the first word
B
“By virtue of ex-
change, one man’s
prosperity is beneficial
to all others.”
~ Frédéric Bastiat What am I saying? There would not even be
individuals. For men [and women], isolation is
death. Now, if he cannot live outside society, the
strict conclusion is that his natural state is the
social state.”
This is a famous
quote by Frédéric
Bastiat, a French
economist, journal-
ist and a brilliant
philosopher (1801-1850). Though his life was
short-lived, his ideas, writings and work are
considered foundational to free-trade econom-
ics; it is still taught and discussed today. I am not an economist, however I understand in
business the benefits of trade and cooperation.
What Bastiat was trying to convey was that the
concept of sharing ideas and teamwork was es-
sential to society. The ability to exchange ideas,
culture and knowledge with one another yields
innovation and progress.
Furthermore, in one of his works, Harmonies
Économiques, he writes, “If men, like snails, lived
in total isolation from one another, if they did
not exchange their work and ideas, if there were
no transactions between them, there might be
crowds, small groups, and individuals living in
proximity, but there would be no society.
Jack Ma, a Chinese global magnate, founder and
chairman of Alibaba Group, China’s biggest e-
commerce company says, “Trade is the way to
dissolve the war not cause the war.” There may
be some truth to this.
We at International Focus Magazine strive to
support our international community. Let’s
continue to build our future together.
Vivienne Kwon
Director of Marketing and Sales
Vivienne
iF Magazine | www.iFMagazine.net
9