Ch 19 — Collective Action

Badges mark quoted or attributed material (Qur'an, hadith, another author, an opposing view). Unbadged passages are Maulana Wahiduddin Khan's own words.

Contents (44 chapters)

1. Ch 1 — The Secret of Life
2. Ch 2 — An Economic Pearl Harbour
3. Ch 3 — Japanese—A Model of Peace
4. Ch 4 — Accepting Defeat
5. Ch 5 — Victory Without War
6. Ch 6 — The Condition For Success
7. Ch 7 — We Have the Ability to Bounce Back
8. Ch 8 — A Comparison
9. Ch 9 — Paths to Success: Hard Work After Defeat
10. Ch 10 — Planning Based on Remnant
11. Ch 11 — The Greatest Good
12. Ch 12 — The Temperament of Japan
13. Ch 13 — Twenty Years Later
14. Ch 14 — Per Ardua Ad Astra
15. Ch 15 — Awareness of Purpose
16. Ch 16 — Character Builds the Nation
17. Ch 17 — Moral State
18. Ch 18 — Constructive Temperament
19. Ch 19 — Collective Action
20. Ch 20 — The Only Path
21. Ch 21 — Living in the Culture of Discovery
22. Ch 22 — Discovery, Discovery, Discovery
23. Ch 23 — Price of Excellence
24. Ch 24 — The Highest Standard
25. Ch 25 — Impartiality: The Secret of Success
26. Ch 26 — Learning from the Enemy
27. Ch 27 — The System of Nature
28. Ch 28 — The Second Chance
29. Ch 29 — Action, Not Reaction
30. Ch 30 — Elevated Thinking
31. Ch 31 — Making History
32. Ch 32 — The Example of Japan
33. Ch 33 — Signs of God
34. Ch 34 — Evidence of God
35. Ch 35 — Science Towards Oneness of God
36. Ch 36 — The Testimony of Science
37. Ch 37 — Unveiling the Unseen: The Essential Journey of Discovery in Faith
38. Ch 38 — Security and Truth
39. Ch 39 — Another Potential
40. Ch 40 — Zero Defect Universe is Under God's Control
41. Ch 41 — Japan's Target of 'Zero-Defect' Introduces Paradise
42. Ch 42 — The Life of Paradise
43. Ch 43 — Deserving of Paradise
44. Ch 44 — Only Positive Personalities Will Find Entry into Paradise

Collective harmony is deeply ingrained in Japanese culture and practices. Whether in families, factories, small enterprises, or large institutions, harmony has become a distinctive feature of the Japanese character. As Japanese affairs expert William Ouchi states: p. 46original + quote

“Every activity in Japan is a group activity and not a springboard to individual glory and personal advertisement.” (The Hindustan Times, February 16, 1986) p. 46other source

In Japan, every activity is a collective endeavour; no activity serves as a means of individual glory or personal promotion. p. 47

This characteristic of the Japanese is the greatest secret behind their national development. Greater progress is always achieved when a large number of individuals work together. The main obstacle to working collaboratively is that individual personalities do not emerge. A nation whose individuals are inclined to develop their identities will never succeed in unified action and thus will not achieve significant progress. p. 47

The simplest way to attain substantial development is through unity. Unity transforms one into many, amplifying the effort exponentially. p. 47

THE ONLY PATH p. 47

The journey of life is never a smooth path. Life is filled with accidents and hardships that impact both individuals and nations. This is a system established by the Creator. Avoid complaining and focus on finding solutions and persevere despite challenges. It is the only path to success. p. 48

In Al-Risala (March 1988), there is mention of a Japanese engineer, Shogo Katakura, whom I met in the Maldives. In response to one of my questions, he said that Japan’s geographic conditions have instilled in the Japanese a mindset of constantly seeking new ideas. Frequent changes in weather, along with recurring earthquakes and storms, repeatedly present new challenges. This compels the Japanese to think of ways to adapt to changing conditions continually. p. 47