Change vs. Tradition: The Real Reason It’s So Difficult To Accept
Tradition, Tradition, Tradition.
They’re everywhere.
From the shrines, to parades and all the way to national holidays.
All of these representations are forms of tradition.
But when I consider tradition, I think there are two types:
1). The first one being cultural tradition that must be kept and passed on.
2). The second… nasty habits that are repeated like tradition within the workplace.
The latter are habits that are preferred to be removed.
Well…
Unfortunately, while the former is quickly disappearing, the latter is rather persistent.
It just seems like we can’t change social habits[1].
Anyways, that was my Segway to your question.
I take it as this. “Why are distasteful[2] traditions so hard to change?”
Distasteful traditions in Japan
But first, what even is a nasty tradition?.
In Japan, there would be many examples of distasteful traditions. For example.
1). Not going home until the boss does.
2). Being peer-pressured to go drink after work.
3). Forced to work overtime without any overtime salaries.
These are just some of the prevalent traditions that I myself remember.
And yes, when I joined the workforce over 20 years ago, these habits were there.
I think a lot has changed since then, but even then, a lot of these habits still exist.
20 years ago, we never considered these things as unfair or bad. No, we believed them to be perfectly normal.
That’s how much we were brainwashed.
Our Daily Lives.
20 years ago, my daily life would be as follows.
Wake up at 7am. Go to Work.
Work for 12 hours straight, then go drinking with your boss.
Go back and work for 5 more hours.
Come back home at around midnight.
…
…
You know looking back at it… It’s interesting.
They pressure you to work more… yet they never pay you overtime salary.
And on top of that. All of that work makes you sacrifice all of your other relationships.
I luckily did not stay there forever. But had I stayed, I would have never seen my children grow up.
The wonder that comes from relationships would have been invisible to me. And I would have lived in misery.
But unfortunately… That’s how many Japanese live their lives (even to this day).
The Revolution
Everything changed in the 2010 era.
Huge quantities of harassment articles started to spread online.
Fostering the seeds for massive societal change.
One of these news articles was that of a newly employed woman in 2015[3].
Employed at Dentsu inc[4], she had been forced to work more than the legal working hours [5].
Stress and maltreatment built up… causing her to become depressed and eventually commit suicide.
In the court trial, her boss was prosecuted on terms of abuse.
He forced her to work overtime. Yet all of those extra hours went wasted, not an ounce of overpay salary was given.
…
…
Her death caused an uproar within society.
Getting rid of these distasteful habits for the better…
But?
Well, that is what I would like to say.
Despite our best efforts, there are still cases of workplace abuse and suicide today. Too many in fact.
Even this year, there was an unfortunate suicide. One that took place in the prefectural Office of Hyogo. [6]
The governor had mistreated and overworked his employees.
It go so bad, to the point where an employee committed suicide.
In my best belief, our generation must leave the workforce to enforce true change.
Nasty habits piled from our youth… These are the ones that our unconscious makes decisions upon.
And unfortunately, their tremendously difficult to change. So the best option? We leave the workforce.
Why does it feel so prevalent in Japan?
Humans are social creatures and were not meant to be alone.
And to satisfy that desire, we constantly adjust to the norms and values of the group.
It’s a universal constant that’s observed everywhere. The desire stays the same, but the respected values differ between each country.
Thus the actions observed are also different.
For an island country like Japan, there are slight differences. We value reading the air and knowing the implied meanings behind actions.
Japanese culture dislikes those that can’t read the air.
The one who doesn’t know the group rules.
Those that act selfishly without any sensitivity — understanding of their consequences.
Unfortunately, this reading the air is really troublesome.
It can promote traditions as good within a group, even when they are bad when applied to society.
These practices become the social norm of the group.
An Example.
One example is that of falsifying data. [7]
An especially peculiar case is in the Japanese automobile industry.
Societally, corporations complying to the rules and regulations should be the norm.
Yet, even last year, Daihatsu was claimed to have falsified data for crash-test safety and fuel-consumption rates.
Of-course, falsification of data occurs all over the world.
But what’s especially problematic in Japan is that there is no-one-person that can take responsibility.
Why?
When the company’s reputation becomes one’s sole purpose.
What do you think happens when the employees feel they need to increase sales?
They become desperate to the point to forge data for the needs of the company.
Increase sales = fit into the absolute atmosphere of the company.
Thus, satisfying the human desire to fit in.
When these events become categorized as “good-behavior” in the company, it’s really hard to change.
…
…
…
It’s all good and dandy until you realize that it affects our safety as well.
We, consumers, use those cars, trusting that the companies are reliable.
But if they are falsifying data, are we really okay with putting our lives at risk?
…
And the issue?. Because it’s created by the “culture”, there is no single person to blame.
If there was, the solution would be simple…
But how do you tell a company to change its culture entirely??
…
For someone who has a strong sense of justice, they can charge right against the culture.
But they need to consider this. Japan has had thousands of years to refine the culture of reading the air.
Please note that it’s not something so easily broken.
My Own Personal Experience
When I started working 20 years ago, it was the culture to work ridiculously hard.
Me and my colleagues all thought that it was just what it had to be.
But as I began to traverse the world, my experiences changed me.
“A culture isn’t universal. It’s something that can change.“
So what can we do?
A somewhat of an answer?
To that, I can’t provide a definitive answer.
But I think the starting point is to not-limit-yourself to one group culture.
Understanding that there are different cultures in the world is a start.
Know that there are different values depending on where you are.
From my experience, I know that this will give you the most bang for your buck.
I hope this has helped answer your question.
and even added an interesting twist.
Best of luck to you.
[1]: Behaviors/habits that are performed in social settings. Behaviors that tend to be more influenced by group/social-norm.
[2]: In our case, the word distasteful was used with the intent of emphasizing unpleasant behaviors. Behaviors that some do not wish to condone to.
[3]: [Article summarizing the death of Dentsu Inc employee due to them being overworked].
[4]: Was founded in 1901 Tokyo. Dentsu is the largest advertising agency in Japan and the 5th largest in the world — in terms of revenue.
[5]: 40 hours per week and 8 hours per day. That is the permitted amount of work in Japan. Additionally, workers must be given a 45 minute at least once throughout the work hours.
[6]: Article that examines the death of employee in Hyogo Prectural Office.
[7]: A rise in falsifying data to pass regulations regarding safety and environmental effects of cars.