Evangile de Jésus-Christ selon saint Matthieu 14,13-21.

Quand Jésus apprit cela, il partit en barque pour un endroit désert, à l’écart. Les foules l’apprirent et, quittant leurs villes, elles suivirent à pied.
En débarquant, il vit une grande foule de gens ; il fut saisi de pitié envers eux et guérit les infirmes.
Le soir venu, les disciples s’approchèrent et lui dirent : « L’endroit est désert et il se fait tard. Renvoie donc la foule : qu’ils aillent dans les villages s’acheter à manger ! »
Mais Jésus leur dit : « Ils n’ont pas besoin de s’en aller. Donnez-leur vous-mêmes à manger. »
Alors ils lui disent : « Nous n’avons là que cinq pains et deux poissons. »
Jésus dit : « Apportez-les moi ici. »
Puis, ordonnant à la foule de s’asseoir sur l’herbe, il prit les cinq pains et les deux poissons, et, levant les yeux au ciel, il prononça la bénédiction ; il rompit les pains, il les donna aux disciples, et les disciples les donnèrent à la foule.
Tous mangèrent à leur faim et, des morceaux qui restaient, on ramassa douze paniers pleins.
Ceux qui avaient mangé étaient environ cinq mille, sans compter les femmes et les enfants.

Le Seigneur révèle la véritable signification du don de sa propre vie pour tous les hommes, nous montrant aussi la profonde compassion qu’il a pour toute personne. En effet, à de nombreuses reprises, les évangiles nous rapportent les sentiments de Jésus à l’égard des hommes, tout particulièrement des personnes qui souffrent et des pécheurs. À travers un sentiment profondément humain, il exprime l’intention salvifique de Dieu pour tout homme, afin qu’il atteigne la vraie vie.

En pensant à la multiplication des pains et des poissons, nous devons reconnaître que le Christ, encore aujourd’hui, continue à exhorter ses disciples à s’engager personnellement : « Donnez-leur vous-mêmes à manger ». La vocation de chacun de nous consiste véritablement à être, avec Jésus, pain rompu pour la vie du monde.

(Pape Benoît XVI Sacramentum caritatis, 88)

Quand j’habite l’esprit du Seigneur dans ce récit de Saint Matthieu, je rejoins justement la compassion profonde que notre Pape Benoit nous parle. Un regard des autres, dans une union des sentiments pour être ‘saisi de pitié envers eux’ et d’agir pour guérir les infirmes. Puisse que je voudrais que le Seigneur habite en moi, que j’ai Son regard en tout temps, apprends moi Seigneur Dieu d’avoir ce regard de compassion profonde et de donner à manger, et de soulager ceux que je rencontre.

Comment Cinq pains et deux poissons peuvent nourrir une multitude ? Si j’étais présent à cette scène, j’aurai réagi devant l’impossibilité de la tache. Dois-je encore reconnaitre que les voies du Seigneur ne sont pas celles des humains. Les disciples ont exécutés scrupuleusement les instructions du Maitre. Une confiance sans conteste et une foi inébranlable. Fait grandir ma foi en toi et donne moi le détachement. Je voudrais tellement que je vis pour Toi et par Toi. J’aurais à aguerrir la partie ‘homme’ en moi pour me transcender vers la partie ‘divine’. Donne-moi Seigneur les grâces, la force, le courage et la volonté pour y arriver. Comme le miracle de la multiplication des pains, opère le miracle de ma transcendance vers Toi.

I took a six months rest from writing  on my blog. I am back. You can also read me on face book when you sign in as a friend.

Your strengths are as follows:

 

Colleagues appreciate your energy and enthusiasm. You would qualify as the ultimate royalty who reaches out to his/her subjects because you truly enjoy reaching out to others. If someone were to put you down on canvas, you would sell a million copies like the Mona Lisa due to your popularity. You are an optimistic person, looking at the brighter side of life. You are the centre of attraction in social settings. Most parties would be incomplete without your presence. 

 

Those around you like you a lot. While others make a drudgery out of work, you find joy in it due to your playful attitude. Only when the whole world learns to be like you, will loneliness be a forgotten word. If everyone knew how to make friends the way you do, then there would be lasting peace on this planet. Spontaneity comes easily to you.

 

If all that was needed to raise the dead were some laughter and fun, you would have emptied entire graveyards. If governments talk at tables to avert war, then they had better choose you to come along. Your convincing style would win over anyone’s heart. Life is in your bones making you an enjoyable person to be with. Others around you find that you inspire them. In the most wretched of conditions, you may well be the lone fellow who bears a smile of cheer.

 

You are full of energy and enthusiasm. If words could make money, you would be a millionaire! Indeed, you are rich – in friendships since you delight in communicating with them. Many view metals as their treasure, but you are different – people are your gold. As such, you regard them with utmost interest and affection.

 

You always do things very differently from others. You find seeking new ideas very stimulating. You are a curious person.At any given opportunity, you will grab one that offers you a whole new range of activities to indulge in. You have the tenacity to keep swimming where others are likely to drown. This can be attributed to your versatility and ability to adapt.Dreamer may be what you are to other people, but what makes your dreams special is that they are a manifestation of your powerful imagination.

 

Organisational transformation requires the input of fresh ideas. Your inventiveness is an asset to your organisation. Most people find organisational turmoil very stressful but not you. For you, such conditions are ideal moments to show your resourcefulness.You prefer new approaches to traditional ways of doing things. Thus, you likely to be seen as a reformer. Openness is your name, invention your gain. You have an innate drive to be creative in any environment. While others are scared stiff of confronting trouble, you would rather face them head on. You are flexible in solving problems.

 

You are full of new ideas, which you would like other to know. You may best do this by engaging in artistic endeavours. You probably will never be bored with yourself. This is because you are always working on various new approaches. You are a non-conformist who prefers to look at things from a different perspective.Your knack of conceiving new ideas may give rise to novel operational systems and totally new products.

 

Those around you appreciates your willingness to be helpful. If every neighbour were like you, then your neighbourhood would be full of goodwill – thanks to your emphasis on maintaining harmony. Your energies are channeled to the welfare of the team and its objectives. There would be fewer wars and strife around, if everyone learnt from your love of peace and your belief in its preservation. You have a strong sense of loyalty to those you associate with.

 

You can be a vital source of support for anyone from subordinates to superiors. When colleagues are down with social problems, they can easily count on your support in times of trouble.You are not the type that easily offends people. Moderation in approaching life is important to you. Those placed under your care and supervision values your genuine care and concern for them. Colleagues generally find you approachable, pleasant and unsophisticated.

 

Your acceptance of others and their views will prove beneficial in the long run.

 

You may have these weaknesses:

 

Things would be a lot better if you’d talk less and spend time listening more to others. While your talkativeness is enriching in social contexts, yet remember to give time to others to express themselves too. You view life with much optimism. Just be careful that you are also realistic as well.

 

In the midst of the crowd, maintain your identity as a unique individual with your own thoughts and opinions. Did you know that a group of caterpillars going round and round in circles eventually die out due to starvation? Hence, break the cycle and accept the authority to lead from time to time.

 

Generally, your personality can be summarized as that of ‘Creative Encourager’

 

A summary of your strengths are as follows:

 

You

 Try to think well of others

 Reach out to others

 Are known for coming up with new ideas

 Are supportive of others

 Do not like traditional way of doing things

 Like to be different from others

 Like novelty in approaching situations

 Are creative

 Have a strong imagination

 Are an approachable person

 Are liked by others

 Have warm personality

 Try hard not to hurt people’s feeling

 Share feelings easily

 Are helpful to others

 Easily accept others’ suggestions and ideas

 

A summary of your weaknesses are as follows:

 

You

 Tend to be too trusting and hence may become gullible

 Are easily bored, constantly desiring to do new things

 Tend to be soft with people

 Need acceptance from others

 Are sentimental

 Are inclined to be too inquisitive

 Tend to compromise with others so as to avoid conflicts

 

 

In order to nurture your Emotional Intelligence (EQ), you should develop:

 

 ability to ‘include’ and not ‘alienate’ others when you try to introduce new ideas

 greater appreaciation of the value of rules and regulations

 ability to work in a team with others

 better skills in introducing changes which are seen to break traditions

 more patience with people who cannot understand your new ideas and suggestions

 more self-confidence in yourself

 avoid complacency

 ability to say ‘no’ when necessary

 boldness not to compromise

 clear goals for your life

 ability to work alone at a task

 better punctuality at meetings and appointments

 control over your tendency to be restless

 willingness to listen rather than talk

 better control of your emotions

You tend to express your creativity in the following ways:

 

 Your creative inspiration often comes from talking to wide network of people.

 Collaborates with others to emerge with creative outcomes – this openness is a good and fresh source of input of ideas.

 Expressions may be wacky and fun, much to the displeasure of some.

 Your creative ideas may actually be a synthesis of current opinions but given the gloss of glamorous presentation by you.

 Limited by level of approval and acceptability by others.

 You have the capacity to absorb a vast amount of ideas and opinions with great openness. These would then be analysed according to criteria such as personal freedom, or aesthetic qualities.

 You have no difficulty to originate something contrary to the status quo if you think that the prevalent ideas are outdated and rigid.

 Expressions of creativity may have shocking elements that are anti-establishment or contrary to tradition.

 Your creative expressions are characterized by total freedom in speaking up, no holds barred.

 Your creative ideas may be viewed as weird and unusual.

 

 

 

How you might improve on your creativity:

 

 Learn to be less dependent on social acceptability so that your creativity can flourish.

 More intense thought is needed to refine imaginative outcomes.

 You should ensure that your presentation of your creative ideas, though flamboyant and stylish, will not lack substance, miss the essentials and appear shoddy.

 Be prepared to meet with disappointment and disapproval since not everyone appreciates your new ideas.

 Develop better listening skills and more attention to details so that your creativity is not impeded.

 Beware of personal arrogance and bigotry towards conventional thought and expression.

 Admit that criticism of your ideas and works are inevitable and not necessarily bad.

 Toe the line if your creative expressions border on moral issues and political acceptability.

 Seek an honest unbiased second opinion on works and ideas.

 

You can help your organization by:

 

 Creating a cheerful working environment.

 Inspiring members through your charisma.

 Organizing social events among the workers.

 Mediating and diffusing tension between different levels of management.

 Communicating well with people outside the organization.

 Generating breakthrough ideas and hence, fostering innovation and creativity.

 Offering totally different problem-solving approaches. Thinking outside the box and employing fresh methods in corporate strategy.

 Enriching current opinions, source of novelty, aestheticism, beauty and art.

 Inspiring through thought and action.

 Adding value to existing projects.

 

In leadership and supervisory roles, it is important that you try to the following steps:

 

 Be more objective when dealing with subordinates instead of being emotional.

 Let others have a chance to talk and voice ideas.

 Listen more, talk only when necessary.

 Be more thorough in planning projects.

 Learn to be serious at the appropriate times.

 Translate your creative ideas into something that others can understand.

 Allow others adequate time to grasp your new ideas.

 Follow through on initial ideas before moving to newer ones.

 Learn to accept criticism of your suggestions.

 Be realistic enough and not too dreamy.

 

To enrich your interpersonal relationships with others, try to do the following:

 

 Try talking less and listen to others more and concentrate.

 Give others a chance to speak, don’t interrupt.

 Keep a diary of daily appointments – no one appreciates your forgetfulness.

 Stand your ground and do what is right regardless of others’ opinions of you.

 Realize you can’t please nor get along with everyone.

 Be open to other’s criticisms of your ideas and suggestions.

 Be more realistic when sharing your opinions.

 Give others a chance to announce and implement their plans.

 Introduce your views and opinions patiently and clearly.

 Appreciate and humbly bear with others’ activities and interests.

 

In facing conflicts, you tend to do this:

 

 Joke to alleviate matters.

 Please the other party.

 Overreact.

 Talk much but listen little.

 May become defensive and overly emotional.

 Withdraw to a safe environment.

 Feel that others around you just don’t understand.

 Wonder why others cannot figure  out a simple solution to the problem.

 

How to better manage yourself when facing conflict:

 

 Listen more to understand the cause of the conflict.

 Don’t jump to conclusions; analyse the situation more carefully.

 Restrain yourself from being too emotional.

 Use humour to diffuse tension at the right moment and on the right issue.

 Accept that not all will think or agree with the way you do.

 Use  your creativity to resolve the conflict.

 Communicate your proposed solution for the conflict in a way that

 

others can understand .

 

The following actions may cause stress:

 

 Lack of fun, hope and optimism in life.

 Disapproval from others for unknown reasons.

 Constant supervision.

 Inhibition of expression.

 Personal attacks.

 Fetters, restrictions, restraints and any form of inhibition and restrictions on forms of expression.

 Rejection of views and ideas.

 Being misunderstood.

 

Stress – Why you react the way you do:

 

 Perceive that others do not approve your actions.

 You feel that the other party is hostile towards you.

 The situation is too serious and dry.

 Withdraw into fantasy world.

 Rebellion.

 Disillusioned.

 Discouraged.

 

Stress – How to overcome your unfavourable reactions:

 

 Stay calm and think over the root cause of stress.

 Think of ways to overcome problem.

 Let your mind rule over your feelings.

 Voice your opinions in a less argumentative and provocative way.

 Accept the reality of the present situation.

 Accept some limitations and work within them.

 

 

Your approach/strategy and attitude towards learning:

 

 Subject matter must be good enough to generate interest and provide enjoyment.

 People-related subjects are greatly favoured.

 Learns best in group/team setting.

 Enthusiastic towards new material but may not last too long at it.

 Prefers interactive mode of learning.

 Broad minded and receptive to recent developments and almost any theory.

 Flexible-minded: adaptable towards new subjects.

 Open to new things.

 Innovative: new ideas are fused with existing concepts.

 Creative approaches by investigating, from different perspectives, a particular interest.

 

To be a more effective learner:

 

 Pay more attention to details so as not to miss relevant points.

 Be more organised and orderly – this will save you time and energy later on.

 Note that many times studying can be dry and that’s something you can’t change, but need to accept to make progress.

 Aim to be all-rounded by covering areas not related to people, because in life, the two are hardly separate in most areas.

 Don’t let the absence of a team or group halt your pace – i.e. don’t be over-reliant on others.

 Adoption of new ideas and unsubstantiated theories may run the risk of deception at personal or others’ expense – hence, be cautious.

 While applying new perspectives of studying, don’t throw away conventional views, the bases of subsequent developments.

 Be prepared to sit through dry spells of boring material if you are to get anywhere eventually.

 In group settings that require interactive exchanges, be careful not to ‘blast away’ any stand that seems conventional lest it discourage healthy dialogue from your study partners.

 Be more aware of implications of adopting new ideas.

 

 

Reading this week, Andre Comte Sponville philosophical works in relation to Time, reminded me of the NLP Time orientation. Our spatial representation of Past – Present- Future is linked to the vision and out look of our being. A change in the representation will certainly change our outlook thus operate a corresponding change in our behavior. Do you want to be a more future oriented person? Do you want to have a better Time Management? Read below an extract of the book: Change your mind and keep the change, by Connirae and Steve Andreas, my NLP tutors. It is one of the NLP books which I cherish.

Time Orientation
Let’s talk a little bit more about past-, present-, and future-oriented people, and how their orientations relate to their time sorts. For example, one person that I worked with had the past right behind her, the present directly in front of her, and the future going out ahead. Now, what kind of person was she with respect to time? If you try on that timeline, what will your orientation be?

Al: I’m not sure. It’s confusing.

Well, can you see the future?

Al: No, not really.

Not unless your pictures are transparent, and hers weren’t! If the present is right in front of you and the immediate future is behind that, so you can’t see it, what is your time orientation?

Sally: Present.

Right, and for her it was the immediate present. When she said “right now,” she really meant right now–this split second! Five minutes from now would be in the future for her. She had a very narrow sense of the present.

Now try this out. What if your future goes off to your right at an angle, so you can see most of what’s in each picture, and it gets bigger and brighter as it goes forward in time? The far future will be more important for you. You would tend to live for the far future, and respond less to the present and past.

If the near future or the present were bigger and brighter than the far future, you might experience difficulty with long-range planning or thinking about the consequences of your behavior, but be very good at planning immediate future events. Investigating your timeline can often give you some clues about how to change it in a useful way.

Carol: I started out being very present-oriented. My present was big, bright, and close, and both future and past were small and dim. We changed it so that I could keep all that wonderfulness of the present, but move some of that brightness into the next several weeks also, so that I’d respond more to the immediate future and get more done.

That sounds like a useful change. Here’s another timeline you can all try out. One man had his past on a line straight in front of him. His future went way off to the right. You know the phrase, “My past flashed in front of my eyes?” This man lived that way all the time. What does that do to your experience? It certainly focuses your attention on the past. Depending upon whether your past was wonderful or horrible, you might like it or not, but you wouldn’t pay much attention to the present or future. This is the kind of person for whom using the Change Personal History pattern will be very impactful, because he responds so strongly to representations of the past.

Carl: I’ve noticed that in certain circumstances I can focus a lot on the past. My past was right up here in front of me. So I just moved it over there to my left, and went, “Beep. Bang!” and slammed the door.

And how does that work for you?

Carl: Well, I don’t know yet.

If you now take this new timeline into future situations, you can get a good idea of how it will work, and if any adjustments need to be made. The ideal is to have some flexibility with your timeline–to be able to move the past where you can see it when that’s useful, and move it out of the way when you want to be more present- or future-oriented.

I think you are all getting the idea that in general, whatever is right in front of you and noticeable–big and bright, colorful, etc.–will be most compelling and you will pay most attention to it.

Fred: I’m interested in hearing about some useful timelines.

Well, the question is always “Useful for what purpose?” or “Useful for whom?” You’re getting a sense of what the possibilities are. Let me tell you some fairly standard ones. Most people have some kind of gentle, open curve, the way Linda has. The past is usually a line off to the left, the present right in front of you, and the future in a line to the right. Images may be stacked behind one another, but they’re usually offset or arranged at an angle, so that part of each successive picture is visible.

Deciding whether a timeline is useful or not depends on what your personal outcomes are, and what’s ecological for you. Saying “this is the right timeline” is like saying “this is the right way to be, and there are no other useful ways to live in the world.” A person’s timeline can make him unique. But if it gets him into trouble in certain situations, or if a different timeline would allow him to do things that he can’t now do with his own, then it might be appropriate to explore alternatives, at least for specific contexts.

Timeline Spacing

It’s often useful to find someone you think is very capable and skilled, investigate how she sorts time, and try it out. For example, people who are good long-range planners tend to have the future close in front of them rather than off to the side. We know a man who teaches business people long-range planning, and he’s very good at it. He has both his five-year and his ten-year plans right there in front of him, very detailed, and quite close. Ten years is only about two feet away. That works fine for him, and he really likes it, but when I try it, the future seems to press in on me too much. I want the future a little bit farther away and less detailed, so that I have more room to move in the present.

What difference might it make in a person’s life if his future timeline is really e-x-p-a-n-d-e-d instead of compressed, like that of the long-range planner I just mentioned? Try putting tomorrow halfway across the room, next week down the hall, and next month so far away on the horizon that it’s barely visible. What might be the behavioral consequences of having such an “expanded” timeline?

Anne: I wouldn’t be very motivated to do something that was way out there someplace! I’d feel as if I had a lot of time to kill before getting around to it.
Mike: How true! When I was writing my dissertation, finishing it was quite a way off in the future. There was lots of room to add other projects between the present and the completion date of my dissertation, so I kept taking on new jobs and putting off the dissertation. When I finally realized what was happening, I “reeled in” the deadline until it was so close to the present that there wasn’t enough room to add anything in between. Any new projects had to get added on after the dissertation was done.
Nice! That’s a good illustration of how compressing a timeline can help someone meet deadlines.

Lars: I think I need to do the opposite. My future is all bunched up close, and I always feel like the future is pressing in on me. When I spread it out a little more, I feel much more relaxed.

You look as if that might lower your blood pressure 30 points. Let’s check carefully for ecology, though. Imagine taking this new spread-out timeline with you through the next day . . . and the next week . . . Can you still get the things done you want to get done? Or are you too “laid back”?

Lars: No, not at all. In fact I think I can plan and schedule better. Before, my future was so bunched up that I couldn’t really see it to plan very well.

That sounds good. We’ve also noticed that for some people, having a long-range future that is filled with big bright goals literally gives them “something to live for” and they’re more apt to stay alive! One study on cancer patients found that survivors are apt to be future-oriented, whereas non-survivors are past-oriented.

Bob: I used to be much more future-oriented than I am now. In the past couple of years I’ve slowed down, and my future seems to be less clear than the way it was before. There are obviously advantages and disadvantages.

Absolutely. If you are too fixated on the future, you may not be taking care of things in the present. You may not notice that you’re having a lousy time now, and that your family’s having a lousy time, too. On the other hand, if all your attention is on having fun in the present, you won’t notice the future consequences, and your future won’t be as enjoyable as it could be. Depending on the consequences you ignore, it could be a lot shorter, too!

Peter Drucker’s Story of Two Vice Presidents (Why What Everybody Knows Is Frequently Wrong) I enjoyed that piece of wisdom so much that I had to blog it for you.

In 1975  William Cohen was among the first students in legendary management guru Peter Drucker’s Executive Ph.D. program at what was then Claremont Graduate School and is now The Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management at Claremont Graduate University. In the following excerpt from his new
book A Class with Drucker: The Lost Lessons of the World’s Greatest Management Teacher (AMACOM, 2007), Cohen describes a lesson he learned in the fall of 1975 during his first class with the master.

The Story of the Two Vice Presidents
Drucker  began with a story about a company he had observed. As the president of the company grew older, he knew that he should begin thinking about succession. Fortunately, he had two vice presidents, both equally outstanding, and of the right age, and each with a record of outstanding prior accomplishments with this firm. He increased the responsibility of both subordinate executives and gave them each the new title of executive vice president. He called them in together and announced that he intended to retire in five years and that one of them would be named to succeed him as president.

Both men thanked the president for the opportunity. The president had confidence that he had picked the right candidates. Although both were ambitious, he knew that both would put the company before themselves in whatever they undertook. He knew that either would make an excellent replacement.

Over the five years of their apprenticeship a differing pattern began to emerge from each of the prospective presidents-to-be. Although both men did well in every task given them and were equally successful in accomplishing their assignments, the process each followed was quite different. One would be given a task by the president. He would request the information needed and would ask when the job was to be accomplished. He would go off, gather his subordinates together, and would invariably present the president with a completed job well done days, weeks, or months later. Unless he needed some specific information or permission to do something a little out of the usual process, he would do this without ever bothering the old president.

The other executive vice president took an entirely different approach. Given a project by the president, he too would organize his subordinates to complete it successfully. However, there was a big difference. The first candidate worked independently and didn’t bother the president with the details of what he was doing unless specific help was needed. However, the second candidate met periodically with the president to discuss the project and frequently requested additional meetings, continually seeking the president’s advice.

“Now,” asked Drucker, “when the president retired, which candidate did he pick to succeed him: the executive who was always successful without bothering him or taking his time, or the one who continually seemed to seek his help and approval?”

Many hands shot up, including my own. Drucker called on several students. Each stated his opinion that the president picked the executive who was able to succeed on his own without having to report back until the job was done unless there was a specific problem. This was my opinion too. Our thinking was that the new president would need to operate on his own and would not have the old president’s counsel to fall back on.

Drucker  asked for a show of hands as to how many agreed that the president selected the executive who demonstrated that he was able to operate independently and without the president’s ongoing approval. A large majority agreed with the students Peter had previously called on. Only a few thought that the second executive who constantly bothered the former president had been the one selected.

Drucker  stated the results: “Most of you are wrong. The former president selected the candidate who continually consulted with him.” The class was in an uproar. This went against everything we knew about management and leadership. Everyone knew that the candidate who demonstrated that he could make decisions on his own should and would be selected.

Drucker’s Lesson: Question Your Assumptions
“What everybody ‘knows’ is frequently wrong,” Peter responded. “We are dealing with human beings. Most top managers want to feel that their policies and legacies will be continued. The constant contact and interaction with the second manager gave the president that confidence.

“Both executives were outstanding, but while the president felt that he knew and understood the executive who maintained contact, he was less certain about the other executive and he was less invested in his success. After picking candidates based on accomplishment, he went with his gut instinct, a perfectly correct way in which to make such an important decision after considering all the facts. Unless the president’s preferred style was to let those who reported to him operate independently, the first executive should have tried to adapt his preferred method to what his boss preferred, even though ‘everyone knows’ that continual consultation with a higher manager is less desirable.”

Drucker was right, and I should have known better. I was in the process of losing the confidence of my then boss by behaving exactly like the executive who operated independently. That in itself is an important lesson, but the idea that what everyone knows is frequently wrong proved even more important to me, and I think many other of Drucker’s students. Over the next few years, I heard Drucker say this quite a few times.

Maybe through repetition I finally began to think more deeply about what the words really meant. This seemingly simple and self-contradicting statement is amazingly true and immensely valuable, and not only in business. What Drucker wanted to emphasize was that we must always question our assumptions no matter from where they originate. This is especially true regarding anything that a majority of people “know” or assume without questioning. This “knowledge” should always be suspect and needs to be examined much more closely. In a surprisingly high percentage of cases, the information “known to be true” will turn out to be false or inaccurate, if not generally, then in a specific instance. This can lead to extremely poor, even disastrous management decisions.
Things Once “Known to Be True” Are Now Known to Be False
Of course there are many old “truisms” once thought by everyone to be true which we laugh at today. “The world is flat.” “The earth is the center of the universe.” The ancient Greeks knew that everything was made up of only four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. Of course, in modern times we learned that they were mistaken. When I took chemistry in high school, I learned that a Periodic Table of Elements had been formulated by a fellow named Mendeleev and that it had been established that there were exactly 93 elements, no more, no less. We got an “A” if we could name them all. Today, there are 102 elements—or so “everybody knows.”

Questions Raised by 100% Agreement
Interestingly, Drucker’s lesson goes back over the millennia. In ancient Israel, the highest court was called the Sanhedrin. It corresponded roughly to the U.S. Supreme Court today, although it had a lot more power. The Sanhedrin tried the most important cases, and it had the power to exact capital punishment. In this high court, there were no prosecuting or defense attorneys and no appeals. The Sanhedrin court consisted only of judges. Some historians say 71 judges, others 23. The actual number is unimportant to some factual points.

The judges could examine the defendant, the accusers, and any witnesses either side brought before it. To exonerate a defendant required a majority of one, while to find him guilty required a majority of two. But perhaps the most interesting aspect of this ancient Jewish legal body was that if all judges found the accused guilty of a capital crime, he or she was allowed to go free! This was because the ancient Hebrews were convinced that there is a defense to be argued for every individual accused, regardless of the gravity of the crime and the persuasiveness of the evidence. If not a single judge thought that the defendant’s case had merit, then it was clear that no matter how heinous the crime, something was wrong in the situation and it was likely that the accused was innocent. In other words, when every judge “knew” something to be “true,” it probably wasn’t.

In modern times, the impact of mass agreement about an issue has been addressed and confirmed in psychological research. In one experiment, subjects were asked to rate the attractiveness of individuals depicted in selections of photographs. However, there was only one real subject and the results were rigged. Unknown to the subject, the other participants were part of the scientist’s team of experimenters. These participants were to agree about the most attractive individual depicted in any particular set of photographs at random. It was found that the subject could usually be influenced to agree with any photograph that the group selected, regardless of merit. This experiment demonstrates the influence of social proof, while it confirms one reason why Drucker’s theory that what everyone knows is frequently wrong is correct. Accepting what everybody knows without any examination will often result in faulty decisions.

© 2008 William A. Cohen.

Why were Koung Koung and Popoh YIPTONG reluctant to the marriage of my father Pak Lin to my mother Cecette? To be able to answer the question, it would be necessary to get to the background story to situate the scene and place us in the context of the time and place.

We were just passed the 40’s war, time were tough for all the inhabitants of the island. Employment was scare, even food was rationed. Came the end of the war, in 1945 the troops were demobilized and the normal activities of the country restarted.

Koung Koung YIPTONG was amongst the notable of the Chinese community and had done economically well for himself and his lot. He was a merchant, owning a high street wholesale business. In those days the wholesalers were not only the suppliers of goods of the retailers, they were also the fund provider (almost the banker) of the retailers. He himself started off in 1907 as a countryside retailer attached to a wholesaler until he had enough capital to open shop as a wholesale trader. Having saved enough wealth, he was about to fulfill his mission: a return back to China to resettle with his family.

Koung Koung YIPTONG was owner of several properties which were rented; was a prominent member of the community and was part of the Chinese unofficial leaders’ club: he commanded respect and was in the lime light of the community as an example of success and wisdom to follow. He was often called to arbitrate on litigious issues between members of the community, which in a way was a sort of arbitration court of the community.

To grow his business, on the recommendation of another wealthy merchant Chong Kwan, Koung Koung employed as correspondence clerk the latter’s relative: Ignace AHLIM an ex army sergeant who was recently demobilized. Ignace, though educated, came from a poor family background. Of Chinese Cantonese father and half Chinese mother, Ignace was orphan at age 16 and had to work to look after his mother, brother and sisters. Koung Koung liked the industrious qualities and the honesty of Ignace and later recruited his younger brother Laval to work in the business and her younger sister Cecette to help on a part time basis his growing children in their schooling. The duties of Cecette demanded that she spent long hours at the YIPTONG’s house.

With time and frequent meetings love between Cecette the learning tutor of the family and the eldest son, Pak Lin of the family developed.

How could the model Hakka family allow his eldest son marry a non Hakka?

It was traditional in those days that Chinese parents would select their daughter in law for acceptance by their son. Could the family accept a departure from the tradition?

Besides there were practical aspects to the issue: Popoh did not speak any other language than Hakka, Cecette could not communicate with her; how would her future daughter in law survive when they will be settled back in China and further more Cecette did not have the Chineseness expected from the traditional Hakka family.

Soon as the news of the love affair of the tutor of the house with the eldest son broke, Cecette lost her employ. Pak Lin was  told to severe the relationship. The lovers continued to meet in spite of the restrictions. Koung Koung even threatened to disinherit him if he would dare marry his love one. Pak Lin would not change his mind: he even left his job in the family business to become a taxi driver to the horror of his father.

Seeing that Pak Lin will not change his mind, Koung Koung in his wisdom finally gave in: he accepted the marriage under the condition that the married couple would settle in China soon after. Meanwhile, the 3^rd son Yook started dating another Chinese girl which did not receive the consent of Popoh as the tradition would dictate.

QUELS CAPITALISMES POUR LE 21ème SIECLE ?

Déclaration finale du Cercle des économistes
Aix-en-Provence,

Le capitalisme a triomphé. Saura-t-il surmonter sa victoire ? Les rencontres économiques d’Aix en Provence 2007 se sont interrogées sur l’existence ou non de capitalismes divers, sur leur convergence éventuelle et les modalités de cette cohabitation. Le cercle des économistes juge que la domination du capitalisme anglo-saxon n’est pas une certitude. Bien au contraire, c’est une pluralité de capitalismes qui s’imposera. Les économistes se doivent donc de s’interroger sur les conséquences de cette diversité durable. Même si les capitalismes, aujourd’hui comme hier, se nourrissent de valeurs communes, rien ne permet d’assurer que leur concurrence ne créera pas de tensions difficiles à surmonter. C’est à la recherche d’une gouvernance mondiale, de règles du jeu efficaces et équitables, tant dans les domaines économiques, financiers, sociaux et environnementaux que cette déclaration tente d’apporter des réponses.

I. LES CONSTATS

Le capitalisme a pour noyau dur la propriété privée des moyens de production, la coordination par les marchés et le respect des droits de propriété. Au-delà, il prend des formes très différentes ainsi, l’économie sociale de marché, longtemps caractéristique de l’Europe continentale, donne un rôle aux parties prenantes – Etat et syndicats notamment – dans la conduite des affaires et attend de l’Etat qu’il corrige les inégalités. Le libéralisme anglo-saxon, lui, met l’accent sur la responsabilité de chacun – y compris dans la richesse ou la misère – et sur la liberté de circulation des hommes, des biens et des capitaux. Le contrôle de l’Etat sur les entreprises est faible dans les pays anglo-saxons, important en France, très fort en Russie ou en Chine, deux pays qui ne s’affichent pas comme capitalistes mais qui, de fait, le sont devenus.

Les rencontres d’Aix-en-Provence ont permis de dégager cinq constats dont certains sont inattendus.

1. Il n’y a pas de capitalisme sans valeurs
Ces valeurs sont diverses : le capitalisme n’a pas grandi dans un terreau unique qu’il soit religieux ou laïc. On peut en déterminer trois catégories :

• Les premières, dont la diversité doit être respectée parce qu’elles n’affectent pas les autres. Un bon exemple en est le poids de l’Etat dans le capital des entreprises.
• Les deuxièmes, dont les différences peuvent nuire aux autres. L’absence de transparence des entreprises et des marchés l’illustre bien.
• Les troisièmes que nous considérons comme des valeurs universelles avec lesquelles il n’est pas possible de transiger, par exemple le respect de la personne humaine et de l’environnement. Ces valeurs sont d’autant plus indispensables que le capitalisme, quelle que soit sa forme, est créateur d’inégalités, particulièrement élevées aujourd’hui. Dans les sociétés démocratiques, le processus politique fondé sur des valeurs partagées permet de déterminer le degré acceptable d’inégalités et donc le niveau de la protection sociale. Ceci n’est pas le cas ailleurs.

2. Les formes de capitalismes sont diverses.
Elles mutent dans des directions que personne n’avait anticipées. Contrairement aux attentes, le capitalisme de marché n’est pas devenu le seul modèle. Le capitalisme familial prospère, de l’Europe du Sud au Mexique. En Chine, en Russie, au Moyen-Orient naît un nouveau capitalisme d’Etat, financé par les excédents des paiements courants, qui jette son dévolu sur les entreprises européennes et américaines.

3. Les capitalismes devront coexister.
La coexistence des capitalismes est régie par des dynamiques complexes. Certes, il y a des forces de convergence, notamment sous la pression des marchés financiers. Mais, il y a aussi, évidemment, une concurrence entre capitalismes et une forme de sélection naturelle. Le modèle dominant ne sera pas forcément le plus efficace, ni le mieux accepté socialement.

4. La coexistence pacifique des capitalismes n’est pas garantie.
Parce que le progrès naît de la différence, parce que l’économie doit respecter la diversité des valeurs, parce que nous croyons au rôle positif de la concurrence, nous pensons que la diversité des capitalismes est une chance. Mais nous craignons que leur coexistence ne suscite des tensions croissantes et peut-être un jour ne déclenche des conflits. La première mondialisation, qui avait vu un développement sans précédent des échanges et du bien être, s’est brisée en 1914.

5. Il n’y a pas d’autorité supranationale pour organiser cette coexistence.
La gouvernance mondiale est aujourd’hui, on le sait, cruellement insuffisante. Dans nombre de domaines, comme l’environnement, la concurrence ou la propriété intellectuelle, il n’y a pas d’autorité globale. Et les institutions existantes – Fonds monétaire et Banque mondiale notamment – manquent de légitimité politique. Au total, il n’y a pas de règles du jeu communes aux différentes formes de capitalisme. Une entreprise chinoise peut lancer une OPA hostile avec de l’argent public ; en Europe, c’est presque impossible. L’Europe s’interdit de manipuler la valeur de sa monnaie, le Japon ou la Chine le font en utilisant leurs réserves de change, les Etats-Unis avec les déclarations de leurs dirigeants.

*

La lecture du document cité ci haut m’a permis de réfléchir sur le cas de notre Maurice. Ma compréhension de la vision des dirigeants politiques semble ne pas être clair ou définissable. L’incompréhension du capitalisme même à l’intérieur du parti politique au pouvoir serait il la source des conflits continuels apparents des différents factions du gouvernement ? Ou serait- il le manque de cohésion de éléments divers du gouvernement et le manque de cohérence du leadership des capitaines qui dirigent, les causes d’un parcours en zig zag dans l’action ? Des quels capitalistes le parti Labour prône t il ? Qu’il existe à Maurice un capitalisme familial sur lequel le pays a progressé pendant des siècles, personne ne peut nier. Que le parti au pouvoir veut mettre en place un capitalisme de l’état pour une meilleure répartition de la richesse, c’est son droit. Mais bon sang dites le, clairement et ouvertement. En France, pour corriger le poids une richesse historique, sa transmission est lourdement pénalisée par les taxes de succession. En tout cas, nous resterons dans le capitalisme en recherche d’un modèle hybride à mettre en place pour convenir au contour d’une meilleure repartition de richesse. Nous savons à l’avance que la gestion et la création de valeur par les entreprises d’état ont été jusqu’à ce jour un échec. La voie d’un capitalisme d’état ne sera réalisable que quand la compétence de gestion de l’état soit à un niveau acceptable et une gouvernance sans faille en opération. Il reste du chemin à parcourir.

D’autre part, J’ai un trop plein de cette segmentation de richesse par groupe ethnique que je lis sur le media. Ne sommes nous pas tous Mauriciens à part entière ? Pourrions nous dorénavant être segmentés pour les besoins d’analyse par notre quantité de richesses sans référence à notre origine ethnique ?

L’économie de la santé est un secteur que nous entrepreneurs à Maurice devrait étudier pour trouver des opportunités. Le cercle des économistes français ont étudié la question et ont publié un cahier.

Déjà dans notre secteur tourisme, une part grandissant des services est orienté vers la santé et le bien-être à travers les centres de spas. Pourrions nous être plus pointu dans le secteur santé ? Comment pourrions nous à Maurice détourner une partie des dépenses de santé des pays riches à être dépensé chez nous ? Pourrions nous offrir à une clientèle nantie des soins dans des établissements de convalescence ? Des pays comme Inde, la Thaïlande offrent déjà des services de santé à l’international avec de la technologie au standard européen.

Je cite un extrait du cahier signé par Marc Guillaume :

Il faut s’attendre à un fort développement de nos dépenses de santé dans les prochaines décennies. Et s’en réjouir, même si cela pose de redoutables problèmes de financement. S’en réjouir d’abord parce que la santé est un bien inestimable. Mais aussi parce que le secteur de la santé, replacé dans l’ensemble de l’économie et dans la perspective de la mondialisation est au cœur des nouvelles orientations d’un développement qualitatif et durable. C’est un moteur de croissance stratégique compte tenu des emplois qui sont liés à ce secteur de services. Et aussi un secteur industriel soumis aux contraintes de compétitivité sur le marché mondial et donc aux enjeux de technologie et de recherche associés à ces contraintes. L’économie de la santé contribue grandement à la santé de l’économie !

Nous montrons en premier lieu que les dépenses de santé s’inscrivent dans la perspective d’un développement qualitatif et durable, en cohérence avec les nouvelles orientations de la croissance. Qu’elles constituent un puissant moteur de croissance compte tenu de la densité des emplois liés à un secteur de services. Compte tenu aussi des contraintes de compétitivité et des enjeux de recherche associés à ces contraintes. En ce sens, certaines dépenses de santé sont aussi des investissements, et des investissements stratégiques. Cette analyse globale est ensuite illustrée et précisée sur un secteur particulièrement important et exemplaire, celui de la pharmacie et des biotechnologies qui est soumis à une intense concurrence mondiale.

Il apparaît ainsi clairement qu’une réflexion sur l’économie de la santé ne peut pas s’enfermer dans le cadre français, ni même européen. L’intensification de la concurrence et des échanges invite à la confrontation des systèmes nationaux et à une réflexion sur la gouvernance mondiale de la santé. C’est pourquoi une contribution de ce Cahier est consacrée au système de santé américain. Elle met en évidence l’importance que les Etats-Unis accordent au secteur de la santé et les spécificités, ainsi que les difficultés, de son financement. En conclusion, ce Cahier s’attache à un thème à la fois essentiel et d’actualité, celui de l’économie des brevets et des médicaments génériques et, plus généralement, celui des urgences sanitaires mondiales.

Marc Guillaume

SOMMAIRE

Avant-propos de Marc Guillaume I. Le paradoxe de la santé Marc Guillaume

II. Déplafonner les dépenses de santé : modalités et conséquences Patrick Artus

III. Les effets de la santé sur la croissance économique Jean-Hervé Lorenzi et Mathieu Baratas

IV. Les nouveaux modèles de l’industrie du médicament Michel Didier

V. Les dépenses de santé aux États-Unis et leur financement Jacques Mistral et Bernard Salzmann

VI. Du bon usage des épidemies : mondialiser le progrès sanitaire Marc Guillaume

Mt 24,37-44.
L’avènement du Fils de l’homme ressemblera à ce qui s’est passé à l’époque de Noé. A cette époque, avant le déluge, on mangeait, on buvait, on se mariait, jusqu’au jour où Noé entra dans l’arche.
Les gens ne se sont doutés de rien, jusqu’au déluge qui les a tous
engloutis : tel sera aussi l’avènement du Fils de l’homme.
Deux hommes seront aux champs : l’un est pris, l’autre laissé.
Deux femmes seront au moulin : l’une est prise, l’autre laissée.
Veillez donc, car vous ne connaissez pas le jour où votre Seigneur viendra. Vous le savez bien : si le maître de maison avait su à quelle heure de la nuit le voleur viendrait, il aurait veillé et n’aurait pas laissé percer le mur de sa maison.
Tenez-vous donc prêts, vous aussi : c’est à l’heure où vous n’y penserez pas que le Fils de l’homme viendra.

Pierre de Blois (vers 1130-1211), archidiacre en Angleterre nous parle des  trois avènements du Christ :   Il y a trois avènements du Seigneur, le premier dans la chair, le second dans l’âme, le troisième par le jugement. Le premier a eu lieu au milieu de la nuit, suivant ces paroles de l’évangile : « Au milieu de la nuit un cri s’est fait entendre : voici l’Époux ! » (Mt 25,6) Et ce premier avènement est déjà passé, car le Christ a été vu sur la terre et a conversé avec les hommes (Ba 3,38).

Nous sommes maintenant dans le second avènement, pourvu toutefois que nous soyons tels qu’il puisse venir ainsi à nous, car il a dit que si nous l’aimons, il viendra à nous et fera sa demeure en nous (Jn 14,23). Ce second avènement est donc pour nous une chose mêlée d’incertitude, car quel autre que l’Esprit de Dieu connaît ceux qui sont à Dieu (1Co 2,11) ? Ceux que le désir des choses célestes ravit hors d’eux-mêmes savent bien quand il vient ; cependant, ils « ne savent pas d’où il vient ni où il va » (Jn 3,8).

Quant au troisième avènement, il est très certain qu’il aura lieu,
très incertain quand il aura lieu, puisque rien n’est plus certain que la
mort et rien de plus incertain que le jour de la mort. « Au moment où l’on parlera de paix et de sécurité, c’est alors que la mort apparaîtra soudain, comme les douleurs de l’enfantement au sein de la femme, et nul ne pourra fuir » (1Th 5,3). Le premier avènement a été donc humble et caché, le second est mystérieux et plein d’amour, le troisième sera éclatant et terrible. Dans son premier avènement, le Christ a été jugé par les hommes avec injustice ; dans le second, il nous rend justice par sa grâce ; dans le dernier, il jugera toutes choses avec équité — Agneau dans le premier avènement, Lion dans le dernier, Ami plein de tendresse dans le second.

 

C’est bien le troisième avènement que l’Evangile de ce matin me pointe le doigt. Si je vis comme « Les gens (qui) ne se sont doutés de rien », le premier avènement du fils de l’homme aurait été vain. Jésus me recommande la vigilance pour l’heure de son avènement mais mieux encore c’est dans la mesure que je Å“uvre continuellement vers ma destiné dans mon quotidien que je serai épargné. « Deux hommes seront aux champs : l’un est pris, l’autre laissé. Deux femmes seront au moulin : l’une est prise, l’autre laissée. »

Merci Seigneur de m’avoir averti et de me mettre dans cette conscience. Je te demande de me donner la grâce d’être toujours prêt à Ton troisième avènement et de garder le cap vers mon retour vers Toi, qui est mon ultime destination. Augmente en moi jour après jour le désir  et en temps opportun, d’être reçu par Toi, mon créateur. Comme le désir pourrait être motivé par le manque : fait Seigneur que mon manque de Toi soit encore plus grand.