We are what we aspire. People like us when they find us agreeable, enjoyable and satisfactory. People respect us when they feel deep admiration for our abilities, qualities or achievements. People need us if they require us because it is essential or every important. If I were to prioritise them, I would always want to be needed. To be needed, it requires one to be both talented and critical. However, in the corporate world today, not being liked hurts people the most, while being in a position of needed but not liked is considered the worst. I do agree that not being needed or liked can be the worst. I want to break this reflection of mine to a set of topics, starting with the importance of this idea.

Why is this discussion important?

The professional world has moved from infancy to insanity with no stops in between. For people like me who watched the horrors of professional exploitation of individuals from both the owners and unions, it is hard to make sense of the trigger. I remember in early 1990s and 2000s, there were two different kinds of industries. The first one was where, business owners would treat professionals poorly as long as possible. They will need your talent and the best way to retain your talent is by entrapment. The second type was one where unions held professionals to ransom. They ensure that one’s ability was never rewarded on par with their contribution. Any one trying to challenge this was a traitor.

If I look at the professional world now, individuals are forced to be acceptable and likeable. There is a high chance that people will be reprimanded for having opinions, saying uncomfortable truth or on set of arbitary guidelines set to constraint oneself. Unions are few and far these days. We have moved from being entrapped for exploitation to entrapped on social norms, professionalism and conformism. It has killed originality to such an extent that we look at people like Elon Musk as some form eccentric.

What is the impact?

People with power always find ways to retain it for their lineage. Historically, they have found ways to achieve this through religion, slavery, controlling knowledge, fear of law and if nothing works then violence. These rules eventually meant that there is a group that orders and there is a much larger group that executes. It also prevented the group that executes from ever switch sides to group that orders. In the modern corporate world, these rules have been eliminated. People are free to learn, legal system has evolved and threat of violence isn’t much of an option. How do we therefore ensure distribution? People have done it changing the dymanic of the game itself.

1. A person who is knowledgeable and needed cannot be let go
2. A person who is knowledgeable and needed will not care of medicrisy
3. A person who is knowledgeable and needed will not worry about telling the truth

Businesses have started to distribute knowledge to ensure dispensability. The rules have been formed to force people to believe that being likeable is more important that being needed. I have not seen a HR rulebook or ethics code where it clearly says, one can tell uncomfortable truth or one cannot be fired if their truth hurt or being right is more important that being fair. However, I have read enough books which force me to never hurt sentiments, apologise even if I am right and above all be respectful for feelings. Entropy on of the most crucial phenomenon in Thermodynamics and equilibrium is rooted in disorder. Employees are forced and have subsequently been brainwashed to execute. This starts from an associate and goes all the way to the CEO. As a result of this dynamic, we have created a world where dispensability thrives.

My prediction

While I may not consider myself a socialist anymore, the concept of materialistic conception of history continue to hold true even after centuries. While the tools of oppression might have been different across societies, the existence of oppression has been constant till date. There are three classes globally, oppressor, oppressed and free. While the free may look enlightened in general, it is only a subset of people who are knowledgeable, have broken the shackles and have found no need to oppress anyone. I am still in the camp that free will is an illusion. People who want to break the shackles will always break it. They will prioritise wisdom over adulation and respect. They won’t toe the social lines or bother about the impact of it. They know that society needs them. The rest will keep oppressing and getting oppressed.

Breaking shackles

The key to breaking free from the chains of subjugation is to release oneself from the pleasure of adulation. When we fall for praise, we tend to enjoy being liked. When we enjoy being liked, it is hard to state truth. The second step in this is to focus on gaining knowledge through critical thinking. Finally, obedience and loyalty are good for masters and not for people who want to be independent. We are 1/2 a chromosome away from a chimpanzee. To expect more from humans is just as ridiculous like asking a chimpanzee why it can’t add two numbers. We have one life. It is paramount to live it free.