Small Town, Big Success

I'm reading a great new book, one I recommend to everyone: On Becoming a Leader, by Warren Bennis. I don't recommend this book because we need a world full of leaders, but we should at least be able to recognize the characteristics that distinguish real leaders and true talent.

The book references a survey Victor and Mildred Goertzel conducted on successful people from a wide range of backgrounds. They found out a lot of interesting things, among them were that most successful men and women came from small towns or villages.

This reminded me of an interesting thought I came up with after moving to the city for college. I had made several friends, specifically a couple who had grown up in cities. We talked at great length about the differences in our upbringings.

Children who grow up in small towns or villages, like myself, have to create ways to amuse themselves. We are not faced with the pleasant distractions of city life. My childhood friends and I would often spend hours discussing what few things we could do. We were forced to be creative, and often weren't able to think of anything. We cursed our boredom, but many of us overcame this and found passions worth pursuing.

Bored? Why not make a gigantic snowman?

Conversely, some city friends were "blessed" with many more options. They didn't have the problem of boredom, being let down, or not having anything fun to do. In contrast, they were quite spoiled. They were less likely to use their imaginations, they didn't need to since there was already so much for them.

How does this relate to success? As a "small town boy," I was used to not getting what I wanted. I was also taught, that if I wanted something, like a good time, or a fun day out with my friends, that would require some effort or even creativity on my part. Even with effort, I might fail. So I learned two lessons: how to work hard to get what I want, and how to cope with failure despite earnest efforts.

Conversely, I was surprised to see city friends who, after working hard and coming up short on something would be emotionally devastated, then quit altogether. They had grown up where things they wanted had always been easier to reach. The idea of working hard for something and then failing was not something they were used to. Experiencing failure in college was devastating for them.

Previously, I had thought that the boredom of my small town childhood was a blessing because it enabled me to better enjoy life later on. It helped me deal with the stresses associated with college life at a competitive university. After reading the book, I realize this might actually end up doing more for me in the future. My vision, my determination to be great, and my will power are all things that I can credit to my childhood. They are all things that I will rely on to take me farther in life.

我有話説 - That's right, I've got something to say

I hate silly alarmists. That pretty much means I hate all forms of news. I'm in Taiwan right now. There's always talk of Chinese Vs. Taiwanese politics. A while back I read about a book stating that China was planning on taking over Taiwan by 2012, or something ridiculous like that.

My first comment is, if you're going to make such a bold statement, be careful about dates you put on it. This book, will become a serious joke in 2012 when history proves all predictions wrong. Now, I had a discussion with a few friends about why this would never happen. We're not politicians, we are not even well informed, but we were able to put aside our emotions and look at the situation objectively.

First, take a look at the plan, described by the author of this silly book (I'm not putting the name in this blog, I don't want publicize). China will move to make Taiwan more and more economically dependent on them, and then use this influence to control Taiwanese politics.

My first thought: not a bad plan, but what will happen to my residency status here... I better not get kicked out! I mean China has blocked Taiwan on the world stage several times, and it's basically been an issue of economics. Think about it, if China says to some small African country that you can only do business with us if you don't work with Taiwan... what will that African country say? "No thanks! Taiwan is a tech island, we need them to supply high tech products." I'm leaning more towards, "Well we want all of the cheap food, clothings, and manufactured products that China is producing anyway and we're not so concerned with advanced technology."

So at first glance, this seems like a reasonable idea. But hold on, what about motivation? Why does China want to re-assume full control of Taiwan? Because they're Chinese? Is it like why The US didn't want the South to break off? I mean, we were economically reliant on the South, and they hadn't split apart yet. But China and Taiwan have been ruled under separate law for a long time now. What about that economic desire? Well, if they can already make Taiwan economically dependent on them, to the point where they have enough influence to control their politics, then what do they actually have to gain? The only thing left is pride.

Now, let's take a quick look at the consequences of assimilating Taiwan. On the world stage, there is a delicate balance of power. No one wants to see the US, China... any of the major super powers, no one wants to see them continue to grow. We have a balance right now. China taking over Taiwan, a small democratic island, would not sit well with the other major countries of the world. And why in 2012!? Because of Chinas triumphant return to the world stage, they've been under an immense amount of criticism lately. US reporters are going crazy over in China, making more news than actually reporting.

I hate to read an article and feel the immediate sense of urgency that comes out of it. Feelings of intense anger are stirred up inside of me. Then I take a closer look at the article and realize, more often than not, 90% of the article is speculation pretending to be fact, and dressed in bright red screaming at you, trying to scare you. Why? Well, would you read an article otherwise. We live in a capitalist society, a capitalist world, even. Truth doesn't sell articles, fear does.

This is what China has to deal with. They're an easy target, and will continue to be for the next few years. If they make a move to take over Taiwan now, even if it is through a political strategy, they won't be gaining anything. They'll be giving the world actual news to report. They'll hinder their own reputation and important relations with the other superpowers of the world.

There could only be one reason for doing something like this: world domination. Yea that's right, China wants to take over the entire world - and they'll start with Taiwan. The US and European countries will be upset, but China doesn't care... soon they'll be a part of the Middle Kingdom, too!

--I'm disappointed with the news I read, to a point that it angers me. Not because I see only bad news and think the world is a bad place, but because I'm afraid other people are actually reading and believing these things.