Against All Odds - The Rise Of An Industrious Country

October 2nd, 2008 at 10:40 · Filed Under At Home, Blogging, Education, Humanity, Japan, Philosophy, Social 

It was two weeks ago, if my memory served me right, my kids were playing around the dining hall. One of them, took a hard-boiled egg and put it into a basket of uncooked eggs. LA was getting crazy about this. I heard the incidence and I came out of my working room.

“This is the great opportunity to show the kids about science I learned when I was in lower primary.”, the thought emerged quickly. At that age, I used to read science comics for kids published by a Hong Kong publisher. I never had any chance to use that knowledge. My mom would do the cooking and I did not mess around her kitchen so there was no chance to mix up the cooked and uncooked eggs. This time, my kids gave me an opportunity to show off. ;)

I took the two eggs in my hand and LA gathered the boys around the dining table. Mom told D, “Look, daddy is going to demonstrate science.”

I took one egg at a time, stood it on its broader end and then spun it on the table, One egg would spin standing until it lost its angular momentum. The other egg couldn’t hardly spin on its end for a fraction of a second. The cooked and uncooked eggs had been determined. The boys, especially D, were astonished.

Well, what is the relationship about this egg tale and the rise of an industrious country?

I always believe in doing the simplest to the most complicated things with my own hands. The end result is not so important. The process of doing it and the knowledge I acquired is of utmost importance.

I am reading this book, “Against All Odds - The Story of the Toyota Motor Corporation and the Family That Created It”, by Yukiyasu Togo & William Wartman.

Sakichi Toyoda was an intelligent man who prided himself on what he had been able to achieved without benefit of education or family influence. He believed that a man didn’t need education in the theories and principles of science and that he could learn all he needed to know by working on machines with his own hands. His son Kiichiro had the finest training from his father.

To bring to the point quickly (I am not going to write a summary of this book yet but to complement a post and its comments here), Kiichiro perfected the automatic shuttle changing device which his father, Sakichi, invented for Toyoda Spinning & Weaving Company.

It was the unorthodox and bold spirit of Toyoda father and son that made Toyota one of the best known and largest auto makers in the world.

Just an appetizer to keep you going. I will write more while I read on.

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Comments

One Response to “Against All Odds - The Rise Of An Industrious Country”

  • 尉迟书贤 on October 2nd, 2008 10:56 1

    My professor told us a story about Toyota Corporation. Toyoda was one of the greatest contributors to Japan’s progressive spirit. China has embraced this progressive attitude and thinking and is making significant progress in technology.

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