Chapter 2: Why is Asia Rising Now

So why are the Asian countries becoming successful now? Is it because they discovered a hidden treasure which contains instructions on how Asian countries can become powerful? Of course not! According to Mahbubani, after a long, slow and painful process, Asia finally discovered the "seven pillars of Western wisdom," which enables to the Western societies to become very successful. (Sounds like a fantasy story to me!)

I realized that the seven wisdom are sometimes taken for granted. Free-market economics, science and technology, meritocracy, pragmatism, culture of peace, rule of law, and education.

Free-Market Economics
I'm quite impressed with the changes occurring in China. Before Deng Xiaoping launched the "Four Modernizations" program, China was unmotivated. The experiences that Mahbubani spoke off showed truly showed that the Chinese had a "what's the point of working harder" attitude. No one would cared how fast, or how well they worked. There were no incentives to encourage employees to work harder.
When Deng Xiaoping introduced free-marketing into their economy, it also introduced the idea that the Chinese can become rich. It similar to what my dad use to tell me: "if you work hard, you can become whatever you want to be," and the Chinese must have felt that way too. By working hard, they can increase their annual income. They are finally given a chance to escape their repeated, non-changing life for a better life.

Science and Technology
It's a bit frightening to see how fast the Asian countries are absorbing and implementing science and technology. It's almost as if the Asian have been starving for knowledge for many centuries.
One of the reasons why Asia is catching up now is because they are no longer bounded by their religious mindset that rejected the modernized world.

According to the Asia's Great Science Experiment article, Asian nations have increased their government spending on science. This had led to various changes in the nation. For instance, the creation of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), which is one of the most prestigious school in the world. Because of this school it:
1) Boosted self-confidence to the nation
2) Many successful Indians returned to India, which contributed enormously to the development of India.

One of the sentences that struck me the most in this chapter is "...the level of mathematics taught even in peasant schools is similar to that in my children's own excellent schools in the new York area." I recall several of my friends, who emigrated from China, told me that grade six math is a lot harder than the high school math here. Honestly, I was a bit envious. Although Canada has a very good education system, I believe that our education system isn't challenging enough.

Meritocracy
This is probably one of my favorite wisdom that the Asian countries have adopted. "...Since every individual in a society is a potential resource, all should be given an equal opportunity to develop and to make a contribution to society." I grew up with the belief that everyone should be treated equally while being given an equal chance, so it angers me whenever I read articles based on discrimination.

I am very impressed with the Ramanujan School of Mathematics. Obviously they acknowledge the fact the brightest students do not always come from a wealthy family. By selecting the most talented students from the least privileged communities, the Ramanujan School is providing the an equal opportunity for those students to take the IIT entrance exam.

Another impressive paragraph I read was a quote from Zhu Rongji:
"We should resolutely do away with the promotion system under which a person is good when he is said to be good, even though he is not good; and a person is said to be bad when he is said to be bad when he is not, as perceived by the masses."
In my mind, this statement symbolizes a bright future for China- and hopefully the rest of the Asian nations.

Pragmatism
"It does not matter whether a cat is black or white; if it catches mice, it is a good cat." - Deng Xiaoping
The above quote is quite remarkable. It shouldn't matter where you get your ideas come from, as long as it will improve your country. The only thing that should matter is that it brings prosperity to your nation.
The Japanese recognized it had to adapt and change so it would not be left behind from the Western nations. By doing so, they have achieved a modern Japan. Singapore followed the Japanese and also modernized their nations.
India, however, refused to follow Singapore's example. "Singapore is so small. India is so big. What can big India learn from Singapore?" Well, apparently they could have learned a lot. If they weren't so prideful by the idea that the size of the country also reflects the developments in the nation, they wouldn't have been left behind.

Culture of Peace
I'm not too sure whether I agree with this wisdom or not. Of course culture of peace is the most important result the West have gained from its history. However, "peace" did not help the West become powerful.

In my own perspective, I feel that for the Western countries, war have played a major part in the West. Not only did our science and technology have advanced, but also the human's relationship. For instance, for the first time in history women are giving the rights to be treated equally to men.

I am NOT saying that the Asian countries should engage into a war for power. They should look at the West's history and learn from the West that war is not worth it. By doing so, they would not have to sacrifice so many lives, like how the West had done.

Rule of Law
It bothers me when some people/nations believe that if you're either famous, a government official, or a relative to the government official, the law doesn't apply to you. It's not only the Asian countries that are struggling to treat everyone equally when it comes to the law- even the Western countries are still struggling with it.
For instance, a few years ago, there was news coverage about how Lindsey Lohan or Paris Hilton's drunk driving incidents. Their punishment was unreasonable. It was less harsher than what they should have received.
However, at least the Asian countries recognize the fact that everyone must follow the law in order to achieve a modern economy. For example, when Jessica Lal was murdered by the son of a former Union minister of the Indian government, it almost seem like the killer was going to escape his punishment. Luckily, the Indian legal system realized that no matter who the killer was, someone had died. Justice must be serve.

Education
Education is definitely a valuable wisdom that the Asian countries have adopted. I am very pleased to know that the Western universities acknowledge the fact that education should not be limited to just the West. Instead, everyone should be given the opportunity to gain an education background. Through the West's generosity, several students are given a chance to pursue a post secondary degree, such as my boyfriend. He came from a small village in China where no one from his school can pursue an post secondary degree. Luckily, he immigrated to Canada, where he and his sister were encouraged and given the chance to earn a post secondary degree.
Fortunately, Asian countries recognize the importance of education and are striving to improve their education systems. Many oversea students are also returning back to their homeland to help their country develop into a better nation.