Reflections on Human Society

The origin of my reflection recently came from my consideration of applying for Hong Kong’s Talents Scheme. Throughout this process, I had to consult many professional organizations to understand the required documents and found that there were many preparations needed.

Previously, when I applied for a work residence permit, even though the company handled everything and informed me of the materials I needed to prepare, I still found it to be a quite cumbersome process.

This series of tedious procedures forced me to contemplate on certain systems and intricate procedures. Regarding the work residence permit issue, I deeply felt the irrationality of the household registration system. Since the feudal era in Chinese society, the household registration system has been deeply ingrained, requiring one to apply when leaving their registered place of residence. Under the so-called “social system” today, this system still restricts people’s freedom. Why can’t we have the freedom to choose where we live and work, just like the natives of first-tier cities, without being bound by such limitations?

As I delved into these questions, I began to question why society needs to establish so many regulations and systems. Is it possible to simplify and streamline these systems in order to improve individual and overall social well-being and efficiency? Why can’t we create a more inclusive and open social environment where everyone has more choices and opportunities for development?

Due to the cognitive revolution, humans have been able to create a series of fictional orders, stories, and rules that exist only in the human mind. Through language, humans have convinced and collectively constructed these fictions, which have eventually developed into concepts such as totems, religions, institutions, economies, and nations. It is precisely because of these fictional constructs that humans can unite and manage large groups of people to resist external threats. In my view, this is actually a process of establishing consensus. This process is also bloody and violent, as demonstrated by the rise of emperors through the physical indoctrination of burning books, burying Confucian scholars alive, and annihilating the six states. Either you accept the concept of my emperor, or you will be destroyed. The design of systems was not initially aimed at fairness and justice. Instead, it was more about leveraging the multiplier effect for expansion.

In our present society, it actually operates like a giant filter. From college entrance examinations, household registrations, work permits, visas, and every step in between, it seems to be about maintaining the status quo for the beneficiaries while eliminating a portion of the population. In the decades of reform and opening up, the entire Chinese population seemed to be participating in a ranking competition, with money becoming the score and houses becoming the level. People from rural areas strive to enter county towns, those in county towns strive to enter cities, city dwellers strive to enter provincial capitals, and residents of provincial capitals strive to enter first-tier cities, while residents of first-tier cities immigrate to foreign countries. Top talents are never satisfied with the status quo and will gather with even more outstanding individuals. Human talent is mostly random and follows the law of normal distribution. This means that outstanding traits will be selected.

However, we must acknowledge that many of these systems are not very necessary in the current social environment. They seem to exist only for the purpose of selecting suitable individuals. For example, the college entrance examination can only prove outstanding performance at a certain stage and can only be considered as proof of work ability, rather than a true measure of capability. However, the ruling class does not seem motivated to optimize this process and adheres to the principle of “whoever suffers, should change,” making people adapt to the system rather than the system adapting to people.

We can further contemplate on how to establish a more just and flexible social system. Such a system would fully recognize the unique potential of each individual and provide opportunities for their development. By breaking down old boundaries and giving people more space for choices, we can hope to shape a more inclusive and vibrant society. Only then can we fully unleash the potential of talents and give everyone the opportunity to showcase their brilliance on this social stage.

Of course, I also understand that the existence of systems is not completely meaningless. They play an important role in maintaining social order and fair competition. However, we should adapt and adjust these systems in a timely manner, making them truly serve the people, rather than solely maintaining the position of the vested interests.