Adam Smith, the author of The Wealth of Nations, believed that “empathy is an intellectual activity that takes into account circumstances, motives, luck, social status, and human character of the person.” The moment we blame another person’s actions, we examine the appropriateness of those actions. Adequacy is a state of neither excess nor understatement. If everyone else thinks a person is bad but I advocate for that person by saying, “I can understand,” then I approve of their actions. This situation is called “mutual sympathy.” In our lives, we can be egocentric in some cases and relation-centric in others. The more mutual sympathy exists, the more relationship-oriented our thinking becomes. Both too much and too little can lead to tiredness or dissatisfaction. Pursuing happiness means finding this adequacy. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”
The Japan Airlines that no one thought would ever recover. It was the biggest corporate bankruptcy in Japan. When Kyocera Group Chairman Emeritus Kazuo Inamori took the helm to save Japan Airlines, his priority was to reform the mindset of the employees. Whenever he could, he gathered all employees for lectures on mental reform, and executives were required to attend a separate lecture on mental reform given by Kazuo Inamori every Thursday without exception. The employees' frustration was palpable, but the company returned to the stock market after two years and eight months. There is no magic in running a company. Attitude and mindset are everything. - Joseph's "just my thoughts"