如何理解這個世界：李光耀的12條世界觀
原標題：如何理解這個世界：李光耀的12條世界觀
歡迎關注緩慢思考！ 中秋快樂！
本文來自Farnam Street網站。當下的世界紛紛擾擾，很多觀點難以辨別和討論。回味亞洲頂級政治家的12條世界觀，或許可以幫助我們更好的了解這個世界和國家。
「It』s no accident that Singapore has a much better record, given where it started, than the United States. There, power was concentrated in one enormously talented person, Lee Kuan Yew, who was the Warren Buffett of Singapore.」
— Charlie Munger
「新加坡有比美國更好的成績，並不是偶然。在那裡，權力集中在一個非常有才華的人手裡，李光耀，他是新加坡的沃倫巴菲特。「
- 查理芒格
Singapore seemed destined for failure or subservience to a more powerful neighbor. The country is by far the smallest in Southeast Asia and was not gifted with many natural resources. Lee Kuan Yew thought otherwise. 「His vision,」 wrote Henry Kissinger, 「was of a state that would not simply survive, but prevail by excelling. Superior intelligence, discipline, and ingenuity would substitute for resources.」
新加坡似乎註定要失敗或屈從於一個更強大的鄰國。這個國家是東南亞最小的國家，沒有很多自然資源。李光耀不這麼認為。「他的願景，」亨利·基辛格寫道，「 是讓這個國家不僅僅生存下來，而且因為卓越而廣受尊敬。卓越的智慧，紀律和獨創性將替代資源。」
To give you an idea of the magnitude of success that Lee Kuan Yew achieved, when he took over, per capita income was about $400 and now, in only about two generations, it exceeds $50,000.
為了讓你了解李光耀取得的成功程度，當他接任時，新加坡人均收入約為400美元，而現在，僅僅兩代人就超過了50,000美元。
Here are 12 things I learned from Lee Kuan Yew about the world and the source of many of our present ills readingLee Kuan Yew: The Grand Master』s Insights on China, the United States, and the World
以下是我讀《李光耀論中國、美國和世界》了解到的關於世界的12件事，以及我們目前很多問題的來源。
1. You need a free exchange of ideas. 「China will inevitably catch up to the U.S. in absolute GDP. But its creativity may never match America』s, because its culture does not permit a free exchange and contest of ideas.」
你需要思想的自由交換。「中國在絕對GDP方面將不可避免地趕上美國。但它的創造力可能永遠不會與美國相媲美，因為它的文化不允許思想的自由交換和競爭。「
2. Technology will change how governance operates. 「Technology is going to make (China』s) system of governance obsolete. By 2030, 70% or maybe 75% of their people will be in cities, small towns, big towns, mega big towns. They are going to have cell phones, Internet, satellite TV. They are going to be well-informed; they can organize themselves. You cannot govern them the way you are governing them now, where you just placate and monitor a few people, because the numbers will be so large.」
技術將改變政府治理的運作方式。「技術將使（中國）治理體系過時。到2030年，70％或75％的人口將來自城市，小城鎮，大城鎮，超級城鎮。他們將擁有手機，互聯網，衛星電視。他們將充分了解情況; 他們可以組織起來。你不能像現在一樣管理他們，現在你只需要你安撫和監視少數一些人，但那時數字會很大。「
3. Don』t try to install a democracy in a country that has never had one. 「I do not believe you can impose on other countries standards which are alien and totally disconnected with their past. So to ask China to become a democracy, when in its 5,000 years of recorded history it never counted heads; all rulers ruled by right of being the emperor, and if you disagree, you chop off heads, not count heads.」
不要試圖在一個從未有過民主的國家建立民主。「我不相信你可以強加給其他國家外來的與之歷史完全脫節的標準。比如，要求中國成為一個民主國家。在其有記載的5000年的歷史上，它從未按人頭統計過民意; 所有統治者都以皇帝的權利來統治，如果你不同意，你就會被砍掉頭腦，而不是被考慮意見。」
4. Welcome the best the world has to offer. 「Throughout history, all empires that succeeded have embraced and included in their midst people of other races, languages, religions, and cultures.」
擁抱和接受世界的賦予。「縱觀歷史，所有成功的帝國都接納並包含了其他種族，語言，宗教和文化於其中。」
5. It』s about results, not promises. 「When you have a popular democracy, to win voices you have to give more and more. And to beat your opponent in the next election, you have to promise to give more away. So it is a never-ending process of auctions—and the cost, the debt being paid for by the next generation. Presidents do not get reelected if they give a hard dose of medicine to their people. So, there is a tendency to procrastinate, to postpone unpopular policies in order to win elections. So problems such as budget deficits, debt, and high unmployment have been carried forward from one administration to the next.」
結果比承諾更重要。「當你擁有一個靠民意決定的民主國家時，為了贏得聲音，你必須提供越來越多的東西。為了在下次選舉中擊敗你的對手，你必須承諾給予更多。所以這是一個永無止境的拍賣過程— 成本和債務由下一代支付。如果總統向他們的人民提供一劑苦口的藥物，他們就不會再次當選。因此，有一種傾向就是拖延，推遲不受歡迎的政策以贏得選舉。因此，預算赤字、債務和高失業率等問題已經從一個政府轉移到下一個政府。」
6. Governments shouldn』t have an easy way out. 「American and European governments believed that they could always afford to support the poor and the needy: widows, orphans, the old and homeless, disadvantaged minorities, unwed mothers. Their sociologists expounded the theory that hardship and failure were due not to the individual person』s character, but to flaws in the economic system. So charity became 「entitlement,」 and the stigma of living on charity disappeared. Unfortunately, welfare costs grew faster than the government』s ability to raise taxes to pay for it. The political cost of tax increases is high. Governments took the easy way out by borrowing to give higher benefits to the current generation of voters and passing the costs on to the future generations who were not yet voters. This resulted in persistent government budget deficits and high public debt.」
政府不應該選擇一條簡單的出路。「美國和歐洲政府認為，他們總能負擔得起支持窮人和困難的人：寡婦、孤兒、老人和無家可歸者、處於劣勢的少數民族以及未婚母親。他們的社會學家相信這樣的理論：困難和失敗不是由於個人的性格，而是由於經濟體系中的缺陷。因此，慈善成為「權利」，依靠慈善生活的恥辱感消失了。不幸的是，福利成本的增長速度超過了政府提高稅收支付能力的能力。增稅的政治成本很高。政府通過借貸來輕鬆解決當前一代選民的更高福利，並將成本轉嫁給尚未成為選民的後代。這導致了持續的政府預算赤字和高額公共債務。」
7. What goes into a standard of living? 「A people』s standard of living depends on a number of basic factors: first, the resources it has in relation to its population . . .; second, its level of technological competence and standards of industrial development; third, its educational and training standards; and fourth, the culture, the discipline and drive in the workforce.」
什麼決定了人們的生活水平？「人民的生活水平取決於許多基本因素：第一，與人口相關的資源。。。第二，技術能力水平和產業發展水平; 第三，其教育和培訓標準;第四，勞動力的文化、紀律和動力。「
8. The single most important factor to national competitiveness … 「The quality of a nation』s manpower resources is the single most important factor determining national competitiveness. It is a people』s innovativeness, entrepreneurship, team work, and their work ethic that give them the sharp keen edge in competitiveness. Three attributes are vital in this competition—entrepreneurship to seek out new opportunities and to take calculated risks. Standing still is a sure way to extinction. . . . The second attribute, innovation, is what creates new products and processes that add value. . . . The third factor is good management. To grow, company managements have to open up new markets and create new distribution channels. The economy is driven by the new knowledge, new discoveries in science and technology, innovations that are taken to the market by entrepreneurs. So while the scholar is still the greatest factor in economic progress, he will be so only if he uses his brains—not in studying the great books, classical texts, and poetry, but in capturing and discovering new knowledge, applying himself in research and development, management and marketing, banking and finance, and the myriad of new subjects that need to be mastered.」
國家競爭力的最重要因素......「一個國家的人力資源質量是決定國家競爭力的最重要因素。一個人的創新能力、創業精神、團隊合作和他們的職業道德決定了在競爭力方面的領先優勢。在這場競爭中，三個要素至關重要。第一個要素是創業精神，要去尋找新的機會，並承擔計算好的風險。靜止不動是滅絕的必然途徑。。。。第二個要素是創新，創造增值的新產品和新工藝。。。。第三個要素是良好的管理。為了發展，公司管理層必須開闢新市場並創建新的分銷渠道。經濟的驅動力是科學和技術的新知識新發現，企業家應用到市場的新發明。因此，儘管學者仍然是經濟發展中最重要的因素，但只有當他利用自己的大腦時才配得上這麼說— 不是研究偉大的書籍、經典文章和詩歌，而是在捕捉和發現新知識，將自己置身於研究和開發、管理和營銷、銀行和金融，以及需要掌握的無數新課題。」
9. Earning your place in history … 「A nation is great not by its size alone. It is the will, the cohesion, the stamina, the discipline of its people, and the quality of their leaders which ensure it an honorable place in history.」
在歷史中贏得你的位置......「一個國家的偉大並不僅僅是它的規模。而是它的意志、凝聚力、耐力和人民的紀律性以及領導者的素質才使其成為歷史上一個光榮的地方。」
10. Weak leaders rely on opinion polls. 「I have never been overconcerned or obsessed with opinion polls or popularity polls. I think a leader who is, is a weak leader. If you are concerned with whether your rating will go up or down, then you are not a leader. You are just catching the wind … you will go where the wind is blowing. . . . Between being loved and feared, I have always believed Machiavelli was right. If nobody is afraid of me, I am meaningless. When I say something … I have to be taken very seriously.」
弱勢領導人依賴民意調查。 「我從未對民意調查或歡迎度調查過度關注或痴迷。我認為這麼做的領導者是弱勢領導者。如果你擔心自己的評級是上升還是下降，那麼你就不是領導者。你正在迎合風向......你會去風吹的地方。 。 。 。在被愛和被害怕之間，我一直相信馬基雅維利是對的。如果沒有人害怕我，我就毫無意義。當我說話的時候.....我必須被非常認真地對待。」
11. We are fundamentally competitive. 「Human beings are not born equal. They are highly competitive. Systems like Soviet communism have failed, because they tried to equalize benefits. Then nobody works hard enough, but everyone wants to get as much as, if not more than, the other person.」
人類從根本上是相互競爭的。 「人類並非天生平等。他們競爭激烈。蘇聯共產主義等制度失敗了，因為他們試圖平衡利益。然後沒有人努力工作，但每個人都希望獲得與另一個人一樣多的東西。」
12. The value of history: 「If you do not know history, you think short term. If you know history, you think medium and long term.」、
歷史的價值：「如果你不了解歷史，你的思考是短期的。如果你了解歷史，你會思考中期和長期。「
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