"The sea embraces all rivers, and tolerance is great."
Since New York and London have not yet reached 100 points, and Hong Kong is not completely devoid of relevant cultural genes, and the establishment of an international financial center is an undertaking that can take hundreds of years, then why do we need to prematurely judge Hong Kong as an international financial center? The future is gone?
Author: GUDORDI | 2023-07-28
The establishment of an international financial center is an undertaking that can take hundreds of years. So why do we need to prematurely conclude that Hong Kong’s future as an international financial center has disappeared? (Shutterstock)
If Escher can draw impossible objects, perhaps we philosopher may be allowed to think about impossible thoughts.
──Tim Moore
“There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long-term risks of inaction.” long-range risks of comfortable inaction.”)
The above are thought-provoking quotes from President Kennedy. Basically, Kennedy was a person who valued decisive action. As long as he felt that something was worth doing, he seemed not to be afraid of many obstacles. He once said, “If it is not done by us, who will do it? If not done now, when will it be done?” (if not us, who? If not now, when?)
Our thoughts and things we do must not just focus on immediate considerations...
These are some words with a sense of responsibility and courage, and it also proves that Kennedy’s vision and level are much higher than many politicians who only focus on the immediate few years. He once said: “We must think and act not in response to immediate considerations, but in response to the needs of the entire age in which we live…” (…we must think and act not only for the moment but for our time.” )
There is no doubt that President Kennedy lives in a great era, and he himself is also a man with a deep sense of historical mission. Therefore, his presidential campaign slogan is “A time for greatness.” He once said: “We have the power to make the people of our generation the best in history.” – generation – or the last generation…” (We have the power to make this the best generation of mankind in the history of the world – or make it the last.)
For Kennedy, perhaps no matter how big the problem is, how long it takes to solve, the most important thing is to be able to take the first step and to persevere in trying to solve them. In theory, there is no There are no problems that cannot be solved. They once said: “Our problems are of our own making; therefore, they should be able to find solutions. Nothing about human destiny is absolutely beyond human capabilities.” man-made, therefore they can be solved by man. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings.)
In Kennedy’s mind, perhaps no matter how big the problem is, the most important thing is to take the first step to try to solve it. As for whether the relevant problem can be solved in the foreseeable next few years, or even within his own life time and space. Being resolved is not that important. Kennedy once quoted Lao Tzu’s famous saying in the Tao Te Ching: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” And his translation seemed to have a different flavor. He said this: “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step” “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step” – The speech talent of President Kennedy or the entire Kennedy family is There is no doubt about it.
On the issue of the Hong Kong International Financial Center project, can we consider being bolder in our views?
This actually leads to a very profound question: when it comes to things in this world, should we only do things that are easy to do or things that can be done? When talking about Charlie Munger and Buffett’s views on Musk in an earlier article, they mentioned that they are different from Musk in that they will only do “easy things.” What Charlie Munger and Buffett said is certainly reasonable and profound. However, if you think about it a little deeper, should this refer to most situations, or is it an absolute rule? Is there something in this world that transcends considerations of success? How should we start it?
As for how Hong Kong can develop its international financial center and international city, should we always focus on things that are easy to do, or at least have a certain degree of certainty, or should we consider, like President Kennedy, Set your sights further, and do whatever you need to do, and don’t worry too much about how long it will take to be effective, or even whether it will be successful?
Lin Zexu’s motto: “The sea embraces all rivers, tolerance is great, a wall stands thousands of feet high, no desire is strong”, which has many inheritance and imprints of Chinese culture. (Shutterstock)
Lin Zexu's sixteen-character mantra, is the password to become an international financial center?
The title of the second article in this series is “Lin Zexu’s Password”. The article mentions Mr. Lin Zexu’s motto: “The sea embraces all rivers, tolerance is great, a wall stands thousands of feet tall, and no desire leads to strength.” It also mentions this sixteen-character mantra, It has a lot of inheritance and imprint of Chinese culture.
The author mentioned these sixteen-character mantras because they show extraordinary magnanimity and mind, as well as persistence in the principle of fairness and justice, and these may be the most important qualities that make an international financial center and international city possible. The characteristic of Gaijin International Financial Center is that it can accommodate and attract countless funds, assets, and talents from all directions. People, funds, and companies from various backgrounds are confident , where there are open, transparent, fair and just mechanisms and game rules that allow them to compete with opponents from all over the world. Even if they lose, they can only attribute it to their own inferior skills.
The above sixteen-character mantra can be understood as the ideal qualities of an international financial center. What is not easy to do, even New York and London, I believe it is still not possible to do it today. However, since New York and London have not yet reached 100%, Hong Kong is not completely devoid of relevant cultural genes, and the establishment of an international financial center is an undertaking that can take hundreds of years, then why do we need to prematurely judge Hong Kong’s international status? Has the future of the financial center disappeared? Will Lin Zexu’s sixteen-character mantra be an important tip for whether Hong Kong can finally overcome future challenges this time? I will talk about it later.
“Hong Kong’s Legendary Future” Series 36
Contact the author: Gudordi@proton.me
