In a practical simplification, there are two types of countries: those that prosper and those that do not. Apply the concept also to companies, institutions, families and all types of human organizations. Some advance and others stagnate or regress.

When referring to prosperity, from a practical perspective as well, I invite you to consider it as a favorable path of things both socially and economically. We are prospering if things are going better, including happiness and our ability to live together in harmony and balance.

That said, and as a platform for further conversation, it is timely to review the values identified by Lawrence E. Harrison, from his 1999 published book, “The Values of the Human Being. Harrison, from his book published in 1999 called “The Pan-American Dream”. Here is a quick translation of his original text:

1. Time orientation: Cultures that progress emphasize the future; those that stagnate focus on the present and the past. The vision of the future implies overcoming and influencing destiny, rewards in life and a positive economic sum.
2. Work is central to well-being in prosperous societies, while it is a burden in static societies. In the former, work gives structure to daily life. Discipline, creativity and achievement are rewarded not only financially but also in personal satisfaction and self-esteem.
3. Frugality is the mother of investment and financial security in progressive cultures, while it is a threat to “egalitarian” societies, which are defensive of the status quo and usually have a zero-sum view (to win one must lose the other).
4. Education is the key to prosperity in progressive societies, while it is of marginal importance in static ones, with the exception of their elites.
5. Merit is at the heart of sustained advancement in progressive societies, while connections, family ties and tradition count more in stagnating societies.
6. In the case of nations that facilitate prosperity, community is where identity and trust are achieved, beyond the family and into society itself. In cultures that tend to stagnate or regress, identity is defined in very narrow circles, and they are more prone to corruption, tax evasion and nepotism. They are also less inclined to philanthropy.
7. Ethical codes are more rigorous in progressive cultures. With the exception of Belgium, Taiwan, Italy and South Korea, the most advanced democracies appear among the 25 least corrupt in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index. Chile and Botswana were the only “third world” exceptions on that list.
8. Justice and fair play are universal conditions expected in progressive cultures. In static ones, as on a personal level, there is a greater propensity for concepts such as “who you know” or “how much you can afford”.
9. Authority tends to be dispersed and horizontal in affluent societies. Meanwhile, in other societies with a tendency to stagnation, authority tends to be concentrated and vertical.
10. Finally, the influence of religious institutions tends to be less in the civic life of progressive societies. In the others, the influence is substantially greater. In the former, a heterodox vision open to dissent is encouraged, while in the latter there is an inclination towards orthodoxy and conformity.

After this interesting visualization of variables and factors, it is important to reiterate the author’s observation, since these are obviously generalizations. It is also true that reality is not black and white and that in each of the values noted, it would be difficult for a country to achieve a score of ten or zero.

Personally, I have a partial disagreement with point 10. In a society like the United States, the one dollar bill says: “In God We Trust”. The values that are highlighted start from a millennial base and its emphasis on innovation, prosperity and work originate from an interpretation that leads to a more productive and forward-thinking lifestyle.

Without going into further analysis, to expand on the observations made by Harrison, the important thing to emphasize is that it is the progress, prosperity and life of the people in a society that is at stake, not its culture. That said, we must discuss which values in the Costa Rican should be protected, as well as identify which ones we should modify.

Again in the purpose of the practical, the achievable and powerful, we could start by considering some basic ones, such as:

1. To discredit the “choteo”(war on sarcasm).
2. Celebrate merit(discard the sawdust-floors).
3. Exalt punctuality(retake the clock and the respect to the commitment assumed).
4. Redefine pura vida (As a balanced life in harmony and purpose).
5. Protect honesty and work(As key values to sustain prosperity).
6. Detonate innovation(Moving from “business as usual”, passivity and conformity, to creativity and innovation).

At the center of our attention is to get on a path of improvement for the people who live in Costa Rica. We will have to build roads, ports and schools, hospitals, bridges and security, as well as a new mentality in the Tico of today and the future.

Competitiveness starts with you.