Can Asians think?
These three words can give
us three various meanings. First, these words can cause an uproar as we may be
under estimated, mocked or even discriminated. Second, for some of us, these
words are just a trivial thing to talk about. Lastly and the most positive is
the question gives us a challenge to prove ourselves that we, Asians, can think
and do think.
Yes, these words ask not
about the Asian’s IQ but about the Asian mind and the Asian way of thinking
answers and solutions in the global issues. It is not a matter of mental
ability but a matter of personal reflections and social responsibility.
To begin with, I would like
to clarify that the author, Kishore Mabhubani was born and raised in Singapore
yet ask this question like he had doubts.
Most of us, Asians,
will say yes, a yes with 50% prejudice. Therefore, our point-of-view does
matter here for it simply limits our view of the truth we can see yet we cannot
accept. As a matter of fact, the comparison between the Asian minds
and the Western minds will be reviewed. And of course, the three ways of
answering the question (the Yes, the No and the Maybe) will also be examined.
First, let us summarize the
No’s. The Asian power has moved backward while the Western power moved forward.
It is such an irony on how the larger Asian societies were outdid and colonized
by smaller European societies. Worst of all, mental colonialism was injected in
the Asian minds. We are mixed up with the Western system of values. We
patronize the Western culture and resources more than our own. We even try to
copy-paste our dreams from them. Lastly, we nailed ourselves to the belief that
we depend on them. We believe that we are in massive debt on them for
colonizing and liberating us. We believe that the West reflect the
perfect examples for each nation to follow. We believe that we are inferior
beings from the Western people or in other’s view, the Western people are superior
to us. And to think of something positive, Japan is the only Asian nation that
can catch up with the West. Therefore, only a few of us can think.
Now, let us take at look at
the Yes-side. The Asian economies grew more rapidly and more consistently than
any other economies and thanks, some of us are thinking that progress can be
achieved from being confident and independent in the global competition.
Additional to this, we know what to choose, what to adopt, what to change, what
to keep and what to rediscover. Therefore, we can think.
The answer of the Maybe’s
will come from the actions and decisions that we did, we do and we will do. It
is up to us if we will be repeating the same economic mistakes that we did. It
is up to us if we can reach the Western level of political stability and
harmony. It is up to us if we can achieve the same zero prospect of war that
the Western people had successfully passed. It is up to us if our basis for
personal development will be changed to our abilities not on our birth and
connections or even on our ethnic background. The consequences will come from
us.
From what I had read, the
names of various Asian nations existed in the text, some noted for the first
developments they did, some for being the economic tigers of the continent,
some for their economic rise and fall, some for their good government system,
some for their economic resilience and some for reaching the Western standards
of modern progress. But as I keep on reading, I can’t find the word “Philippines”
so I tried repeating the text from its first letter to its last period. But no,
I can’t find it and I did not even miss it. Does it mean that we do not matter?
Our name even came from a Western leader. But no, we do matter. We are not
mentioned for our system, economic and political, emerged from those tigers
over us.
Let us admit it. The Western minds have a clear advantage over us due to their open-minded leap as their values system is compatible with the modern universe. But let us also take note that the future lies not in the competitions and comparisons but in self-progress first, not in global diversity but in global cooperation.
Here’s a challenge for us.
It is a dream to reconnect our historical past even if we suffer colonial dominations,
to bring up the youth open to a new interconnected globe yet still aware to the
cultures of our ancestors, to cooperate with the West using our unity in
diversity and most of all, to define, remember and create our own identity so
that we can empower ourselves with pride and confidence.
This year, the Asian population reached about 3.8 billion, still
covering about 60% of the world’s population. Now,
can we use our population as producers, not just consumers? Can we use our
population not as burden but as resources?
Yes, the past makes up the
present as the present makes up the future. But the past will never make up the
future. We can’t predict the future unless we make it.
Can Asians think? Yes, we
can. But do Asians think? I leave it to you. It is not a question of thinking
but a question of proving and taking actions. It is not a question for the
mind, but a question for the heart, a question for the Asian heart.
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