This Week’s New Articles

Answer to the travel picture on Home Page: Venice, Italy

“Family Harmony Brings Prosperity” is a familiar Chinese idiom. A recent news story reported that the founder of a major corporation dismissed the chairman and CEO of the company—his own son. The son had been designated to inherit and lead the business, but due to different opinions, the father, in a fit of anger, took back control and restructured the management team. Conflicts between parents and children in business succession are common. More frequently, we hear of families where parents leave behind significant wealth, only for the children to dispute the inheritance, leading to legal battles. Regardless of the outcome, perhaps the biggest winners are the lawyers.

When a family lacks unity, the inheritance of wealth and cultural values may not successfully pass on to the next generation. According to The Secret History of the Mongols, around the 10th century, a mother sought to teach her five sons the importance of unity. She gave each of them an arrow and asked them to break it—an easy task. Then she tied five arrows together and asked them to break the bundle, which proved much harder. This lesson was to teach them that, as a family, they needed to stay united, as “unity is strength.” Many believe that Genghis Khan also used this story to teach his tribes. Similar parables appear in Japanese and other cultural traditions, all emphasizing the same core message—family unity is essential.

Most people understand the importance of unity, but defining who truly belongs to “our family” can be challenging. Legally, identifying one’s own children is straightforward. However, as children grow up and marry, relationships with sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, and even family members from remarriages become complex, influenced by various factors. In cultures with a strong preference for male heirs, this issue can become even more difficult to resolve.

Many organizations and groups use the concept of a “big family” to encourage unity. In the United States, a diverse and multicultural nation, this notion has faced new challenges in recent years. For example, in 2016, the NFL player Colin Kaepernick chose to kneel rather than stand during the national anthem to protest racial injustice. His act of kneeling was both a sign of respect for the flag and a call to acknowledge racial inequality. The protest inspired some athletes, from professional leagues to high school teams, to follow his example, while others opposed it. The controversy ultimately affected team unity.

Christian churches, as faith communities, emphasize unity. However, due to differences in race, language, and denominational traditions, Sunday at 11 a.m. has been called “the most segregated hour in America.” While most churches hold worship services at this time, divisions exist because of cultural and doctrinal differences. To outsiders, this separation appears contradictory to the Christian values of love and inclusion, potentially hindering the spread of the gospel.

Much of the ministry work within churches is carried out by volunteers. Management studies suggest volunteers are among the most challenging groups to lead, as they can easily withdraw their participation with a simple phrase, “Sorry, I can’t do this anymore.” The best approach is to emphasize that the church is God’s family, united by a common mission and a commitment to Jesus Christ. When pastors, elders, and church members commit to a shared mission, setting aside personal pride and making sacrifices, the church can achieve harmony. Only then can it effectively spread the gospel and serve the society.

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I’d been working for a major pharmaceutical company for over twenty years before I was laid off. Throughout those years, I had many memorable experiences, but none stayed with me as much as an otherwise routine performance review issue that happened in the year of my layoff.

This incident haunted me so much that I wrote it into my memoir, The Way We Forgive. The following is an excerpt:

Familiar footsteps echoed in the hallway. Andrew halted outside my door. “Great. You’re in your office.” He entered and pulled out a chair to sit. “I stopped by earlier and didn’t see you.”

I rocked back in my chair. “I was in the lab.”

He broke eye contact. “You’ve been with the company long enough. You should know well about the process of our annual performance review.”

What? Was he serious? Didn’t we conduct our performance review in March? It was only October.

While I kept quiet, he coughed and laced his hands together in his lap. “I know it’s still early. But the guideline is that you can’t wait till the last minute to tell your subordinate he doesn’t perform. Every department must identify poor performers each year. I took a look recently. Suzuki is my first pick. Starting today, you need to talk to him about his poor performance.”

Heat crept into my chest. I knew the process well. If an employee received a lousy performance rating for two consecutive years, he would be fired. But Suzuki? One of the best researchers I’d ever encountered. His data were always accurate.

I straightened my back and swallowed hard. “Suzuki’s performance has been excellent. Before we joined your department, he received the highest rating continually. He hasn’t lapsed. Everyone appreciates his work ethic and his outstanding data.”

Andrew inclined his head, then wagged a finger at me. “I don’t care what he used to have. In my department, having good data isn’t enough. Suzuki lacks communication skills. He can’t give a proper update about his results. Think about it and let me know your decision.”

The ice in his voice skittered down my spine. Yet I understood his point. Suzuki spoke English laced with a heavy Japanese accent. 

After Andrew left, I paced around my office, then dialed my husband’s number and told him what’d happened. “We all know Andrew is a bully. To be honest, I fear for Suzuki and myself.”

Ken’s audible sigh reached my ears. “I probably shouldn’t say this. Since you gave in to his unreasonable request and added his name to your papers last month, I suspect he’ll demand you do something unacceptable again.”

I couldn’t find my tongue and twirled my hair around my finger instead.

Ken spoke in my silence. “We try to honor God in whatever we do. It isn’t easy. But you shouldn’t give in because you’re afraid. I will pray for you and ask the Lord to give you courage and wisdom.”

Come back next week for Mediocre Evil (Part 2).