difference between rich and poor countries

i got this email from Iesel who sent it to our yahoo group. i wish i knew who wrote it to give proper credit but i googled and didn't find the author.

read on...


To reflect and... Act:

The difference between the poor countries and the rich ones is not the age of the country:

This can be shown by countries like India & Egypt, that are more than 2000 years old, but are poor. On the other hand, Canada, Australia & New Zealand, that 150 years ago were inexpressive, today are developed countries, and are rich. The difference between poor & rich countries does not reside in the available natural resources. Japan has a limited territory, 80% mountainous, inadequate for agriculture & cattle raising, but it is the second world economy. The country is like an immense floating factory, importing raw material from the whole world and exporting manufactured products. Another example is Switzerland, which does not plant cocoa but has the best chocolate of the world. In its little territory they raise animals and plant the soil during 4 months per year. Not enough, they produce dairy products of the best quality. It is a small country that transmits an image of security, order & labor, which made it the world's strongest, safest place. Executives from rich countries who communicate with their counterparts in poor countries show that there is no significant intellectual difference. Race or skin color are also not important: immigrants labeled lazy in their countries of origin are the productive power in rich European countries.

What is the difference then?

The difference is the attitude of the people, framed along the years by the education & the culture. On analyzing the behavior of the people in rich & developed countries, we find that the great majority follow the following principles in their lives:

1. Ethics, as a basic principle.
2. Integrity.
3. Responsibility.
4. Respect to the laws & rules.
5. Respect to the rights of other citizens.
6. Work loving.
7. Strive for saving & investment.
8. Will of super action.
9. Punctuality.

In poor countries, only a minority follow these basic principles in their daily life. We are not poor because we lack natural resources or because nature was cruel to us. We are poor because we lack the correct attitude. We lack the will to comply with and teach these functional principles of rich & developed societies. If you do not forward this message nothing will happen to you. Your pet will not die, you will not be fired, you will not have bad luck for seven years, and also you will not get sick, but those may happen because of your laziness, your love for intrigue and politics, your indifference to saving for the future, your stubborn attitude.

* end of email *

there is truth to this. example of not following rules and regulations? driving. driving in Manila is like driving in the "jungle" of the world of driving. i don't know how to drive yet nor am i looking forward to the day because knowing my heart condition, it will probably give me a heart attack (although this summer i'm going to take classes just for the sake of being independent). the other day my sister drove my mother and i to the hospital for our tests and check-up. jeepney drivers were honking their horns out, impatient with each other because of the traffic jam a car caused that clogged the road. and at some point between home and st. luke's hospital, this jeepney stopped in the middle of Quezon Avenue-- RIGHT SMACK IN THE MIDDLE OF IT to let a passenger go down. what kind of road/driving etiquette is that? and then they have the right to get angry when cars at their back honk their horns out!

my aunt who came from the U.S. for a vacation last month shook her head in disbelief of how drivers in manila drive. she was also amazed by how cars can overtake each other and squeeze in between jeepneys, trucks, and ordinary cars yet get through them all unscratched. i guess if you want a training ground for driving, you can start by training in Manila because if you live a day after driving-- safe and unscratched, you deserve a gold medal and you can drive almost anywhere in the world! heck, you even deserve an international driving license! i am amazed by this too but i, myself, who have lived in the city for 5 years now since i came home still cannot believe how crazy it is out there in the streets. good luck naman, di ba?

plus, lets not talk about how narrow main roads are. ibang topic na 'yan.

okay back to thesis. *groans* i'm transcribing my recorded interviews. nakakatamad!!! grrr.