Chapter 1005 - 775: Resonance of the Collective (Part 2)
The man in a suit at the front row leaned slightly forward, glancing at Nan Zhubin, then at Boss Wang.
Boss Wang had a wooden expression. He had reviewed the outline of the conference plan submitted by Nan Zhubin in advance and knew there would be this part.
But he didn’t know the detailed content of the meeting or how Nan Zhubin would conduct it.
At this moment, Boss Wang didn’t know what kind of expression to put on.
"President Wang. Bringing up this sort of issue is really... courageous and determined." The man in a suit next to Boss Wang said.
...
On stage, Nan Zhubin raised his hand to adjust the microphone.
"Whether this employee was right or wrong, the law will judge. But we must recognize that his predicament is not an isolated case."
"We all know what we have gone through recently. Long-term overtime, and no absolute layoff plans hanging over our heads—these are all unending high-pressure conditions."
"Under such high pressure, people may develop various thoughts and take various actions."
"That colleague in the cafeteria chose the most extreme option among countless methods."
"He may have found some relief, or maybe not."
"But he—he’s only a reflection of a larger issue."
Nan Zhubin’s voice turned deep and soft: "All the colleagues here have also accumulated many things inside, things they haven’t been able to release."
"I hope that through this conference, we can help everyone to some extent to release their inner distress. At the same time, after the meeting, let everyone learn how to better release and soothe themselves."
This was the theme that Nan Zhubin set for today’s relief conference.
Long-term high pressure can significantly lower one’s psychological tolerance threshold, and the Old Mo incident could cause trauma. For some employees, this might be the last straw, bringing them to the brink of collapse.
Alleviating the trauma caused by the Old Mo incident, and using it as a lead to guide the accumulation of pressure among employees.
Facing the disturbance in the audience caused by his presence, Nan Zhubin quietly waited for two breaths.
Then he raised his hand in a calming gesture: "I know, regarding the company, regarding that colleague, we may have all kinds of thoughts."
"Some people might feel this is like a thorn, making them uneasy;"
"Some might feel this is like a stone, making them unable to breathe;"
"Some might even think ’Will it be me next?’ - in the cafeteria holding the knife or perhaps being pointed at with the knife."
Nan Zhubin said: "What I’m saying is—no matter what the feeling is, no matter what the thought is. As long as it appears, it is reasonable for us."
After saying this, he turned to face the big screen.
Mo Kai switched the slide again.
"Next, I would like to invite everyone to open your phones once more, find the link to our second module, and write down your feelings."
"You can write a lot, or just a word or a sentence."
"Write down the feelings brought by the incident in the cafeteria, and also the feelings brought by work and layoffs."
"This process is still completely anonymous, and submissions will be displayed randomly."
"We will take five minutes now."
This step goes further based on [Emotion Naming] to [Emotion Externalization].
If the first anonymous submission was specifically about thoughts on Old Mo and the company, many might hesitate.
However, with the groundwork of previous [Emotion Awareness], the atmosphere in the room had gradually improved.
Soon, the meeting room was filled with the dense sound of fingertips tapping.
Some had furrowed brows, pausing repeatedly before slowly inputting;
Some had flying fingertips, as if trying to type all their grievances into the screen;
And some stared at the screen for a long time, writing only two or three words.
Because of the heightened anonymity requirement this time, the two young consultants did not shuttle through the venue, and all the staff stood at the front of the meeting room, ready to be seen when employees looked up with hesitation or unease.
...
The man in the suit at the center of the meeting bowed his head and cooperatively typed a few words on his phone, then turned, "President Wang, don’t you have any thoughts?"
Boss Wang took a deep breath, waking from a dream, "I have too many thoughts in my mind to know what to say. After all, for such a big company..."
"I understand, I understand," said the man in the suit.
Boss Wang pondered for a moment and tentatively asked, "Brother Zhang, what do you think... about Teacher Nan’s relief process?"
The man in the suit smiled, "I don’t really understand psychology, let’s wait and see."
...
When the five minutes were up, Nan Zhubin decisively called, "Time’s up."
He continued to randomly select anonymous submissions displayed on the backend: "Afraid."
"Dare not go to the cafeteria anymore."
"Fear of being laid off every day."
"Work is too tiring, I feel like I can’t hold on anymore..."
"I..."
He read them one by one.
These specific thoughts, compared to merely reading emotions earlier, were more capable of evoking communal resonance.
The audience was far quieter in this round than the previous one.
But this time, Nan Zhubin did not provide standardized responses after reading each like during the [Emotion Awareness] session.
Instead, after about a minute of reading, he looked up and summarized: "These feelings are very real and very normal."
"What happened in the cafeteria cannot just be dismissed as ’it’s over’;"
"The pressure everyone faces has never been resolved."
"It’s just—we seem to have never taken it seriously."
The audience seemed quiet, yet chaotic.
Indeed, in the adult world, so-called "feelings" seem never to be taken seriously.
And many didn’t realize they would have such experiences or want to express what they had just said before entering today’s meeting room.
Often, these things appear only to be swept away by a flood of other thoughts.
In a consulting room, perhaps Nan Zhubin would allow the visitor more time to feel the present moment.
But now, facing so many attending employees, Nan Zhubin turned and began the next session.
"Just now, we faced our emotions and frankly expressed our thoughts."
"Next, I want to talk about something that is more closely related to everyone."
Nan Zhubin placed both hands on his chest: "About—our bodies."
"In psychology, we have a term called [Somatization]."
"Various thoughts, various troubles can quietly affect our bodies, causing various ailments."
"Some of these ailments can be diagnosed in hospitals because the body is indeed ill; but some ailments have no known cause despite consulting multiple departments."
"For issues arising from physical illness, I am powerless today, please adhere to medical advice." As he said this, Nan Zhubin smiled.
This time, no one in the audience followed his humor with laughter.
"But here, I hope to do my best, using psychological methods, to help everyone alleviate the somatization reactions caused by trauma and stress."
Nan Zhubin’s gaze swept across the room: "During this time, some may have experienced insomnia, early awakening; some have palpitations, trembling hands, stomachache, or feel exhausted even without work."
"Some may have been checked in hospitals, others may not have."
"Of course, if no such physical changes appear, then all the better."
Nan Zhubin chuckled.
"Next, please open the third module and check any somatization symptoms that may have occurred in the past two weeks, multiple selections are allowed. Once submitted, the backend will tally in real-time and still randomly display on the big screen."
Nan Zhubin emphasized: "This step is still anonymous."
Once again, the sound of fingertips tapping resounded from the audience.