What Filipinos Have to Learn From Japanese People
Developing your attitude is like developing a skill on a musical instrument - it takes consistent practice to improve. When the great Polish pianist Ignacy Jan Paderewski was elected Prime Minister of his country, he made one request before accepting the prestigious office. He would lead the country, but he must be allowed to practice his scales for two hours every day. Guitar virtuoso Andres Segovia requires the same of his students - two hours a day of playing scales. And yet, who plays scales in a concert? You've never heard of a composition by Mozart or Brahms called "The Aelian Scale" or "Major Scale." However, without being thoroughly familiar with scales, a musician would remain remedial in his or her art. It is the complete mastery of the basics that gives birth to freedom of expression, ease of movement and cohesiveness in the delivery of each phrase. So it is with each of us in our attitudes. Though we may have excelled in our approa...