“It isn’t easy to acknowledge the truth of our power.”

“Too often we fear our own greatness.”

“We pretend to be powerless, mistakenly thinking that this somehow frees us from the responsibility of power.”

- Steve Pavlina

(His website’s subtitle is: Personal Development for Smart People, you might be interested.)

“You have greatness inside of you.”

– Dean A. Nash (that’s me!)

NASH: I’ve said it so many times, to so many of my Shenzhen Zhong Xue students, and they still don’t get it. Perhaps Mr. Pavlina has explained why.

IF someone has greatness, then they also have the responsibility to use that greatness. And yes, if you were one of my SZZX students, then I am referring to you. That includes you, Platotle. I can hear some of you thinking, “But Nash, it’s not possible for all of your students to have greatness.” To which I answer, “Oh yes it is. That’s because Shenzhong isn’t a ‘regular’ school. The students there aren’t a cross-section of society, they’re a specially selected group.”

We need for you to STAND UP. “Pretending” that you have no special powers does NOT absolve you of your responsibilities. Remember:

little courage = little life

BIG COURAGE = BIG LIFE

And you get to decide. Choose wisely.

Are you a heretic? Unless you’re planning on leading people into the past, you’d best learn to be. At least a little. Because the future belongs to the heretics. Always has. Always will. Don’t trust me, THINK!

You can choose to add subtitles in any of 16 languages – just click the “View Subtitles” writing immediately to the right of the play arrow. (It’s on the bottom left-hand side of the video box.)
Please let me know (via comments) if the video isn’t shown in China and I’ll do my best to upload it to YouKu.

The blue one, or the red one?

If you’re interested in Business or Leadership, then I recommend that you read Blue Ocean Strategy. Apparently I’m not the only Chinese who thinks it’s a great book. The following comes from Blue Ocean Strategy’s website (www.blueoceanstrategy.com):
“Blue Ocean Strategy named most influential book in China (in Chinese) – China Book Business Report, December 31, 2009
China’s leading book review journal ‘China Book Business Report’ reports that Blue Ocean Strategy has been selected for two prominent national book lists. – The 600 Most Influential Books in the History of the People’s Republic of China 1949-2009 & The 300 Most Influential Books in the three Decades of China’s Reform and Opening to the Outside World 1979-2009 in the category of ‘Economics and Finance’…”

NASH: I’ve read this book and whole-heartedly endorse it. Read it in either Chinese or English, but read it.

It was the sagacious Edmund Burke (1729 – 1797) – an Irish statesman, author, orator, political theorist, and philosopher – who first said: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

There are poor people – poor because they are ignorant – in China who will remain that way because I am unallowed to help them. See above quote.

Public Service Ads are commonly referred to by their acronym, PSA’s. Wherever they run, be they “on the air” (television & radio) or in print (newspapers, billboards, etc…) they usually occupy space that is donated – because they have traditionally been for the public good. However, as time progresses, they have become politicized. The following is but one example. Underneath the video, you’ll find my analysis of some useful lessons that this videos demonstrate.

Useful Lessons

First, using celebrities to advance your cause. Second, in most of the world, INCLUDING China, government leaders are influenced by public opinion. PSA’s of this sort are a proactive means of influencing both (public opinion and government leaders). Third, note the way the ad calls for DIRECT ACTION – no beating around the bush here. They basically say “DO THIS!” And finally, they’re running an integrated viral campaign. Note their website: www.ThisIsOurMoment.org and their appeal for social networking of their idea. As Seth Godin says, Ideas that spread, win.

From The New York Times: “Several American government officials gave details about the raid on the condition that they not be named, because the operation was classified.”

NASH: Treason is a very serious charge and for much of mankind’s history, the penalty has traditionally been death. Of course, power corrupts and all sorts of people who dared to speak out against a king, dictator or president have been charged with treason and ‘eliminated’ – UNJUSTLY.

The quote that I started with is from this week. It involves at least one American government official betraying his or her sworn oath to not reveal classified information. In short, treason.

I know that the world is rarely black and white – that sometimes the greater good is served by those willing to break just such an oath. (For example, to reveal a president’s corrupt acts.) However, in this case, there appears to be no “greater good”, just some people who have no sense of honor. Nor love for their country.

SHAME on them. And shame on our Commander-in-Chief (President Obama) for letting them get away with it.

The solution to the world’s problems is simple: EDUCATION. But then, you already knew that.

What you probably haven’t realized, however, is that is only takes about 3 years to educate someone. Assuming that they want to be educated. I know this because I’ve done it. To be educated doesn’t mean that you know it all – no one knows it all. (No one knows even .0001% of it all.) I prefer this definition: To be educated means that you know that you need more education, you know how to get it, and you do.

This video is from a report on New York City schools, which are currently undergoing some dramatically good changes. URL:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/35338260#35328540

Thanks for looking down here. So if we can educate people in just 3 years, then there is cause for great optimism. The sooner we get started, the sooner we arrive. And there’s the rub. The problem isn’t “the problem” because we already have “the solution.” What we’re lacking is LEADERS.

[This post is for EVERYONE, but dedicated to one of my brightest students, Platotle.]

How about “One of us.” “When something belongs to all of us, then it belongs to none of us.” The old adage helps to explain China’s polluted waterways. You’ll note that I said that it “helps” to explain, it doesn’t fully explain.

The N.Y. Times, in this article, China Report Shows More Pollution in Waterways reports: “China’s government on Tuesday unveiled its most detailed survey ever of the pollution plaguing the country, revealing that water pollution in 2007 was more than twice as severe as official figures that had long omitted agricultural waste.”

NASH: The simple truth is, China can’t afford to wait any longer and it might already be too late. There are creative solutions to water pollution. Our problem isn’t really that we don’t know how to fix handle the situation.

OUR PROBLEM IS THAT WE DON’T HAVE ENOUGH LEADERS. We’ve plenty of power hungry people, but that isn’t the same thing, is it? Don’t bother answering, that’s a rhetorical question. If just ONE OF US would stand up and lead – Platotle, this is why this post is dedicated to you – we can clean and keep the water pure.

Many Americans are disappointed with President Obama.

For those on the left side of the political spectrum, he hasn’t changed things nearly enough. America is still fighting two wars. Guantanamo is still open. Far too many Americans still don’t have access to affordable healthcare.

For those on the right side of the spectrum, these aren’t negatives. However, they’ve also plenty to be disappointed about. For starters, President Obama hasn’t demonstrated any ability to control America’s budget deficit. On the contrary, it’s MUCH WORSE than ever. On top of that, President Obama’s perceived ‘weakness’ has, in their opinion, made America somewhat of a doormat. Most objective observers will agree that America is less respected and yes, less feared today.

So an unnamed group of businessmen recently put up this billboard, supporting former President Bush. Being President – LEADING – is really, REALLY hard. So YES, I miss President Bush. I rate his leadership very highly as I’m convinced that he did what he felt was in America’s – and yes, the world’s – best interest, regardless of politics. While the jury is still out on President Obama, the preliminary reports are not good: too weak and too passive. And NO, I don’t miss him. One of the beauties of America is that we aren’t dependent on a single person to ’save’ us. I rather like the fact that power alternates between competing parties. In my lifetime, America has had these presidents: (D=Democrats; R=Republicans)
R – Eisenhower
D – Kennedy
D – Johnson
R – Nixon
R – Ford
D – Carter
R – Reagan
R – Bush I
D – Clinton
R – Bush II
D – Obama

(The problem, in my opinion, hasn’t been America’s Presidents nearly as much as America’s congress, but that’s for another post.)

One other note, if you wanted to get some nationwide publicity, but didn’t have a lot of money, putting up an advertisement like this, but doing so anonymously, like these guys did, is a great way of achieving your goal. People love mysteries and hate unanswered questions. So the MSM is going to be all over this searching for the sponsors.

Don’t know what MSM is? Look it up. Google it. It’ll take all of 15 seconds. Come on, don’t be lazy.

[This post is for EVERYONE.]

I’ve long been a proponent of the idea that China is poised to lead the world. Back in 2003, I predicted that by 2020 (just 17 years) China would be number 1. I wasn’t just referring to economics, I was referring to leadership. Back then, my students laughed at me and said “Oh Nash, you really don’t know China.” My reply, “Oh students, you really don’t know America.” Today, everyone knows America a bit better.

Everyone knew China’s upward trajectory, but few realized that America’s trajectory was downward. I did. My students asked how I could be so sure. I answered, “If you plant apple seeds today, tomorrow [in the near future] you’re going to get apples.” And so, the intersection of these two trajectories will occur much sooner than my students could have imagined back then.

I still hold to my 2020 prediction. HOWEVER, that prediction was ALWAYS based on the next generation of Chinese – I’m talking about people like you, the students of SZZX – standing up and leading their country. [LEAD = SACRIFICE = LOVE] Unfortunately for China, far too many (most?) of my former students aren’t interested in sacrificing for a better China. They would rather flee the country and take care of themselves and their families first. That is their right, and there is nothing inherently wrong with that. But thank God that Deng Xiaoping didn’t have that attitude, because if he did, then the students today wouldn’t have that option. They wouldn’t have ANY options.

I’m reminiscing about all of this because of a recent Boston Globe article subtitled: When will China lead the world? Don’t hold your breath The article’s overarching theme is the rise of Asia, but as a practical matter, it’s about China’s rise. Below are a few excerpts. Whether you agree or disagree, it’s important to have a variety of perspectives in order to see things clearly. So don’t hesitate to go and tackle the entire article.

“As Asia throws up barriers to immigration, in the United States immigration helps ensure long-term economic vitality. Chinese and Indian immigrants accounted for almost one-quarter of all companies in Silicon Valley, according to research by AnnaLee Saxenian at the University of California-Berkeley.”

“Most important, the United States is a champion of an idea that has global appeal, and Asia is not. During the opposition protests in Iran, demonstrators look to the United States, not China or Indonesia or even India, to make a statement. In a reversal of the Iranian regime’s rhetoric, some protestors even chant “Death to China” because of Beijing’s support for the repressive government in Tehran. As long as protestors in places like Iran, or Burma or Ukraine, call out for the American president, and not China’s leader or India’s prime minister, the United States will remain the preeminent power.”

“To be the global hegemon requires military, economic, and political might, but it also means offering a vision for the world.”

David Brooks, from the N.Y. Times, writes “…it’s now clear change will not be led from Washington. On the other hand, over the past couple of years we’ve seen the power of spontaneous social movements: first the movement that formed behind Barack Obama, and now, equally large, the Tea Party movement.”

“Spontaneous social movements can make the unthinkable thinkable, and they can do it quickly.”‘

NASH: Um, dudes, he’s talking about you – change comes from you. Gandhi said: “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”

“If the people lead, then the leaders will follow.” I’m sorry that I don’t know who first said that, regardless, it’s a universal truth worth remembering.

I believe that the answer to China’s current “free speech” debate is embedded in Chinese history.  Specifically, the stories of two of China’s most widely celebrated leaders, Liu Bang and Deng Xiaoping.   It was Liu Bang who said, upon conquering the Qin capital city of Xianyang:
 
“Fathers and Elders, you who have long suffered under the cruel laws of Qin.”
 
“First, a man who murders another will receive the death penalty.”
 
“Second, a man who harms, robs or steals will be punished according to his crime.”
 
“Third and last, ALL  the other laws of Qin are hereby repealed.” [Emphasis mine]

This came to be known by all as Yue Fa San Zhang.

Liu foreshadowed Deng Xiaoping.  He wasn’t after power for “power’s sake”.  He just wanted the people to have better lives.  He knew that governments ABUSE their power – not only to control for good, but also to decide whom to punish and how.  (Or do you naively think that all laws are uniformly enforced?)  And so, he decided to end those methods of control.  Risky?  You bet.  Because then, as now, there were all sorts of enemies within and without who would have loved to seize power.  And yet history goes on to record this:
 
“His popularity soared.  The people now only feared that he would NOT  be king.” [Emphasis mine]  It’s easy for us to understand why.  Here was a leader who put the people above his own power.  Who wouldn’t want leaders like that?
 
Freedom of speech, and it’s requisite component, freedom of thought, do result in a much greater chance of chaos.  However, the people are smarter than Beijing sometimes gives them credit for.  Most Chinese want the country to continue on its current path of progress.  That means moving forward with additional freedoms and their accompanying responsibilities – not merely standing in place with economic growth of 10% per year.  Which brings us to the second historically great leader, Deng Xiaoping. 

Deng Xiaoping SACRIFICED all of his power to do what he thought was best for China.  He didn’t sacrifice for “the Party”, he sacrificed for “China”.  Big difference.  And yet, the party benefited.  That’s okay, someone has to make the rules, to govern.  Why shouldn’t it be the leader who does what is best for the people/country over what is best for the party?  Just like Liu some 2,000 years before him.  
 
In 1967, the posters said to “pulverize Deng thought”.   Today, ALL of us who love China are grateful that Deng stood up and SACRIFICED for his beliefs.  Back then, he had NO guarantees of success.  On the contrary, many tens of thousands (or more) were killed for “expressing” those same thoughts.  The most likely course of events was that Deng would also be killed for his “free thinking” and the expression of those thoughts.
 
And finally, once firmly in power, Deng used creative thinking to solve the puzzle of how to integrate Hong Kong back into the mainland – One Country, Two Systems.  Simply brilliant. 

I like both President Hu and Premier Wen, I believe that they are good, decent and honorable men who love China more than anything.  But sometimes, the ’system’ overwhelms the best intentions of good men.  We need look no further than Deng’s own history to know the truth of that.  President Hu and Premier Wen need to come up with some creative solutions of their own regarding China’s “freedom of speech, freedom of thought, freedom of expression” situation.  It’s not enough to merely say that this is the way things are.  Things change.  The best course of action is to deal with the changes creatively.

Perhaps laying out a timeline of loosening restrictions – show the people some light at the end of the tunnel.  Something like this, for example:

     1. Beginning in 2011, the web will have no more censorship. Period.
     2. Beginning in 2015, all print media will also have all restrictions lifted.
     3. Beginning in 2020, the public will have “freedom of assembly”.

Last year, in Beijing, the book Unhappy China (?????) created quite a stir.  I think I know – although I could be wrong, I’m often wrong – just why China is so unhappy: the Chinese people feel that the government doesn’t trust them.

How would the Chinese people respond to my Yue Fa San Zhang?  Again, I think I know.  I believe that a large majority of Chinese “would only fear that the party would not be in charge.”   Who doesn’t want a government that puts the people above all else, even their own power?

“Will Deng’s heirs – that’s not just Hu and Wen, but also You  - turn Beijing into a superpower the world can love?”

Great question.  What will your answer be?

I can tell that you all missed me from all the e-mails I’ve been receiving asking me if I’m doing alright.  Fear not, I’m fine.  But you’re never going to believe what has happened to my blog.

If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you know how I LOVE Google.  And you’re obviously aware that China and Google are having a little spat.  Well, the Guangdong agency in charge of blogs decided to block my blog (among others) to “outsiders” – that is, to those outside of Guangdong Province. 

So, those of you in SZ and GZ could access my blog, but I couldn’t, which is why I haven’t posted in the past couple of weeks.  I can only guess that the government wanted to keep all of my good lessons (in the form of posts) strictly for the benefit of the Chinese people. 

My solution, as you’ve probably already realized, is to move my blog to a host outside of China.  Yes, it makes it more likely that my blog could be censored inside China, but since I am a big supporter of Beijing, I’m hoping that it won’t. 

One thing is for sure, there won’t be any censorship issues on my end, so I’ll be able to regularly post.  If you don’t ever want to miss any of those posts, I recommend that you sign up for e-mail delivery of my posts via RSS (really simple syndication).   You certainly recongize the RSS symbol, and if you don’t, here it is:

Just look for that logo on any blog and click it.  That will lead you to a subscribe page where you can have that blog delivered to you.  So if you click my RSS logo (not this picture, but the actual RSS logo) located on the upper right side of this page, you can make my blog posts come to you.

Anyway, I’m thrilled that you’re here and THANK YOU for allowing me to teach you.  I know what an honor that is and I truly appreciate it.

I’d like to ask for two favors, both of which are good for you and me. 

First, please let your friends know that they can find lots of useful information here at RuZiKeJiao.com  Particularly if they are leaders-in-training.

Second, PLEASE comment more.  I would love to hear your opinions on the ideas that I am sharing, even if your ideas, ESPECIALLY if your ideas are contrary to mine.