Dead bird
I just learned a tail tale Japanese schoolkids are told.
It is about three great Shoguns who ruled different parts of Japan in the 16th century.
Each of the three faces a caged bird, that would not want to entertain them with it’s sweet voice.
The first, Oda Nobunaga, would say: if the bird will not sing, I will kill it.
The second, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, would say: if the bird will not sing, I will try to make it sing
The third, Tokugawa Ieyasu, would say: if the bird will not sing, i will wait.
The third shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu, was the unifier of the whole island Japan and his legacy lived on in the Edo period, maybe the most important period in the islands history.
What I take from this story is an amazingly accurate description of the Japanese mindset. If there is something you don’t like, wait. Eventually fate will turn to your advantage.
I imagine the same story for America and Europa.
Napoleon would have said: if the bird won’t sing, I will kill it.
Georg Washington would have said: if the bird won’t sing, I will make it sing.
Abraham Lincoln would have said: if the bird won’t sing, I will go to the theater.
No one would have waited for the fucking bird to sing. It is not in the culture. If you want something, work hard until you earn it, or else just take it. No risk, no fun/reward.
This difference is maybe one of the most important reasons why Japan as a country is economically paralyzed since about 15 years.
Japan has the highest saving rate on the planet, and they get NO interest at all. If they would put it under the mattress they would actually get more money as in the bank, as they don’t have to pay the banking fees. They are just sitting there and waiting for fate to turn.
Americans on the other side have almost a negative saving rate. They love to take a risk, as a big chance to fail comes with a chance to get really rich.
Economically speaking I think the real world makes it clear what model is more successful. In one TED lecture (I really cant find it anymore) I learned that US Venture Capital backed investments account only for 1 % of the county’s investments, but they are responsible for 25% of the increase in output.
In the long term, taking risks pays. As much as the US economy might fluctuate, it chose the economical model, that pays the most. As long as you can wait for decades.
We can see that approach is the best because nature proved it to be right since millions of years. Mutation of genes cause in 99.99% of the cases the death of the individual, or are just useless. It is those 0.01% that prove to bring something useful, like eyes, or fingers.
Conclusion:
FAIL THE SHIT OUT OF LIFE, OR HUMANITY WILL GET NOWHERE!
dont publish this comment dear, it is just to tell you that it is “tale” not “tail” (schwanz)
@maria would have married emanuel if she wouldnt have married clem
well that is what you get from reading the posts of a dyslexic person.
Thank you a lot, for the rest of the blog use the simple rule: if you find any mistakes, you can keep them!