Everything as being divided by 1.3 billion

Cyber Warriors, an article by James Fallows in the March 2010 Atlantic Magazine. I have enjoyed Fallows' writing for many years, agreeing sometimes and sometimes not. He has written many books, my favorite being More Like Us, his debunking in the 1980's of the growing hysteria about Japan's rise to economic prominence. He is that old fashioned kind of journalist, virtually extinct today, the kind who goes out, gathers his data, presents it to his reader along with his interpretation: a courteous and productive style.

In the article, which is about China-American relations, military scenarios and cyber risks, there is this observation from one of his interviewees.

Another former U.S. official put it this way: "We tend to think of everything about China as being multiplied by 1.3 billion. The Chinese leadership has to think of everything as being divided by 1.3 billion" - jobs, houses, land.

I think it is an excellent insight anyway and also a useful reminder of the importance of perspective when analysing a problem. It also reminded me of an old Norwegian folk tale that I read as a child, the punch line of which was similar to this observation by the Greek philosopher Solon:

If all our misfortunes were laid in one common heap, whence every one must take an equal portion, most people would be contented to take their own and depart. - Solon

We look at China from a distance and see their progress and their potential. They look at the same landscape and see the tensions and issues of making all this happen. One phenomenon and many interpretations.