Honte, Myoshu, and Zokusyu

Old Li is a Go enthusiast. Although his skills aren't that great, only around amateur 3-dan, his passion is undeniable. He always likes to apply Go principles to life, often using terms like "honte" (the proper move), "myoshu" (the brilliant move), and "zokusyu" (the vulgar move). In his department, a new leader recently arrived, surnamed Zhao, nicknamed "Zhao Honte."

Zhao Honte's style is just like his nickname: steady and methodical. Meetings always follow the same procedures, documents always use the same templates, and proposals are always the standard, textbook "honte." Old Li feels that Zhao Honte is a "bureaucratic honte," playing by the book, making no mistakes, but also showing absolutely no brilliance.

With the new leader's arrival, the performance evaluation in Old Li's department also changed. It was no longer "free rein, bold innovation," but rather a detailed breakdown of each workflow and task. Every month, Old Li and his colleagues have to fill out a pile of forms to prove that they are diligently completing "honte" every day.

Old Li is a bit uncomfortable with this. He always believed that in work, you occasionally need a "myoshu," a surprising move, to achieve a breakthrough. He tried to propose a few "myoshu" suggestions, such as optimizing a certain process or changing a certain habit, but they were all rejected by Zhao Honte as "not conforming to the process." Zhao Honte said that their department needs "honte," one step at a time, steady and solid.

Old Li feels a bit stifled but helpless. He begins to feel that the workplace is like a game, but not Go, rather a crossword puzzle. Everyone is confined to fixed grids, and what they do every day is to fill the grids. Whoever fills them faster, whoever fills them better, wins. As for whether there is thinking or innovation, it doesn't seem to matter.

Old Li's colleague, Xiao Wang, is a clever person. He quickly grasps the essence of "honte." He starts to study the company's documents diligently, memorizing every evaluation indicator, and then executes them precisely like a robot. He works overtime every day, filling out forms and making reports, and soon becomes an "advanced model" in the department. Old Li watches this and feels a bit uneasy.

One day, the company organized a "Go tournament." Old Li is overjoyed, feeling that he finally has an opportunity to showcase his skills. He carefully studies his opponent's style and devises a "myoshu" strategy. The game begins, and Old Li uses all his skills, putting his opponent on the defensive. Just as he is about to win, the referee suddenly stops the game.

The referee says that Old Li's way of playing "does not conform to the rules." He did not strictly follow the prescribed procedure for placing stones, so he loses. Old Li is stunned and asks the referee, "There's a procedure for playing Go?" The referee points to a document on the wall, which is densely packed with "Go playing procedures," from the posture of holding the stones to the angle of placement, and even the thinking time, all strictly regulated.

Old Li then realizes that this tournament is not a real Go game, but a carefully designed "honte" game. The competition is not about who has better Go skills, but who is more obedient and who is better at following procedures.

Old Li dejectedly returns to the office and sees Xiao Wang diligently filling out a form, with a satisfied smile on his face. He suddenly feels a huge sense of absurdity, as if he is in a giant joke.

At this moment, Zhao Honte walks over, pats Old Li on the shoulder, and says earnestly, "Old Li, you should learn from Xiao Wang. He is the real 'honte.' Remember, the workplace is like a game of Go. You have to play by the rules to win."

Old Li smiles. He doesn't argue, but just looks up at the ceiling and finds that it is also covered with dense grids. He suddenly understands that he didn't play the wrong move, but he played on the wrong board.

He silently takes out a book from his drawer, a Go introductory book that he loved the most when he was young. He turns to the last page, where it says: "True Go lies in moving freely, not caring about winning or losing."

Old Li sighs softly and puts the book back in the drawer. He knows that in this "honte" world, he may never find his "myoshu." All he can do, perhaps, is to occasionally, secretly, outside those grids, play a few, only visible to himself, true "honte."

Then, the next day, Old Li submitted his resignation.