The Israeli historian-philosopher Yuval Harari cited the lack of a sense of community as one of the major challenges humanity must overcome. Extreme totalitarianism caused serious side effects throughout human history, but ultimately the most decisive feature and strength of modern humans is that we are social animals capable of large-scale cooperation.
Harari said that modern humans have biologically changed almost nothing over the past 10,000 years, and you can't really say individual capability or knowledge has advanced. On an individual level, primitive people — who were self-sufficient in everything and lived fiercely day-to-day for survival in nature — were arguably more versatile and stronger than modern people.
Ultimately, human progress is not individual-level development but the development of the human community through social/cultural evolution.
At any company, a sense of community toward the workplace and coworkers has become a relic of the old era. Emphasizing this value today is a perfect way to provoke resentment. "Why on earth should I sacrifice for the company?" — that's the response.
- HBR No. 261. Professor Kim Yu-gyeom, Department of Physical Education, Seoul National University
#counterpoint
First, the fact that Harari is Israeli hit me like a ping. This guy! Aren't the unspeakable atrocities they are inflicting on Palestine ultimately distorted acts of totalitarianism? At least for Harari, the concern about extreme totalitarians should be an ongoing one..
These days when a job listing advertises "a family-like company," people nickname it "a f***ed-up company" and it becomes their shared gossip. That's the context of "Why on earth should I sacrifice for the company?" Of course not all, but the majority of the "upper side" has perceived the "lower side" not as a role-divided constituent but as a class distinction.
When a company's cash flow is stalled, the "lower side" is put off because conditions are poor; when cash flow is healthy, they are put off because everyone is busy; or put off for "the future". From experience, there are "upper sides" that can't look out for the "lower side" when they have nothing, but there are also some that still can't even when they do. You can't teach an old dog new tricks. When such "upper sides" get some breathing room, other thoughts naturally creep in. An "upper side" who can consistently look out for the "lower side" even when they have nothing — that's the kind that lasts.
Honestly, whatever. Whoever needs it more can follow. Even the most righteous-sounding "lower side," if they became "upper side" tomorrow, might be no different. Judging the phenomenon in front of you as "good" and "evil" is something that only happens in fairy tales or dramas. The moment you divide things into good and evil, life is always unjust and every misfortune becomes the other's fault. It's a cowardly act. It's just whining.
Let's face it. Let's understand their relationship and list out solutions ourselves. Let's measure our own range of action/influence and coordinate our priorities..
From here on, whether I become the lower side or the upper side, let's put this to the test..
