Why do East Asians lead such difficult lives while Westerners seem to enjoy life more easily?
This is a thought-provoking question.
In East Asia, such as China, Japan, and Korea, people seem to be struggling for their livelihood from birth to death.
China has a '996' and '007' work culture, meaning working from 9 am to 9 pm, seven days a week.
During their schooling years, students bear heavy academic burdens, and as adults, they dive into busy jobs, seemingly living every moment for others rather than themselves.
In Japan, students spend a considerable amount of money on private tutoring for a diploma, and after entering society, they have to work late into the night. Even in old age, they cannot enjoy retirement peacefully because of the common saying: 'If you don't work, you'll starve.'
Korea is no exception. The college entrance exam is seen as a watershed moment in life, where sleeping only three hours a day seems to guarantee admission to a good university, while sleeping four hours might lead to elimination. Failure to enter a prestigious university implies challenges in future life.
Even those shining idols on stage find it hard to match the income of ordinary Western employees after a year of hard work.
In contrast, residents of Western countries like Spain, Sweden, and Italy lead relaxed and enjoyable lives. Not only is work less demanding, but welfare benefits are also good. Even when not working, the state provides certain allowances.
Their consistently high happiness index is enviable.
So why do East Asians lead such challenging lives?
Firstly, industrial monopoly is a significant factor.
Western countries accumulated vast wealth starting from the Age of Discovery, led the Industrial Revolution, and established vast colonial empires worldwide.
Subsequently, they shifted low-end labor-intensive industries to East Asia while keeping high-end industries.
Although East Asian countries experienced rapid development during stages like Japan's post-war economic miracle, most of the income remained in Western countries.
Even Japan, with unprecedented prosperity thanks to high-tech industries, eventually faced economic decline.
Secondly, the abundance of resources also affects a country's development.
Countries with high happiness indexes like those in Northern Europe possess abundant resources such as Norway's natural gas and oil, and Australia's iron ore.
These countries can sustain national welfare through resources, while East Asia's resources are relatively scarce. Japan and Korea have limited land and resources, and may even struggle to achieve food self-sufficiency.
Finally, high value-added industries play a crucial role.
Western countries dominate certain fields like wine, luxury goods, and cigars.
These industries can reap huge profits worldwide solely based on brand advantage, such as the high-priced sales of luxury goods.
Although these industries may not have much technological content, they can still profit greatly through brand premiums and hype.
In summary, Western countries, with their advantages in resources, technology, and branding, control the world's wealth, thus providing better welfare benefits.
East Asian countries, despite their large populations, are constrained by industrial structures and resource distribution, being relegated to low-end manufacturing to support the comfortable lives of Western countries.
However, as East Asian countries gradually climb up the industrial ladder, I believe they can enjoy happy and prosperous lives in the future.
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