This episode explores why corporate activities sometimes feel like a performance rather than meaningful work. Drawing from experiences at a business seminar in Bangkok and a driver’s license renewal session in Japan, it examines how many organizational tasks prioritize relationship maintenance and procedural completion over actual value creation. Even when participants are disengaged, these events still “function” because their purpose is to sustain connections and produce records of activity. While this structure may appear inefficient, it also reduces friction and ensures stability. The episode argues that what seems like empty ritual is, in fact, a rational system that supports organizational continuity and social order.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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