Bill Costello visits Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto.
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Consider what’s happening in China. The nation’s rapidly growing economy has enabled it to significantly increase its military budget. Over the past decade, China’s military-related spending has roughly doubled. In a recent issue of Foreign Policy, Nobel Prize-winning economist Robert Fogel predicted that China’s GDP will reach $123 trillion by 2040. He also predicted that the U.S.’s share of global GDP will be roughly one third that of China’s. If China’s GDP surpasses that of the U.S., then it’s very likely that China’s military budget will also surpass that of the U.S.
I’ve had the opportunity to learn much about group identity in Asian cultures while living in Japan over the past year and a half and traveling to Cambodia, mainland China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Because they are more uniform and homogenous, Asian societies are generally less tolerant of diversity and difference than are Western societies. The high value they place on conformity to group norms is aptly expressed in the Japanese proverb that states, “The nail that sticks up gets hammered down.” The importance of group identity in these societies manifests itself in several ways.
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Bill Costello visits Nijo Castle in Kyoto.
Bill Costello visits Nishi Hongan-ji in Kyoto.
Bill Costello visits Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto.
Bill Costello visits Heian-jingu in Kyoto.
Bill Costello visits the Kyoto Tower.
Bill Costello visits Kyoto University.
The U.S. military needs to reinvent itself. If it continues to hold on to antiquated paradigms, U.S. national security could be at risk.
One significant way Asian cultures differ from Western cultures is that group identity is more important than individual identity. This factor limits the ability of Asians to “think outside the box.”
Bill Costello visits the Dau Go Cave in Ha Long Bay.
Bill Costello cruises on a junk in Ha Long Bay.
Bill Costello visits the One Pillar Pagoda in Hanoi.
Bill Costello visits Ho Chi Minh’s house on stilts in Hanoi.
Bill Costello visits the Presidential Palace in Hanoi.
Bill Costello visits the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi.
Bill Costello visits the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre in Hanoi.
Bill Costello visits the Hanoi Hilton.
Bill Costello visits the Temple of Literature in Hanoi.
Bill Costello cruises on the Perfume River in Hue.
Bill Costello visits the Thien Mu Pagoda in Hue.