with others and experience a sense of purpose and meaning; how ordinary people can do extraordinary things.

“Challenge. To appreciate that change rather than stability is the norm; new or demanding situations are learning opportunities; the importance of “thinking outside the box.”

“Control. Focus on situations where we have influence, not where we have little control; you have control only over yourself; you must be the one to change. Develop a problem-solving attitude; why are you unable to succeed in your efforts?” [Robert Brooks of Harvard University (faculty of Harvard Medical School; he has served as Director of the Department of Psychology at McLean Hospital]

Consider what my Eastern European friends requested from me upon arrival: “Please address the management team and talk about managing in times of crisis.”

McKinsey, the consultancy, submits that “volatility” can best describe the world today owing to the Russian attack on Ukraine.

No wonder these friends asked me to talk about managing in times of crisis. They are still ahead of the curve yet recognize that “change rather than stability” is the norm.

On the other hand, given the Filipino instincts – if we are not better off today versus the days of Aquino and Duterte – how optimistic can we be?

Should we toss our blinders finally?

Philippine prognosis

Why did the blog stop post after the 8th of April 2022? Events, personal and otherwise, were taking place.

The Philippine presidential election would be a month away, the 9th of May. And there’s the news report from Reuters, “Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine on the 24th of February.”

On a personal note, in March, the wife and I took our first plane travel – since covid, outside road trips – and flew to Florida. (The last one was to return to New York after our annual visit to the Philippines at the end of February 2019, when covid had reared its ugly head.)

We spent two weeks driving from Tampa to Sarasota to Naples to Boca Grande – visited the daughter and son-in-law (still working from home.) And the in-laws themselves, who are snowbirds, dividing their time between Connecticut and Florida – and back to Tampa before returning to New York.

It was a celebration; the wife survived skin cancer (in the tongue) after three surgeries and thirty radiation sessions between March and July 2021. She’s a sturdy woman; she beat cancer too ten years ago.

And other trips came too: We traveled to Bulgaria in April, to be there until July – to be on the ground again, assisting my Eastern European friends with their business. And took a 10-day tour of Israel in May – the fourth attempt was a charm. Twice, armed conflicts derailed our plans, and the last one, covid, stood in the way.

Philippine prognosis.

Events taking place aren’t solely personal. They have geopolitical implications – think of the Asian crisis and then the global recession in 2008 – and what they mean for the Philippines.

Consider what my Eastern European friends requested from me upon arrival: “Please address the management team and talk about managing in times of crisis.”

They remember that I pursued restructuring projects at my old MNC-company. And one, in particular, they won’t forget is a country manager saying, “My wife asked me to ask you if you are firing me.”

“I am here to assist you, and your team answer three things: Where are you; where do you want to be; how do you get there.”

These Eastern European friends were giving me an earful. And one question I asked is: Why is the Ukraine business growing despite the Russian invasion?

Consider: Year-to-date, sales in Ukraine are up 19%, although the expectations are they would only increase 7% from the prior year despite the prices increases – owing to inflation, i.e., raw and packing materials and “logistics costs” and wages are also rising, beyond gas and energy.

Ukraine is their third-biggest market in Central and Eastern Europe. Following their successes in the region, they began to develop Western Europe. For example, Germany, year-to-date, is up 92% and should be 60% over the prior year. Compared to Ukraine, that is not surprising because the German business is still a fourth of the Ukrainian one even when Germany’s population and GDP per person are more significant, twice and over four times, respectively.

So, what crises are these friends raising? Moreover, they requested me to launch the “Sustainability” initiative of the company.

Those familiar with the blog may recall that nineteen years ago, this Eastern European enterprise was an MSME with sales of less than $10 million and had not made money in eight years. When I challenged them to gear up to be a one-hundred-million-dollar company, they could not comprehend it, save my friend who owns the company – who kept his sight glued to the future. They had to match and be competitive with the median size of a Fortune 500 consumer goods company.

Unsurprisingly, they blew past the hundred million mark years ago.

Philippine prognosis.

The blog came to life just before the PNoy administration took office. And Arangkada had just launched – “to double GDP growth in three years and target US$7.5 billion in annual FDI and US$100 billion in exports” – and thought the new administration as receptive.

And the blog felt that Arangkada could represent the “paradigm shift” that we could only talk about before. But the JFC, at the end of the Aquino administration, didn’t hide its frustration. It was same old, same old. And with the Duterte administration also over and with BBM at the helm, how optimistic can we be?

We have our work cut out for us until we recognize and internalize the imperatives of (a) a “growth mindset” and (b) the 3 Cs of a hardy mindset: commitment, challenge, and control.

Translation: How long have we been stepping forward with unsolicited advice to the government and our economic managers? These recommendations haven’t gained traction all these decades, whether strategic or tactical.

Why?

They are a product of a “fixed mindset” versus “growth mindset” or “fast” versus “conscious” thinking. That is to borrow from the more recent bodies of knowledge, aka neuroscience.

“Neuroscience examines the structure and function of the human brain and nervous system. Neuroscientists use cellular and molecular biology, anatomy and physiology, human behavior and cognition, and other disciplines to map the brain at a mechanistic level.

“Humans have an estimated hundred billion neurons, or brain cells, each with about a thousand connections to other cells. One of the great challenges of modern neuroscience is to map out all the networks of cell-to-cell communication—the brain circuits that process all thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Emerging bit by bit, the resulting picture is known as “the connectome.” The ability of the brain to elaborate new connections and neuronal circuits—neuroplasticity—underlies all learning.

“Just as computers are hard-wired with electrical connections, the brain is hard-wired with neural connections. These connections link its various lobes and connect sensory input and motor output with the brain’s message centers, allowing information to come in and push outback.

“Neuroplasticity is the brain’s capacity to continue growing and evolving in response to life experiences. Plasticity is the capacity to be reshaped or altered; neuroplasticity, then, is the ability of the brain to adapt or change over time by creating new neurons and building new networks.

“Historically, scientists believed that the brain stopped growing after childhood. But current research shows that the brain can continue developing and changing throughout the lifespan, refining its architecture or shifting functions to different brain regions.

“Neuroplasticity says that it is possible to change dysfunctional thinking and behavior patterns and develop new mindsets, memories, skills, and abilities.

“It encompasses how nerve cells adapt to circumstances—to respond to stimulation by generating new tendrils of connection to other nerve cells, called synapses, and to respond to deprivation and excess stress by weakening “connections.”

“Neuroplasticity underlies the capacity for learning and memory, enabling mental and behavioral flexibility. Research has firmly established that the brain is a dynamic organ and can change its design throughout life, responding to experience by reorganizing connections – via so-called “wiring” and “rewiring.” Scientists sometimes refer to the process of neuroplasticity as structural remodeling of the brain.

“The brain changes most rapidly in childhood, but it’s now clear that the brain continues to develop throughout life. These changes in middle age highlight the role of neuroplasticity in learning across the lifespan.

“Neurogenesis refers to the creation of new brain cells. Scientists long believed that the brain was not capable of producing new neurons. Still, modern research has revealed that certain regions of the brain, particularly the hippocampus, are capable of generating new cells throughout adult life.” [Neuroscience | Psychology Today]

Should we pause and ponder?

Should our social scientists figure out how we can mitigate our instincts given newer sciences?

Consider how the blog constantly plays out these instincts: We are parochial and insular. We value hierarchy and paternalism and rely on political patronage and oligarchy; ours is a culture of impunity.

“Your view of yourself can determine everything. If you believe that your qualities are unchangeable — the fixed mindset — you will want to prove yourself correct over and over rather than learning from your mistakes.

“If you have only a certain amount of intelligence, a particular personality, and a specific moral character, you’d better prove that you have a healthy dose of them. It simply wouldn’t do to look or feel deficient in these most basic characteristics.

“There’s another mindset in which these traits are not simply a hand you’re dealt and have to live with, always trying to convince yourself and others that you have a royal flush when you’re secretly worried it’s a pair of tens. In this mindset, the hand you possess is just the starting point for development. This growth mindset believes that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts.” [Carol Dweck: A Summary of The Two Mindsets (fs.blog)]

Over the blog’s life, the postings have raised all these barriers to nation-building.

Are our prayers our only hope?

It could be a sheer coincidence: On the 9th of May, the day we Filipinos elected BBM, my wife and I visited the Basilica of the Annunciation and Mount of Beatitudes.

“The Basilica of the Annunciation is a Catholic church in Nazareth, in northern Israel. Catholic tradition holds it to be the site of the house of the Virgin Mary and where the angel Gabriel appeared to her and announced that she would conceive and bear the Son of God, Jesus – an event known as the Annunciation.

“The church was established at the site where the Annunciation took place according to one tradition. Another tradition, based on the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James, holds that this event commenced while Mary was drawing water from a local spring in Nazareth. And the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation was erected at that alternate site.

“The Mount of Beatitudes is a hill in northern Israel, in the Korazim Plateau. And the belief is that it is where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount.

“The traditional location for the Mount of Beatitudes is on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, between Capernaum and the archeological site of Gennesaret (Ginosar), on the southern slopes of the Korazim Plateau. Its negative altitude (around twenty-five meters below sea level, two hundred meters above the Sea of Galilee) makes it one of the lowest summits in the world.” [Wikipedia]

Are our prayers our only hope?

Can we develop a growth mindset?

What about the 3 Cs of a sturdy mindset?

“Commitment. To be involved with others and experience a sense of purpose and meaning; how ordinary people can do extraordinary things.

“Challenge. To appreciate that change rather than stability is the norm; new or demanding situations are learning opportunities; the importance of “thinking outside the box.”

“Control. Focus on situations where we have influence, not where we have little control; you have control only over yourself; you must be the one to change. Develop a problem-solving attitude; why are you unable to succeed in your efforts?” [Robert Brooks of Harvard University (faculty of Harvard Medical School; he has served as Director of the Department of Psychology at McLean Hospital]

Consider what my Eastern European friends requested from me upon arrival: “Please address the management team and talk about managing in times of crisis.”

McKinsey, the consultancy, submits that “volatility” can best describe the world today owing to the Russian attack on Ukraine.

No wonder my Eastern European asked me to talk about managing in times of crisis. They are still ahead of the curve yet recognize that “change rather than stability” is the norm.

On the other hand, given the Filipino instincts – if we are not better off today versus the days of Aquino and Duterte – how optimistic can we be?

Should we toss our blinders finally?