August 10, 2009

  • Why we are poor

    Rants


    Grabbed from theellipses.blogspot.com

    So why is the Philippines poor despite it being rich in natural resources?

    Here is a forwarded message that I received from my friend Philogene Florita of Crown Regency Hotel. I don't usually post forwarded messages, but this just makes so much sense. Of course this speaks more to our leaders, and I believe that there is an urgency for our leaders to internalize this message.

    Here it goes:

    ***

    Why Is The Philippines Poor?

    Dear Friends,

    Here is a good article sent by Dr. Arsenio Martin of Fort Arthur , Texas ..
    Enjoy reading.

    THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RICH & POOR COUNTRY

    The difference between the poor countries and the rich
    ones is not the age of the country:

    This can be shown by countries like India & Egypt , that are more than 2000 years old, but are poor.

    On the other hand, Canada , Australia & New Zealand, that 150 years ago were inexpressive, today are developed countries, and are rich.

    The difference between poor & rich countries does not reside in the available natural resources.

    Japan has a limited territory, 80% mountainous, inadequate for agriculture & cattle raising, but it is the second world economy. The country is like an
    immense floating factory, importing raw materials from the whole world and exporting manufactured products.

    Another example is Switzerland , which does not plant cocoa but has the best chocolate in the world. In its little territory they raise animals and plant the soil during 4 months per year. Not enough, they produce dairy products of the best quality! It is a small country that transmits an image of security, order & labor, which made it the world's strongest, safest place.

    Executives from rich countries who communicate with their counterparts in poor countries show that there is no significant intellectual difference.

    Race or skin color are also not important: immigrants labeled lazy in their countries of origin are the productive power in rich European countries.

    What is the difference then? The difference is the attitude of the people, framed along the years by the education & the culture & flawed tradition.

    On analyzing the behavior of the people in rich & developed countries, we find that the great majority follow the following principles in their lives:

    1. Ethics, as a basic principle.
    2. Integrity.
    3. R esponsibility.
    4. Respect to the laws & rules.
    5. Respect to the rights of other citizens.
    6. Work loving.
    7. Strive for savings & investment.
    8. Will of super action.
    9. Punctuality.
    10. and of course...Discipline

    In poor countries, only a minority follow these basic principles in their daily life.

    The Philippines is not poor because we lack natural resources or because nature was cruel to us. In fact, we are supposedly rich in natural resources.

    We are poor because we lack the correct attitude. We lack the will to comply with and teach these functional principles of rich & developed societies.

    REFLECT, CHANGE, ACT!

    ***

    Spread the word

Comments (5)

  • ryc: lol. sometimes, nothing can be everything pare.

    you know, punctuality is a really big thing for me. i really, really, really despise this thing called "filipino time" where filipinos show up late to functions or appointments and expect everything to be fine. For filipinos like me who like things scheduled, this is the difference between whether i keep these people as friends or completely ignore them.

    I always make it known that if I set up and appointment or if i'm meeting a person or people - filipino time is not something that I will put up with at all.

    very good post tribong, very good post.

  • So much and probably too much to say, but I am so sleepy. This is a topic however that has crossed my mind many times, concerning why some countries are wealthy and others are not, and what I felt what the differences came down to was mainly the degree of stability-threatening corruption, which is basically the extent to which people (and government, from local to national) fail to adhere to those principles. So agreed, attitude is the larger portion of success.

  • @ThePrince - Thank you Prince...

    That Filipino Time thing, well, some of us try to change that kind of mentality. As some of my friends would say, the only thing we have is credibility and we have to stand by it... So, we don't abide by the Filipino time thing...

    hey, heard of Indian Time?

  • @huthe - thanks huthe... 

  • "We are poor because we lack the correct attitude.
    We lack the will to comply with and teach these functional principles
    of rich & developed societies."

    True, very true!

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