0:00:19.512,0:00:21.195
In Japanese, it is said like this:

0:00:21.215,0:00:23.521
[Japanese phrase]

0:00:23.525,0:00:27.905
That translates into, "being ignorant of [br]truth makes me a slave to a lie"

0:00:28.755,0:00:32.085
Or that, " To a know a half truth is a[br]lie doubled" or, "I will know the truth

0:00:32.085,0:00:33.895
and the truth will set you free"

0:00:33.904,0:00:35.584
There are many phrases about truth.

0:00:35.589,0:00:38.069
The Japanese like to say it like this,

0:00:38.269,0:00:41.669
[japanese phrase]

0:00:41.959,0:00:44.579
"Being ignorant of [br]truth makes me a slave to a lie"

0:00:44.579,0:00:49.628
You can't imagine just how many myths and[br]lies a Latin american

0:00:49.628,0:00:52.026
has about a country named Japan

0:00:52.037,0:00:54.727
And that is my job in Latin America.[br]

0:00:54.727,0:00:59.177
To end and dismantle these myths[br]that block the...

0:00:59.240,0:01:02.080
latino progressive mentality.

0:01:02.112,0:01:04.122
We propagate myths everyday

0:01:04.249,0:01:07.235
We say the "sun comes out", [br]but the sun doesn't come out.

0:01:07.235,0:01:09.722
We orbit around the sun,[br]which is different.

0:01:09.722,0:01:12.244
My clothes are smaller on [br]me. No, they aren't small

0:01:12.244,0:01:14.643
you're just putting on [br]weight, which is different.

0:01:15.120,0:01:17.400
I grew up with a myth that[br]wasn't very harmful.

0:01:17.400,0:01:18.790
Just as these[br]aren't harmful.

0:01:19.337,0:01:21.107
"Are you chinese?",[br]they would ask.

0:01:21.107,0:01:22.527
"Chinese, no. I'm japanese."

0:01:22.539,0:01:25.946
"China and Japan are different. [br]Language, culture, it's all different"

0:01:25.978,0:01:29.768
"Oh..", they would say. "But you[br]speak chinese?"

0:01:29.848,0:01:32.253
"No... japanese because[br]I'm japanese."

0:01:32.280,0:01:36.135
"Oh yeah, that's right but you fight[br]like the Chinese do?"

0:01:37.512,0:01:41.252
In reality, what people always want [br]to ask, once we've

0:01:41.304,0:01:43.494
become better acquainted, [br]both children and

0:01:43.520,0:01:46.360
adults, is: "Do you eat rat, or no?"

0:01:46.391,0:01:49.249
I don't know how many times[br]I've responded,

0:01:49.249,0:01:51.745
"I don't eat rat, I don't eat rat, [br]I don't eat rat"

0:01:52.336,0:01:55.626
When I arrived in Japan at the [br]age of ten I felt free of

0:01:55.636,0:01:59.696
that rat eating question. And I said, [br]"Well finally, I'm free of that question."

0:01:59.874,0:02:01.854
And the kids from, [br][japanese phrase]

0:02:01.872,0:02:05.212
the elementary school surrounded[br]and looked at me and said,

0:02:05.212,0:02:06.712
[japanese phrase]

0:02:06.789,0:02:08.049
"You're different."

0:02:08.057,0:02:09.147
[japanese phrase]

0:02:09.174,0:02:10.474
"Where are you from?"

0:02:10.474,0:02:13.454
[response in japanese]

0:02:13.707,0:02:15.386
"I'm from Colombia."

0:02:15.386,0:02:16.770
[ japanese ]

0:02:16.770,0:02:18.930
"Yeah, you're features are different."

0:02:18.930,0:02:20.270
[ question in japanese ]

0:02:20.303,0:02:22.293
"What is Colombia, where's it at?"

0:02:22.293,0:02:24.273
[ response in japanese ]

0:02:24.273,0:02:25.593
"In South America."

0:02:25.593,0:02:26.752
[ japanese ]

0:02:26.752,0:02:28.522
They didn't know where Colombia was.

0:02:28.522,0:02:30.313
[ japanese ]

0:02:30.313,0:02:31.973
"Next to Brazil."

0:02:31.973,0:02:34.243
[ japanese ]

0:02:34.709,0:02:37.359
"Brazil?, you mean the Amazon?"

0:02:38.036,0:02:42.046
"Well, yeah. Colombia includes a [br]large portion of the Amazon River."

0:02:42.046,0:02:43.846
[ japanese ]

0:02:43.846,0:02:46.006
"You come from the amazon area?"

0:02:46.014,0:02:49.174
"Yes, Colombia has a big part of the [br]Amazon River."

0:02:49.174,0:02:50.364
[ japanese exclamation ]

0:02:50.364,0:02:51.934
"Awesome!"

0:02:51.934,0:02:54.294
Then they asked me the big question,[br][ japanese ]

0:02:54.294,0:02:57.167
"So you eat snake then?"

0:02:57.487,0:03:00.237
That's when I realized that I would[br]be answering this type

0:03:00.237,0:03:02.017
of question for the rest of my life.

0:03:02.017,0:03:04.927
For some reason, here I eat rat and [br]there I eat snake.

0:03:06.149,0:03:10.009
But the Japanese don't eat rat. [br]That's false. It's a myth.

0:03:10.009,0:03:11.509
Neither do the Chinese.

0:03:11.557,0:03:15.827
The Chinese eat weirder [br]things but not rat.

0:03:15.866,0:03:19.866
In Colombia, snake isn't a typical[br]dish. Nevertheless, these myths

0:03:19.933,0:03:23.983
exist and I'll say it again. These aren't[br]harmful. They don't damage our mentality.

0:03:23.988,0:03:26.538
But there are some that continue[br]to be harmful.

0:03:26.538,0:03:30.488
Its my job, my duty and my passion to[br]do away with this myths

0:03:30.488,0:03:34.668
and I'd like you all to help me.[br]Have you ever once heard, as

0:03:34.668,0:03:41.497
a young student, the traumatizing [br]myth with which I grew up with?

0:03:41.501,0:03:42.441
First,

0:03:42.444,0:03:45.384
[ japanese phrase ]

0:03:45.384,0:03:48.124
The Japanese are intelligent.

0:03:48.221,0:03:51.160
Help me out. Have you ever heard[br]this before? Raise your hand

0:03:51.160,0:03:54.519
with me please.[br]Wow. Thanks.

0:03:54.519,0:03:57.689
Imagine this.

0:03:57.734,0:04:00.833
My Colombian grandfather, on my mothers [br]side, would say to me,

0:04:00.833,0:04:04.713
"Son, they're going to take you to [br]Japan. "Yes, grandfather." I responded.

0:04:04.722,0:04:08.722
"They're a superior race," he said.[br]"They are intelligent."

0:04:08.792,0:04:11.022
And he showed me an old Sony [br]radio and said,

0:04:11.022,0:04:12.852
"These are made over there."

0:04:12.852,0:04:15.942
On one occasion I even heard[br]a teacher say, "Look here the

0:04:15.942,0:04:18.858
Japanese are given wires and [br]circuits and they make radios

0:04:18.858,0:04:20.478
at their desks."

0:04:20.598,0:04:23.468
I was under such pressure[br]because a lot of people would see

0:04:23.468,0:04:27.468
me and say, "Are you Japanese?" [br]"Yeah, Japanese" I'd respond.

0:04:27.468,0:04:30.148
"You must be really smart, huh?" [br]they would reply.

0:04:30.148,0:04:33.068
"Because they're very intelligent. [br]All the technology comes

0:04:33.068,0:04:34.768
from over there, very smart"

0:04:34.806,0:04:37.900
I began to get really stressed [br]out but I'd put on a good face.

0:04:37.900,0:04:39.320
"Yeah sure." I'd say.

0:04:39.320,0:04:42.480
But inside I was thinking, "My God,[br]it's already going badly for me

0:04:42.480,0:04:44.690
in Colombia. How's it gonna be [br]over there?"

0:04:44.734,0:04:48.170
Match up to a superior race that[br]makes calculators and radios

0:04:48.170,0:04:50.400
at their desks.

0:04:50.400,0:04:53.420
So because of this I arrived in[br]Japan very stressed out at

0:04:53.420,0:04:55.540
the age of ten, really worried.

0:04:55.540,0:04:57.790
I'll never forget my[br]first day of school.

0:04:57.790,0:05:00.060
I sat in desk at the back[br]of the class.

0:05:00.060,0:05:03.040
Like any other newcomer, I was [br]analyzing and watching.

0:05:03.040,0:05:05.550
And I began to be very happy.

0:05:05.565,0:05:09.047
Because they yelled the same, [br]they jumped the same, and

0:05:09.086,0:05:12.076
they roughhoused the same, [br]and they laughed the same.

0:05:12.076,0:05:15.466
In Japanese, sure, but it was [br]the same.

0:05:16.516,0:05:19.466
They appeared to be exactly[br]the same as the Colombian kids.

0:05:19.466,0:05:21.696
The difference..

0:05:21.696,0:05:25.696
and what really stood out there[br]was when the teacher entered.

0:05:25.696,0:05:28.896
The teacher walked in. Everyone [br]began to run as if

0:05:28.896,0:05:30.826
they had seen a ghost.

0:05:30.826,0:05:33.036
They straightened their [br]desks and sat down.

0:05:33.036,0:05:35.227
One of the kids said,[br][ japanese ], which means

0:05:35.227,0:05:37.837
"Stand up!" [ japanese ][br]"Straight!" [ japanese ]

0:05:37.840,0:05:39.160
"Good Morning!"

0:05:39.160,0:05:41.570
"Good Morning," they responded.

0:05:41.570,0:05:43.910
[japanese command], "Sit down."[br]They all sat down.

0:05:43.910,0:05:46.910
From there on, they all listened and[br]took notes. Nobody

0:05:46.910,0:05:49.950
talked to his neighbor. There [br]was an emphatic silence

0:05:49.950,0:05:53.181
in the the class as they all [br]listened to the teacher.

0:05:53.207,0:05:56.514
The teacher never had to fight[br]to get everyone's attention by saying

0:05:56.514,0:05:59.814
"Look here everyone, listen up," [br]write this, open your notebooks."

0:05:59.814,0:06:02.914
They did it all without being asked.[br]The teacher left and another

0:06:02.914,0:06:05.444
came in. The kids joked around[br]and yelled but when the

0:06:05.444,0:06:08.204
next teacher came in, again the[br]same protocol was followed.

0:06:08.204,0:06:11.134
And they were attentive again. [br]I began to feel uneasy because

0:06:11.134,0:06:14.694
I thought, "How is that they get [br]all of them to behave so well?"

0:06:14.769,0:06:18.209
"Clearly, in Japan they have cameras[br]and they beat the those

0:06:18.209,0:06:20.579
that misbehave at the end of the hall."

0:06:21.408,0:06:25.408
But, no. There weren't any cameras[br]and they didn't beat them.

0:06:25.493,0:06:28.883
Simply put, in Japanese there is a phrase[br]goes like this:

0:06:28.883,0:06:30.933
[japanese phrase]

0:06:30.933,0:06:35.623
That translates as: Sooner or later,[br]discipline will overcome intelligence.

0:06:35.623,0:06:39.623
They're not interested in being[br]intelligent, but rather disciplined

0:06:39.623,0:06:43.063
because, according to them, success[br]is found in being disciplined.

0:06:43.063,0:06:47.493
The evidence of what I'm saying [br]is true is this: The Japanese didn't

0:06:47.493,0:06:51.843
invent the car, right? Or motorcycles [br]either? Neither did they invent

0:06:51.846,0:06:55.786
computers, radios, or calculators.

0:06:56.009,0:06:59.269
But who are the owners of Toyota, [br]Suzuki, Kawasaki, Yamaha,

0:06:59.289,0:07:02.959
Nissan, Mitsubishi, Sony Vaio,[br]Toshiba, Hitachi, etc?

0:07:02.959,0:07:04.719
The Japanese are.

0:07:04.719,0:07:08.719
Everything they got their hands on, [br]not because of ingenuity, they

0:07:08.744,0:07:12.744
they didn't create them, they improved[br]them thanks to their discipline.

0:07:12.890,0:07:17.600
Because they are a people disciplined [br]to death.

0:07:18.130,0:07:22.220
For them, discipline is the secret[br]to success.

0:07:22.220,0:07:26.220
A Japanese person never arrives late[br]to an appointment.

0:07:26.351,0:07:29.881
If you say its at six, it's at six. [br]If it's seven, it's at seven.

0:07:29.881,0:07:32.771
He will never miss it. [br]But if he will, he will let

0:07:32.771,0:07:35.681
you know two days prior saying,[br]"You know what, I think i'm

0:07:35.681,0:07:38.831
arrive fifteen minutes late the[br]day after tomorrow."

0:07:38.891,0:07:41.221
It's exactly like that.

0:07:41.221,0:07:45.251
To them, time is valuable and it's not[br]important to be intelligent.

0:07:45.251,0:07:48.769
It is important to be disciplined with[br]time because sooner or later

0:07:48.769,0:07:51.689
discipline will overcome intelligence.

0:07:52.328,0:07:55.518
The Colombian IS intelligent.

0:07:55.619,0:08:01.249
I have been in fourteen countries and[br]I love, I delight, in hearing about

0:08:01.249,0:08:04.029
Columbia and its people. How are they?[br]What are they doing?

0:08:04.029,0:08:06.759
Where are they working? Are they behaving?[br]Are they liked?

0:08:06.767,0:08:10.767
The Colombian has something. Wherever [br]he is, as we say, he just fits in.

0:08:10.771,0:08:14.771
He will be liked. He'll say what the [br]people want to hear.

0:08:14.787,0:08:18.787
He'll adapt to the system, language,[br]and even to the climate.

0:08:18.816,0:08:21.056
He'll teach himself the ways of[br]a new country.

0:08:21.056,0:08:24.966
He's an innovator. He's not satisfied[br]with staying in one single place.

0:08:24.966,0:08:27.896
He develops, invents, [br]and devises things.

0:08:27.949,0:08:32.119
If we don't know a way to[br]say something we make one up.

0:08:32.300,0:08:35.520
We don't stay in the same place. [br]We flourish.

0:08:35.589,0:08:37.739
Colombians ARE intelligent.[br]

0:08:37.827,0:08:44.137
A Japanese person waits to,[br]or takes up two to three

0:08:44.149,0:08:46.899
hours to make a single decision.

0:08:46.899,0:08:49.126
The Japanese are indecisive and[br]unsure.

0:08:49.126,0:08:51.296
Colombians take risks. They just [br]do it.

0:08:51.296,0:08:54.306
I've become accustomed to saying [br]outside Colombia, if you tell

0:08:54.306,0:08:57.926
a Colombian, "Hey Colombian, [br]come here and climb up over there."

0:08:57.930,0:09:00.490
You know what they'll say say. [br]"For what, or why?"

0:09:00.490,0:09:03.700
But if say it this way, "Colombian,[br]you're not capable of climbing

0:09:03.700,0:09:06.970
up over there." "No? Just wait[br]and you'll see!" they'll respond.

0:09:06.970,0:09:10.150
The problem is getting them down[br]from there once they're up. Don't

0:09:10.150,0:09:13.630
challenge a Colombian. They will[br]do anything just to try it,

0:09:13.640,0:09:17.075
however silly it may be, because[br]you challenged them to.

0:09:17.075,0:09:21.075
Colombians will invent and come[br]up with things.

0:09:21.075,0:09:24.375
The Colombian is intelligent. [br]The Japanese are not.

0:09:24.375,0:09:29.255
Now, as far being disciplined goes, [br]it is better that

0:09:29.255,0:09:31.998
we don't even talk about that.

0:09:32.022,0:09:35.452
Here if we have an appointment at six[br]we'll show up at seven.

0:09:35.462,0:09:38.932
Or come Monday and we say, "Hey did [br]you end up going to the appointment"

0:09:38.952,0:09:41.669
"Nope." .. "Me either!" This is why we get[br]along so well.

0:09:42.944,0:09:48.016
If the phrase says, sooner or later [br]discipline will overcome intelligence,

0:09:48.016,0:09:51.696
I assure you, that a lack of discipline, [br]no matter how much talent or skill

0:09:51.696,0:09:54.666
you have, at some point it will[br]cause you to miss out

0:09:54.666,0:09:56.886
the best opportunities in life.

0:09:56.886,0:10:00.026
It has nothing to do with you [br]just choosing to, or being a natural

0:10:00.026,0:10:02.276
at it, or even because [br]it comes easy to you.

0:10:02.276,0:10:06.726
It's about being disciplined because,[br]according to Japanese thinking,

0:10:06.726,0:10:10.276
success is found within discipline.

0:10:10.294,0:10:14.204
Even still today, I struggle with the [br]idea that all Japanese are intelligent.

0:10:14.204,0:10:18.204
They still say to me, "You are...," while [br]I'm thinking inside, "Please say

0:10:18.204,0:10:21.494
Japanese." ...."Japanese?" they ask. [br]"Yes!" I exclaim.

0:10:21.494,0:10:23.844
"Can you fix my television[br]for me? It's a Sony."

0:10:23.844,0:10:26.224
And I say, "No, I don't know anything [br]about that."

0:10:26.224,0:10:29.604
It's not true. Latinos are[br]intelligent,

0:10:29.618,0:10:34.428
but the issue is that discipline[br]is beginning to disappear,

0:10:34.428,0:10:39.388
from our children to our adults, to [br]not name any names.

0:10:40.765,0:10:45.955
Discipline is very important, essential, [br]in the success of a nation.

0:10:47.657,0:10:50.917
There are words that I am unable[br]to translate from Japanese.

0:10:50.917,0:10:53.987
"I'll be there in one second."

0:10:54.000,0:10:58.500
I can say to friend in Japan by [br]telephone, [ japanese ] ,

0:10:58.500,0:11:01.760
"Wait, I'll be there [br]in one second."

0:11:01.760,0:11:06.290
If I say this literally to my friend, he [br]would be like..

0:11:06.290,0:11:08.990
In order that I literally arrive[br]in one second you would

0:11:08.990,0:11:10.740
have to be falling from a building.

0:11:11.456,0:11:12.726
[ japanese ]

0:11:12.726,0:11:14.966
"I'm already there, I'm already there."

0:11:14.966,0:11:15.886
[ japanese ]

0:11:15.886,0:11:18.256
If you already there, you are [br]actually there.

0:11:18.256,0:11:21.466
Either you're dead or I am [br]and we don't see each other.

0:11:21.466,0:11:23.736
"I'm already there?" It's not[br]possible.

0:11:23.737,0:11:25.927
This is why we call it the[br]power of expression.

0:11:25.927,0:11:28.547
I will be there in one second, can [br]be translated into;

0:11:28.547,0:11:32.384
I have fourteen traffic lights to go,[br]I'm still in the shower, the truth

0:11:32.384,0:11:34.824
is I don't want to go so[br]maybe I won't.

0:11:36.563,0:11:39.425
One way or another, we have[br]failed to understand that it's

0:11:39.425,0:11:42.435
not only about having talent but[br]rather, discipline,

0:11:42.435,0:11:45.545
which can carry us to succeed.

0:11:46.589,0:11:50.799
The secret of success lies in being disciplined.