Why Are We Rapidly Advancing Amidst All the Chaos? #Daily Thoughts
Ever wondered why we keep making leaps in development despite the mess around us? Looking at society's daily life, we see a ton of frustrating issues. Whether it's people's actions or those of the government, there are plenty of things that are just plain annoying.
Yet, on the whole, we've made massive progress. Take my childhood for example: getting to eat white bread was a rare treat, saved for special occasions. In high school, I had to bike for miles to get to school because there were no cars, not even buses. But look at our lives today – everything has completely transformed.
This is because the everyday details, the ones we see up close, can be messy. But the big-picture strategies, those that steer us forward, often aren't visible to us.
For instance, in recent years, cities like Chengdu, Chongqing, and Xi’an have seen rapid development. Most people don't connect this growth to the broader Western Development Strategy. Similarly, our "Belt and Road Initiative" isn't just about expanding trade routes. It’s about bypassing the traditional sea routes and fostering trade connections with landlocked countries.
Take the new rail link between China and Europe, for example. It opens up a new economic corridor connecting China, Central Asia, and Europe. It also facilitates the flow of natural gas and oil from Central Asia and Russia into China.
This strategic shift has spurred rapid development in Xinjiang. Lately, we've seen the real estate market in the West pick up, compensating for a slowdown in the East. And this year, Northeast China's GDP growth leads the country, thanks in part to increased trade with Russia and policies promoting development in the region.
Meanwhile, the U.S. has shifted its strategy from stirring trouble in Tibet to focusing on Xinjiang. By supporting Middle Eastern terrorist groups to disrupt Xinjiang, they're trying to hinder its emergence as a key land-based trade hub. This explains the recent turmoil and controversies around Xinjiang cotton – it’s all part of the U.S.'s strategic maneuvering to curb China’s trade growth there.
Even in our push for electric vehicles (EVs), despite the many companies exploiting subsidies, we've managed to become the world's largest EV market and exporter. BYD, for instance, now tops global EV sales.
The takeaway here is that for a country, a company, or even an individual, getting the big picture right usually leads to success, even if the details aren't perfect. Back in 2016, when the government introduced the idea that "housing is for living, not for speculation," the real estate market was still booming. Many developers didn’t recognize the shift and continued with unsustainable strategies, leading to problems a few years later.
In essence, even if you execute flawlessly in the wrong direction, it won't get you as far as a decent effort in the right one.
