[A Sip of a Book] Is Filial Piety a Fair Trade?

Editor's NoteSome sentences encapsulate the entire content of a book, while others instantly resonate with readers, creating a connection with the book. We excerpt and introduce such meaningful sentences from books.

The author, a Mind Miner who reads and interprets human minds through big data, analyzes the world from the perspective of the newly emerged 'Nuclear Individual.' The subjects include phenomena such as academic inflation, the caregiving transition period, transparent society, overcoat class, the end of filial piety, and deferred rewards. It also forecasts the upcoming era of Nuclear Individuals, featuring concepts like the 5-minute respect society, global class tags, AI colleagues, direct transactions with authorities, micro-communities, and the unsettled generation.

We have passed the authoritarian era maintained by oppressive mechanisms from top to bottom, and now a new era of individuals who become self-reliant through the power of mutual networks has arrived. Amid these changes, we have observed the process in which existing authority, which once wielded power, fragments and merges, and how authority is created and preserved through new recognition systems at various levels. We foresee the end of filial piety and the evolution of cooperative families, predicting that people will live as new individuals who did not exist before within AI-optimized systems. This book defines these new individuals as 'Nuclear Individuals.' It observes the context of social structural changes in which they are born. It also aims to examine how the solidarity of Nuclear Individuals seeks and agrees on new ways of life. In this era of Nuclear Individuals, we want to share vivid discoveries of our lives observed in daily life regarding the language skills and acceptance of diversity necessary for each person's survival, as well as wise aging methods. - From the 「Prologue」

While Western individualism manifested as an extension of humanity and humanism, Korean individualism emerged as a counter dynamic to authoritarianism. A 1995 newspaper article stated, 'Concerns over social collapse due to rampant individualism.' According to that article, individualists were synonymous with villains at the time. Over 20 years later, we now naturally discuss how healthy individualism benefits everyone. I believe all this is ultimately a change in dynamics. It is not a matter of advancement but simply that individuals have gained more power. As the collective system of production groups operating as a unit shifted to an individual-centered platform society, the flow of power changed suddenly before the older generation could revise their thinking. It is like how the chimney industry transitioned to the IT industry, increasing the power of each individual. Therefore, the younger generation perceives everything that limits their prosperity and vitality as 'authoritarian.' Future Nuclear Individuals are more likely to receive the very term 'authoritarian' with feelings of disgust. - From Chapter 1, ‘K is Not Korea’

Middle managers disappear in organizations. Leading IT service companies have already started eliminating full-time managers. In development teams, even team leaders code. Since collaboration tools manage progress and schedules, if someone claims to be a full-time manager, team members would question what exactly they are doing.

“What is your job, Deputy General Manager?”

“My job is schedule management and coordinating tasks between departments.”

Now individuals can learn directly and handle tasks with AI assistance. Organizations standardize processes and then automate them. That is why managers disappear. Therefore, those who define themselves as managers are claiming to do a job that no longer exists. - From Chapter 2, ‘Copilot Never Leaves Work’

After the 2008 global economic crisis, there was a time when employment tests for a major conglomerate group were regarded like post-college entrance exams. Even parents of elementary school entrants openly said, ‘I want to raise my child well to get into a major conglomerate.’ Major conglomerates were the ultimate competition for university graduates and a new form of academic prestige. There was no greater filial piety than having a child enter a major conglomerate, and among peers, ‘That friend works at a major conglomerate’ was proof of success in the race. Having experienced two financial crises, we inevitably wanted to see only a stable, one-way future. Ordinary people who witnessed lives plummet rapidly through the IMF crisis and the global economic crisis clung to jobs at major conglomerates, which seemed unlikely to go bankrupt even under external shocks. Passing fierce tournaments and receiving a major conglomerate business card seemed to promise a stable family with a high salary and a lifelong protected zone, like wearing a medal-like employee ID. But the world quickly changed direction. The college entrance exam was no longer the final test, nor was joining a major conglomerate the last gate. - From Chapter 3, ‘Recruitment, Not Hiring’

In the novel The Era of the Fragile Lady, Korea’s modernity and future repeatedly experience conflict and compromise. The staff of a publishing company need not necessarily be the mother or father. Perhaps a more experienced and professional colleague would be better. If the publishing company expands further, new employees might not want to join a structure that looks like family management. Also, whether the fairness of recruitment is ensured and whether the compensation is appropriate are issues. However, readers of the novel all feel reassured and happy because we all know that financial support from the daughter, not the boss, is inevitable for the livelihood of economically struggling mother and father. The highlight of this novel is the reestablishment of these relationships. One-sided support for those who do not show a will to be independent makes the supporter’s life difficult. Parents who take continuous support for granted produce their children’s helplessness. The fear of this helplessness is embodied in Moon Dong-eun’s mother in the drama The Glory, and the social response to this is concretized in the ‘Civil Code Article 1004 Amendment (Loss of Inheritance Rights)’ which proposes that parents who neglect their support obligations should not inherit. The custom of mutual aid was a precious survival method to care for each other in difficult times. However, even at the stage where the economy grows and systems evolve toward individual independence, a system where each person’s future is cared for by private assistance creates other problems. It leaves a ‘collateral debt’ that binds people from fully living their own lives. - From Chapter 4, ‘The End of Filial Piety, The Future of Aging’

The authority held by experts in any field is no longer as strong as before. In the past, people ran to reach the pinnacle of authority, the major leagues, but now it seems they dream of living as artisans in their own ateliers. Futurist Daniel Pink declared in his book To Sell Is Human that all humans must ‘sell themselves.’ So what should we sell? The most competitive product is ‘narrative.’ Each person’s narrative is evidence and raw material of authority. My record of growth and setbacks accumulated sincerely is a unique narrative only I have. Like tree rings, narratives cannot be fabricated overnight. They are made only with time and authenticity. - From Chapter 5, ‘The Emergence of Nuclear Individuals’

Era Forecast: The Age of Nuclear Individuals | Written by Song Gil-young | Kyobo Bookstore | 340 pages | 21,000 KRW

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.