Ch 23 — Price of Excellence

As I was passing through a street in New York at night, I noticed a brightly lit advertisement for the Japanese car, Toyota. The advertisement was extremely well-crafted and beautifully presented. We also saw ads for American vehicles (Buick, Ford, etc.) on New York’s streets, but they seemed quite lacklustre compared to the Japanese ads. The American ads were merely average, while the Japanese ad was a fine example of art.

Similarly, at the United Nations, we noticed that many female guides were appointed to assist the visitors. The guide assigned to our group was a Japanese girl. She was so energetic and introduced everything in such flawless English that it was hard to tell if she was human or a machine. This is a common characteristic of the Japanese people—they strive to perform any task they undertake to the highest standard. When people possess this quality, nothing in the world can stop them from achieving success, regardless of how few natural resources they may have.

IMPARTIALITY: THE SECRET OF SUCCESS

The Koreans used a computer to select their athletes and spent one million dollars to train them for each discipline for two years. This highlights that fairness and impartiality pave the way to success, while parochialism and nepotism are detrimental flaws.

The 10th Asian Games were held in Seoul, South Korea, in September 1986. In this 16-day competition, South Korea bagged the highest tally of medals. The details are given below:

Gold Silver Bronze Total

China 94 82 46 222