I have signed up for a business management course at the university and started discovering some new area, the area of business and economics. Why I did that I dunno. I feel some hunger for knowledge and interestingly my previous MA thesis helps me a lot in understanding business.
I had an interesting discussion with A who helped me see a bigger picture. Apart from my superficial judgment of Canada, I started seeing a bigger picture, not what makes Canada a developed country but why it a developed country. My discussion with A was about how bad life is back home and how everything is in the hands of one family. I was arguing that we are a purely capitalistic state now, we own property, we have the right to make profit (with some exceptions), we make free choices (or the own that the state allows us to make, which the same in many countries), we have the right to compete these days. The days of planned economy are long gone. I agree that the FAMILY owns property in the country and there is corruption and bribery and I am not saying I am proud of those. We compared the current development of the land of fire with the developments in Iran and we drew some parallels. Similar situations, similar development of events, so far many similarities than differences. I was surprised that even the first ladies look alike. A. met someone from Iran in a store the other day and the guy was telling him how wonderful life was in Iran during the Shah's reign, that guy told him how rich people became overnight and how wonderful life was. The same happened at home, we became rich overnight and shipped all the foreigners to the country relying on their knowledge and expertise. In fact, like Iran we were also bought by the Brits, although on certain conditions. Whether the contract was a good idea or not I can't say now. All I can say is that many commoners got jobs and made good money by working for giants like BP. I often hear people complaining about BP and I am so ready to punch them in their faces. Whatever we have as a country came after the contract was signed. Many unqualified people got income they could never dream of because of the oil revenues that started pouring into the country. People still complained. They complain even now. Yet, every time I go home I see people dressed up top notch, all in designer clothes, every other person has an Iphone, which is NOT free, they have to pay money for it, which, I am sure is double of what it is in North America. No one has an ordinary phone, it is a competition who get a bigger, better, more expensive phones. I always ask myself, if people really live so poorly where the heck is the money to buy that? Go to a village and all people always build houses. Yes, they have no bathrooms, but they always find money to buy gold, build a house, buy dowry. I am aware it is a part of culture but still everyone complains. I have been going back and forth for the last 7 years and it is not the same country every time I go there. Things change more rapidly than I can realize. Economic growth is so rapid that it is hard to comprehend. For someone, who lives there, it is not noticeable, all people see is dirt, dust, construction sites. No one seems to notice how gorgeous the city is, everyone only complains and it has almost turned into a national habit. The reason is greed. We have a lot more opportunities to travel now and see the world , so we want to have the same standards, the same infrastructure, the same comfort, the same standard of living and the same quality of living. And it all we want overnight, right now, right here! And we complain. No one ever thinks that for whatever people want back home people in developed countries PAY. Nothing is free here, in the condo you live, you pay condo fees to maintain order and cleanliness, the roads are paid from taxpayers' pockets. Every time I see my paycheck I almost cry at how much money I lose every month in taxes. When I look at the people back home, they are much better off than me, who makes triple of what a high income back home is. What do I have here? The cheapest possible car and rent and very little disposable income? Almost everyone owns their place and car. Some take a loan but it is not popular. Their apartments are bigger, better, newer, their cars are a lot more expensive than here. People pay cash for everything. No one wants to pay taxes, yet everyone demands a certain living standard and bash the country for bribery and corruption. The very same people would be amongst the first ones to rebel if the country was to introduce the taxes of North America. And then people back home call me lucky. Lucky because I work my butt off doing 2 jobs and still have nothing at the end of the day. To go to a cafe back home one should have at least 25$, here I can got to Tim Horton's with 5$. But back home I have to be dressed up every time I go out, whereas here I can wear whatever I want. Still, my question is where the money comes from back home??? Yet, everyone complains at how expensive things are and how little money they make but everyone lives better than people in a developed country.
I think I am off track now. The reason why I started blabber-mouthing is WHY the developed world is developed. A. was telling me how Singapore became a developed country thanks to someone who eliminated bribery and corruption there. The person's name is Yosef Bin Ishak. He supposedly threw his siblings to jail for embezzling money and some illegal activities, thus showing that everyone regardless of WHO they are will be punished if the break the law. He eliminated corruption.
I told A that corruption will be eliminated back home only when the ideas of 'family' and 'relationships' disappear. A family is like a link in a chain, if one link is missing the chain falls apart. It is the same in many cultures. Root out the family, you will see a different person. However, how many of us are ready to go against their families?! It was easier for me to leave my country than say 'no' to my family and I don't just mean immediate family but the extended one as well. How could I live happily knowing that my sister is needy, or brother has no money to pay for his education, or my parents have no money? I wouldn't sleep well, that's for sure, and do everything I can to help them out and I did and will continue doing it.
It is only in Canada and US children can call 911 and they are encouraged to call 911 if their parents abuse them whether verbally of physically. Parents are afraid of their children here, because children belong to the state and parents have no control over them. Back home, even if my mom cut my flesh with a knife, I would have never complained to an outsider, I'd prefer to be killed than go against my family. It is not surprising that all dictators see their families that way. Family is a safe haven for many people.
I remember from my cross-cultural leadership class that it is a fact that it was only protestant countries who are the most developed. Look at Greece, Italy, Spain where Catholicism is the predominant religion. The countries are deep in debt, corruption, mafia, etc. They are a part of the EU, that is why no one picks on them. I don't want to see the day when EU dissolves. At the same time, the US, UK, Canada, and those countries with immigrant population and protestant religion are developed. Those immigrants who arrived here were social pariahs, outcasts, they lost all their connection with their families, they came here and established their own connections and build a different society, the society they wanted. Since Canada always gets immigrants who lose touch with their roots back home the immigrants have to adapt, their children are Canadians whether they want it or not. As a famous Canadian comedian, Russel Peters said, 'How can I be an Indian if I have never seen India? Why should we call black Americans African Americans if they have never been to Africa? Why not just call them Black Americans?'
Who will my kids be? Who am I now? Do I fit in the society I come from? I don't know but I love my family...
I had an interesting discussion with A who helped me see a bigger picture. Apart from my superficial judgment of Canada, I started seeing a bigger picture, not what makes Canada a developed country but why it a developed country. My discussion with A was about how bad life is back home and how everything is in the hands of one family. I was arguing that we are a purely capitalistic state now, we own property, we have the right to make profit (with some exceptions), we make free choices (or the own that the state allows us to make, which the same in many countries), we have the right to compete these days. The days of planned economy are long gone. I agree that the FAMILY owns property in the country and there is corruption and bribery and I am not saying I am proud of those. We compared the current development of the land of fire with the developments in Iran and we drew some parallels. Similar situations, similar development of events, so far many similarities than differences. I was surprised that even the first ladies look alike. A. met someone from Iran in a store the other day and the guy was telling him how wonderful life was in Iran during the Shah's reign, that guy told him how rich people became overnight and how wonderful life was. The same happened at home, we became rich overnight and shipped all the foreigners to the country relying on their knowledge and expertise. In fact, like Iran we were also bought by the Brits, although on certain conditions. Whether the contract was a good idea or not I can't say now. All I can say is that many commoners got jobs and made good money by working for giants like BP. I often hear people complaining about BP and I am so ready to punch them in their faces. Whatever we have as a country came after the contract was signed. Many unqualified people got income they could never dream of because of the oil revenues that started pouring into the country. People still complained. They complain even now. Yet, every time I go home I see people dressed up top notch, all in designer clothes, every other person has an Iphone, which is NOT free, they have to pay money for it, which, I am sure is double of what it is in North America. No one has an ordinary phone, it is a competition who get a bigger, better, more expensive phones. I always ask myself, if people really live so poorly where the heck is the money to buy that? Go to a village and all people always build houses. Yes, they have no bathrooms, but they always find money to buy gold, build a house, buy dowry. I am aware it is a part of culture but still everyone complains. I have been going back and forth for the last 7 years and it is not the same country every time I go there. Things change more rapidly than I can realize. Economic growth is so rapid that it is hard to comprehend. For someone, who lives there, it is not noticeable, all people see is dirt, dust, construction sites. No one seems to notice how gorgeous the city is, everyone only complains and it has almost turned into a national habit. The reason is greed. We have a lot more opportunities to travel now and see the world , so we want to have the same standards, the same infrastructure, the same comfort, the same standard of living and the same quality of living. And it all we want overnight, right now, right here! And we complain. No one ever thinks that for whatever people want back home people in developed countries PAY. Nothing is free here, in the condo you live, you pay condo fees to maintain order and cleanliness, the roads are paid from taxpayers' pockets. Every time I see my paycheck I almost cry at how much money I lose every month in taxes. When I look at the people back home, they are much better off than me, who makes triple of what a high income back home is. What do I have here? The cheapest possible car and rent and very little disposable income? Almost everyone owns their place and car. Some take a loan but it is not popular. Their apartments are bigger, better, newer, their cars are a lot more expensive than here. People pay cash for everything. No one wants to pay taxes, yet everyone demands a certain living standard and bash the country for bribery and corruption. The very same people would be amongst the first ones to rebel if the country was to introduce the taxes of North America. And then people back home call me lucky. Lucky because I work my butt off doing 2 jobs and still have nothing at the end of the day. To go to a cafe back home one should have at least 25$, here I can got to Tim Horton's with 5$. But back home I have to be dressed up every time I go out, whereas here I can wear whatever I want. Still, my question is where the money comes from back home??? Yet, everyone complains at how expensive things are and how little money they make but everyone lives better than people in a developed country.
I think I am off track now. The reason why I started blabber-mouthing is WHY the developed world is developed. A. was telling me how Singapore became a developed country thanks to someone who eliminated bribery and corruption there. The person's name is Yosef Bin Ishak. He supposedly threw his siblings to jail for embezzling money and some illegal activities, thus showing that everyone regardless of WHO they are will be punished if the break the law. He eliminated corruption.
I told A that corruption will be eliminated back home only when the ideas of 'family' and 'relationships' disappear. A family is like a link in a chain, if one link is missing the chain falls apart. It is the same in many cultures. Root out the family, you will see a different person. However, how many of us are ready to go against their families?! It was easier for me to leave my country than say 'no' to my family and I don't just mean immediate family but the extended one as well. How could I live happily knowing that my sister is needy, or brother has no money to pay for his education, or my parents have no money? I wouldn't sleep well, that's for sure, and do everything I can to help them out and I did and will continue doing it.
It is only in Canada and US children can call 911 and they are encouraged to call 911 if their parents abuse them whether verbally of physically. Parents are afraid of their children here, because children belong to the state and parents have no control over them. Back home, even if my mom cut my flesh with a knife, I would have never complained to an outsider, I'd prefer to be killed than go against my family. It is not surprising that all dictators see their families that way. Family is a safe haven for many people.
I remember from my cross-cultural leadership class that it is a fact that it was only protestant countries who are the most developed. Look at Greece, Italy, Spain where Catholicism is the predominant religion. The countries are deep in debt, corruption, mafia, etc. They are a part of the EU, that is why no one picks on them. I don't want to see the day when EU dissolves. At the same time, the US, UK, Canada, and those countries with immigrant population and protestant religion are developed. Those immigrants who arrived here were social pariahs, outcasts, they lost all their connection with their families, they came here and established their own connections and build a different society, the society they wanted. Since Canada always gets immigrants who lose touch with their roots back home the immigrants have to adapt, their children are Canadians whether they want it or not. As a famous Canadian comedian, Russel Peters said, 'How can I be an Indian if I have never seen India? Why should we call black Americans African Americans if they have never been to Africa? Why not just call them Black Americans?'
Who will my kids be? Who am I now? Do I fit in the society I come from? I don't know but I love my family...
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