The Personal Viability Philosophy

 

“If we give you fish, we feed you for one day.

If we teach you how to fish, we feed you for life.”

The overriding philosophy of the PV Program is based on teaching people how to fish. The “give me” or “dependent” mentality must be eradicated completely. People will react the way we treat them. If we treat people as though they are disabled, they will act as though they are disabled.

The structures promoting dependency must not be allowed to appear in the PV Program. Nothing is free. If a person needs one Kina, we do not give him one Kina. We create the opportunity for him to earn one Kina and allow him to keep his self-respect at the same time. We then “educate” him to create the opportunity to earn one Kina. We teach him how to fish.

The truth is, this person does not really need one Kina. It is a false perception. Nature has already provided for all living things. Everything we need to sustain life we already have. If this were not true, civilization would have vanished long ago. We do not lack anything.

But what we believe we become.

Personal Viability consists of specific axioms that define the underlying causes and principles of self-reliance and a vast area of observations in entrepreneurship; a philosophic body that literally applies to the entirety of one’s life.

 

Holistic Human Development

EDTC Personal Viability Training Program is about HOLISTIC HUMAN DEVELOPMENT.

Holistic Human Development, in this context, means developing the whole person - the physical, mental, spiritual, emotional and financially.

A holistically balanced human being is more likely to be well adjusted, contented, healthy and prosperous. Throughout the ages, human beings have searched for the meaning and purpose of life. Peace, freedom and prosperity are obtainable with personal viability.

Samuel Tam developed the home-grown EDTC Personal Viability (PV) Program in 1994 specifically for Papua New Guineans.

From 1996 to 2008, this program has trained approximately 20,000 people of all walks of life in 20 provinces of PNG as well as in Fiji and Solomon Islands, Malaysia, Singapore, Africa.

Personal Viability is the development of the mind to find out the things we do not know and use the knowledge and resources possessed by one and others. It is a home-grown training program for Papua New Guineans, for Holistic Human Development.

 

The Growth of a Nation

To grow a nation we need to grow the people first, to be creative and free in their thinking and action. Personal Viability is for use. It is a practical philosophy, something one does. Using this thought, you can change conditions. Many people who want to do something about the conditions they see around them, have attempted some form of knowledge. They know that life can be improved and they know PV works.

From the outset, how Master Samuel Tam came to found these subjects, PV is an immense story that effectively began at the end of the last decade of the twentieth century with his love for the indigenous people of PNG.

The impact of PV means PNG will never be the same again. PNG’s history has become a race between Capitalism and Humanity. PV will win if enough people in PNG are challenged, in time, to understand and use it.

Therefore, to know life in PNG, you’ve got to be part of life, you must get down there and look, you must get into the nooks and crannies of existence, and you must rub elbows with all kinds and types of people before you can finally establish what life is.

And this is exactly what Mr Tam has done, to be part of life in PNG. In doing so, Sam has discovered a formula, PV equals PNG (PV=PNG), which rested upon a key philosophic point: not withstanding generally held scientific theory of the time, of one’s physical well-being and not the reverse, i.e. to put it simply, “Function monitored Structure” or as Mr Tam himself so plainly puts it: “Think Holistically and solve issues from inside out”.

Without question PV was a landmark event. In what would prove a telling prediction, there is something new coming up. A “New Science” which works with the invariability of physical science in the field of the human mind. From all testimonies and indications, it will prove to be as revolutionary for humanity in PNG as the first caveman’s discovery and utilisation of fire.

PV training is about discovering and solving one’s problems, to survive and to succeed. It is about finding the inner-self of yourself, owning yourself and being yourself. If Sam’s statement was bold, it was nonetheless accurate; for with PV came the first definitive explanation of human thinking and behaviour. Then, with PV came the first means to resolve the problems of the human mind, including unwanted sensations, emotions, irrationalities and psychosomatic ills.

Purpose

PV actually implements the First Five Directive Principles of the Papua New Guinea National Constitution. Therefore it is advisable for people to refresh their knowledge of the Constitution.

Aim of PV

To reach 5 million Papua New Guineans. PV has reached approximately 20,000 grassroots Papua New Guineans in 20 provinces after 12 years. PV is Holistic Human Development which embraces the physical, mental, spiritual, emotional and financial aspects of human life.

A nation cannot grow if we do not GROW the PEOPLE first in some practical and appropriate manner. It must be appropriate because it must address the real needs/felt needs of the people, culture and environment.

The only way PNG can prosper is when we teach our people how to become self-reliant and prosperous holistically. It must be holistic because without order and balance, harmony is not possible. For example if people only prosper financially, social problems will increase in direct proportion to financial prosperity.

Entry Level

PV is the only program in PNG (and probably the World) that has NO Entry Level. You do not need academic education to attend. As long as you understand TOK-PISIN (in PNG) as a form of communication. The youngest participant is 9 years old and the eldest 90 years old from people with absolutely NO education through to those with University Degree.

Methodology

PV is the only program (and there is only one other program in the world that we know of) in PNG that teaches thinking. That is why this program has NO entry level. As long as a person has the capacity to think, he or she is eligible to attend. Existing education only imparts knowledge. In other words, existing education system teaches knowledge in various subjects while PV teaches the person or develops the person holistically.

Viability

A viable person knows how to recognise and use all resources at his disposal. These resources include Time, Brain, Body, Universal resources such as the Sun, Rain and Wind; Natural resources such as the Land Timber, Marine etc; and how to use knowledge, money, natural laws and economic laws.

PNG is rich in resources, probably one of the richest countries in the world, yet the people are poor. Why?

The 1998 UNDP Human Poverty Index ranked PNG 129 out of 179 countries. It was 126 in 1996. We have not been taught how to use our considerable resources.

PV addresses that extremely crucial need. If people are viable, the problems of law & order, broken families, unemployment, poverty and social unrest are likely to be eradicated. Economic power is a likely outcome, a reality that up to now, after 25 years of Political Independence, is only lip service.

THE PV PHENOMENON

“Oceanic Experience” is a term used to describe one of the most important ecstasies consistently reported over the centuries, the break-through of knowledge – discovering the solution to a problem, or bursting into some new field of learning. There appears to be great joy in the very act of knowing.

The EDTC Personal Viability Training Course is an Oceanic Experience for most participants.

A man or woman is as good as he is, and the degrees or titles he has after his name do not make him a better or lessor man.

In the final analysis, it is what a man is worth, not in assets or material possessions, but in his innate ability, his intellectual discipline and his drive - which determines his effectiveness and usefulness in society. In other words, it is a man’s personal viability that determines his worth to himself, his family, his community and his country.

People do not usually lack resources. They lack control over their resources and they lack the personal viability, the innate ability to use their tangible and intangible resources.

 

Leadership as Service

There is no more noble occupation in the world than to assist another human being, someone-else to succeed. In essence, this is what EDTC Personal Viability Training Course is all about.

We are all in the business of people no matter what our occupation. People make business not technology and not money.

Throughout history, the best leaders believe the best about the people around him, reaches out and helps them become their very best. The EDTC Personal Viability Training Course “ARE YOU VIABLE?” is no more or less.

The ultimate leadership is servant leadership.

The best business people have known the importance of that concept. To be the first one must be the very last. Indeed, it is probably one of the best attitudes to follow in life. Service is the seed that grows the money.

People have been searching for an answer to their dreams, a meaning to life, a way out from poverty and to find personal fulfillment. For many, this training course could be the end of their search. During the testing period of this training course, hundreds of people have vouched for the profound effects of this course.

Now, five years later, thousands of participants have confirmed this phenomenon. We have on file thousands of written testimonies that can only partially attest to this “OCEANIC EXPERIENCE”.

One has to be there to witness the full extent of this “OCEANIC EXPERIENCE”.

 

Bottom-up Training

The EDTC Training Course “ARE YOU VIABLE?” is the foundation on which the whole Personal Viability Program is built on. The bottom-up approach is essential to build a broad base from which a small percentage of people are likely to move upward, to be their best. EDTC has developed a system of grading personal viability which starts from PROVISIONAL GRADING to BRONZE, SILVER & GOLD GRADING.

In business, this means starting from micro enterprises graduating to small enterprises, medium and large enterprises (See section on “Scheme of Self-Reliance”).

EDTC has the follow up business courses to enable a person the opportunity to reach the top, his destiny on earth.

 

Holistic Human Development

EDTC Personal Viability Training Program is about HOLISTIC HUMAN DEVELOPMENT.

Holistic Human Development, in this context, means developing the whole person - the physical, mental, spiritual, emotional and financially.

A holistically balanced human being is more likely to be well adjusted, contented, healthy and prosperous. Throughout the ages, human beings have searched for the meaning and purpose of life. Peace, freedom and prosperity are obtainable with personal viability.

Samuel Tam developed the home-grown EDTC Personal Viability (PV) Program in 1994 specifically for Papua New Guineans.

From 1996 to 2008, this program has trained approximately 20,000 people of all walks of life in 20 provinces of PNG as well as in Fiji, Solomon Islands, Malaysia, Singapore, Africa.