The Dog Proverb
“宁為太平犬，莫做亂离人”
(nìng wéi tàipíng quǎn, mò zuò luàn lí rén)
“Better to be a dog in a peaceful time, than to be human in a chaotic time”
Do you feel it?
It is everywhere and nowhere – all at once.
There is an undercurrent spreading across the globe.
It is HAPPENING RIGHT NOW in boardrooms, at the ballot box, in classrooms and on playgrounds all over the world and it is BIG. It’s so big, that its effects are being felt in real time, in every aspect of our lives and it’s about to change everything.
Angst, anger and the nagging feeling that our systems, processes and values no longer meet our needs, dominates our social discourse. The lines that separate countries and companies, political parties and notions of self are reforming, literally before our eyes.
We are experiencing the first global social systems upheaval in all human history that is being played out as-it-happens on the screens of our life: TVs, computers, tablets and in the palms of our hands.
When it happens, no matter where it happens, we see it, we hear it in the words and faces of those affected and we can feel it as it unfolds.
Nowhere is this undercurrent more vividly evident than in our professional lives.
The evidence is undeniable and growing with each passing moment.
OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH WORK IS BROKEN
We try harder and accomplish less.
We are loyal but change jobs more often.
We feel under appreciated and overworked.
Our careers have become one of our greatest health risks.
And our organizations too often behave compulsively, like addicts, looking for the next profit fix.
Something has to change…
Over the next 6 weeks, we’ll examine why Our Relationship with Work is Broken, what it means to you and how it may impact your career. You’ll learn what to watch out for, how to protect yourself and how to steer your organization clear of the wreckage and thrive, while others wonder what’s happening.
Somewhere in history, the west altered the dog proverb and turned it into a curse translating it into English as “May you live in interesting times.” My friends, these ARE interesting times and I look forward to sharing the practical and tactical insights we’ve learned from some of the world’s top business thinkers, historians, sociologists and plain old folks like you and I that have wisdom of their own to contribute.
As always, I look forward to hearing what you think at jeff@jeffkaplan.com.
Stay connected,
-Jeff
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