Perhaps a rule of thumb is as follows: “If you’re unsure, always choose against the status quo and always choose new.” Tradition is safe, but only innovation can get us where we need to go.
As such, while I had to watch on in semi-disappointment as The Dark Knight Rises failed to stick its landing, we are not just passive observers watching a movie unfold. The economic vision the prime minister has laid out is a strong start, but it needs to stick its landing.
But now, if we plug these unprecedented initial conditions into Chaos Theory, where weather patterns can fluctuate immensely, the logical inference is that we will see ever more variable and unpredictable weather conditions even in seemingly “stable” zones.
Even if you make it through to the third round and come back from three games to nothing to tie it at three to three, the same habits that led you to lose extremely winnable games throughout the playoffs will come back to haunt you in high-pressure situations.
Many key ingredients of economic development require long-term planning, a greater tolerance for the long-term (patience) means that these ingredients may get to be fully cooked as well.
Therefore, it’s never “only the private sector should be in business” or “the government should always intervene in business”. Reality is far more complex and there are certainly pockets of market failures where the government does have a more direct role in economic activities.
Global politics have historically coincided with the advancement of science and technology, in large part because global competition — be it among companies, firms or individuals — allows for greater funding of innovation. We are in such an “era”.
The point of the article was to figure out, in a somewhat tongue-in-cheek manner, some better indicators for Malaysia’s economic development as opposed to the more popular ones. And so, in a further adaptation of Blattman’s concept, I have proposed a further 10 “indie” development indicators.
…maybe we can go some ways into setting ourselves up for the future amid a really trying global environment and, maybe unlike my theory about my own fortunes, it can be all uphill from here! And if we are even more lucky, we might come out of this far, far stronger. Maybe we could be like Mike.
Survival requires adaptability and agility, making full use of all the tools in our toolbox, instead of being a hammer treating everything as nails. And our longer-term future depends on our ability to grow, change and innovate — we should take a cue from nature and be as creative as we can be.
Those in power typically prefer the status quo; after all, rules were made by those who were powerful enough to set the rules in the first place. And while rules are ostensibly made for the benefit of all, they are rarely, if ever, made at the expense of those in power.
The idea of a level playing field between developed and developing countries is not historically just. Things were unfairly titled towards these rich countries in history. We need to re-tilt it back towards the rest of us.