Moving forward, one will realize that there's really no East and West. That that logic bubble, that mindset and that worldview belongs to the less aware. That what truly will stand is the one that understand the symbiotic relationship of building and of consuming... of planting and of harvesting... of... :)
"...why think like mere men?"
Sunday
Tuesday
a "writer's" block :)
Ten years ago, I was in a writing class. Our facilitator was a known, respected and seasoned journalist.
And during the 'Q&A', I asked, "How do you break your writer's block?"
He smiled and said, "I can not afford one or my family does not eat."
I'm glad I facilitate learning to put food on the table for I've been agonizing what to write for the past week.
And all of sudden, clarity is spelled - builders, takers and consumers :)
I follow and think about what's happening in the largest economy in the world, the US and the Wall Street strike (?), and I wonder why HBO have ramped up broadcasting Michael Moore's film, Capitalism: A love story? I think I saw it for the third time this morning :)
I follow and think about the death of Steve Jobs, his memorial and the autobiography that came up this morning and I wonder will America ever produce someone like him again?
I follow and think about what's happening in the Middle East, the Arab spring, as the journalists' (or politicians') have called it and I wonder why now? What happened? It seems that the lines that were written some 40 years ago is being redrawn right at this very minute. It does not help that one of the heirs to the throne of Saudi Arabia succumbed to cancer.
I follow and think about Japan's effort to entice tourist to come and visit by promising 10,000 paid round-trip ticket and I wonder what stories will the visitors tell after their trip?
I follow and think about the flood in Bangkok and I wonder, how will that affect the price of rice, the Filipino staple, next year? Will it drive inflation beyond the 2012 target?
And then, the news from our very own place. News about bribing. Buying an election. Filipino soldiers dying and teenagers shooting each other at the mall and I wonder when will the media start to report on happier things other than the boxing exploits of Manny Pacquiao?
And then after all this wondering, I realize all I did was to take and consume time. Did I build anything while I was taking and consuming? No :)
And then I realize that the reason why the US is in funk is because the builders are dying, aka Steve Jobs, and the ever increasing takers and consumers have 'obliterated' the fruits of the builders that came before them.
That somehow, the spirit of building has left the West, this includes Europe and the EU, and is now comfortably nesting in the East, the Middle and the Far :)
Though Japan is economically in a funk, I doubt if they will ever stop building. I don't think they will ever stop. I can confidently say that now after being among them even if it was for only seven eventful days. Because the lesson of building and of progressing is trumpeted all over the place :)
Which bring me back to us. Are we building or are we taking and consuming? Or should I say, am I building or simply taking and consuming right now?
Which suddenly brings me to this 'out-of-nowhere' question - how can one build an urban transportation in Metro Manila when all the 'masterpiece' benchmark of urban mass transportation of the world assumes that the consumer follow the schedule of mass transit? A fact that runs contrary to the Filipino 'mass' transportation experience for in the Philippines, the transportation system is the one that serves the heterogeneous demands of the masses that's on, sadly, Filipino time, which explains the proliferation of tricycles and sidecars and the under utilized jeeps and FXs :)
If the transportation system is geared towards the customized needs, should it still be called mass transportation?
Where shall we find the solution to this? The West? A West that has stopped to build?
Or should we look to ourselves and find the solution here?
I realize that it is good to be stuck. Because it is only when one is stuck that one asks the really important and life-altering questions :)
Am I still consuming or building now?
:- )
"... why think like mere men?"
And during the 'Q&A', I asked, "How do you break your writer's block?"
He smiled and said, "I can not afford one or my family does not eat."
I'm glad I facilitate learning to put food on the table for I've been agonizing what to write for the past week.
And all of sudden, clarity is spelled - builders, takers and consumers :)
I follow and think about what's happening in the largest economy in the world, the US and the Wall Street strike (?), and I wonder why HBO have ramped up broadcasting Michael Moore's film, Capitalism: A love story? I think I saw it for the third time this morning :)
I follow and think about the death of Steve Jobs, his memorial and the autobiography that came up this morning and I wonder will America ever produce someone like him again?
I follow and think about what's happening in the Middle East, the Arab spring, as the journalists' (or politicians') have called it and I wonder why now? What happened? It seems that the lines that were written some 40 years ago is being redrawn right at this very minute. It does not help that one of the heirs to the throne of Saudi Arabia succumbed to cancer.
I follow and think about Japan's effort to entice tourist to come and visit by promising 10,000 paid round-trip ticket and I wonder what stories will the visitors tell after their trip?
I follow and think about the flood in Bangkok and I wonder, how will that affect the price of rice, the Filipino staple, next year? Will it drive inflation beyond the 2012 target?
And then, the news from our very own place. News about bribing. Buying an election. Filipino soldiers dying and teenagers shooting each other at the mall and I wonder when will the media start to report on happier things other than the boxing exploits of Manny Pacquiao?
And then after all this wondering, I realize all I did was to take and consume time. Did I build anything while I was taking and consuming? No :)
And then I realize that the reason why the US is in funk is because the builders are dying, aka Steve Jobs, and the ever increasing takers and consumers have 'obliterated' the fruits of the builders that came before them.
That somehow, the spirit of building has left the West, this includes Europe and the EU, and is now comfortably nesting in the East, the Middle and the Far :)
Though Japan is economically in a funk, I doubt if they will ever stop building. I don't think they will ever stop. I can confidently say that now after being among them even if it was for only seven eventful days. Because the lesson of building and of progressing is trumpeted all over the place :)
Which bring me back to us. Are we building or are we taking and consuming? Or should I say, am I building or simply taking and consuming right now?
Which suddenly brings me to this 'out-of-nowhere' question - how can one build an urban transportation in Metro Manila when all the 'masterpiece' benchmark of urban mass transportation of the world assumes that the consumer follow the schedule of mass transit? A fact that runs contrary to the Filipino 'mass' transportation experience for in the Philippines, the transportation system is the one that serves the heterogeneous demands of the masses that's on, sadly, Filipino time, which explains the proliferation of tricycles and sidecars and the under utilized jeeps and FXs :)
If the transportation system is geared towards the customized needs, should it still be called mass transportation?
Where shall we find the solution to this? The West? A West that has stopped to build?
Or should we look to ourselves and find the solution here?
I realize that it is good to be stuck. Because it is only when one is stuck that one asks the really important and life-altering questions :)
Am I still consuming or building now?
:- )
"... why think like mere men?"
Monday
how to?
How to set up a school, not only the physical building but the 'whole' thing, that's streams-flows-presents a coherent and understandable whole for the young minds to digest?
Is this even in the drawing board when we are developing a school of 2020? How about the school of 2050?
Is this even in the drawing board when we are developing a school of 2020? How about the school of 2050?
on issues and solutions
When we think about it, the issues that we face are really not different from the past. But the solutions can be :)
"... why think like mere men?"
"... why think like mere men?"
Wednesday
A part of my Trip Report about the Workshop on Material Flow Cost Accounting (MFCA) that will be submitted to Development Academy of the Philippines :)
...As to the knowledge and benefits I have received, I undeservedly received much and many. And three things really stood out from the rest.
The first was not even in the actual workshop but in all the traveling we did. In my calculation, we spent close to half of the time traveling. I saw and experienced Tokyo’s and Osaka’s transport infrastructure.
If one is to compare their infrastructure to that of Manila's, it is perfectly understandable to feel bad. The trains and buses were always on time. If Tokyo’s and Osaka’s is a masterpiece, Manila will be close to a blank canvass. But if one is to look at this truth from a different perspective, being a blank canvass means we are simply starting. And all the possibilities and better things is still ahead of us. And what makes this even more exciting is we now have many inspirations to draw from.
The second take-away from my seven days and six nights in Tokyo and Osaka happened during the Monday morning session with Furukawa-san.
I shared with the class during our Q&A portion that it was nice to hear the MFCA’s success story in Nitto Denko. But I was wondering and curious about the problems they faced early on, over a decade ago, as they started to implement MFCA. They were the first one to implement MFCA in Japan. They definitely met problems, new problems. I thought it was of value if I knew beforehand what they were so that I can watch out for them and be ready for them as I implement MFCA back in the Philippines.
I was pleasantly surprise with the very generous answer Furukawa-san gave. Instead of a problem list, he gave me a prescription on a better way to start.
And the third pearl I receive is to not let the fear of the unknown and of new problems stop us in trying and in solving them. For if the problem is of true significance and of importance, the wisdom one generates or acquires in the process of solving and in finally solving the problem gives one a valuable trait over those who are simply comfortable with being users of the proven solution. I think this is the spirit and the reason why the current acknowledged and highly regarded MFCA experts are Japanese. This spirit made our hosts - sensei.
And to honor the generosity I received from APO, JPC and DAP - when I see a problem, either new or old, I will be thankful for it then smile more broadly and then start solving it until it is done.
"...why think like mere men?"
The first was not even in the actual workshop but in all the traveling we did. In my calculation, we spent close to half of the time traveling. I saw and experienced Tokyo’s and Osaka’s transport infrastructure.
If one is to compare their infrastructure to that of Manila's, it is perfectly understandable to feel bad. The trains and buses were always on time. If Tokyo’s and Osaka’s is a masterpiece, Manila will be close to a blank canvass. But if one is to look at this truth from a different perspective, being a blank canvass means we are simply starting. And all the possibilities and better things is still ahead of us. And what makes this even more exciting is we now have many inspirations to draw from.
The second take-away from my seven days and six nights in Tokyo and Osaka happened during the Monday morning session with Furukawa-san.
I shared with the class during our Q&A portion that it was nice to hear the MFCA’s success story in Nitto Denko. But I was wondering and curious about the problems they faced early on, over a decade ago, as they started to implement MFCA. They were the first one to implement MFCA in Japan. They definitely met problems, new problems. I thought it was of value if I knew beforehand what they were so that I can watch out for them and be ready for them as I implement MFCA back in the Philippines.
I was pleasantly surprise with the very generous answer Furukawa-san gave. Instead of a problem list, he gave me a prescription on a better way to start.
And the third pearl I receive is to not let the fear of the unknown and of new problems stop us in trying and in solving them. For if the problem is of true significance and of importance, the wisdom one generates or acquires in the process of solving and in finally solving the problem gives one a valuable trait over those who are simply comfortable with being users of the proven solution. I think this is the spirit and the reason why the current acknowledged and highly regarded MFCA experts are Japanese. This spirit made our hosts - sensei.
And to honor the generosity I received from APO, JPC and DAP - when I see a problem, either new or old, I will be thankful for it then smile more broadly and then start solving it until it is done.
"...why think like mere men?"
Tuesday
fear and learning
We avoid the things that we're afraid of because we think there will be dire consequences if we confront them. But the truly dire consequences in our lives come from avoiding things that we need to learn about or discover.
~Shakti Gawain
"why think like mere men?"
Thursday
Monday
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