I once met a mega business leader in his office in Mumbai. And on the office wall, there was a photo of the Indian PM with another head of state, behind whom he was standing quite deferentially.
I am sure, when this business leader’s direct reports stood in his presence, some would display the same deference. And in turn, their junior employees might do the same in their presence.
The hierarchy doesn’t seem to end.
If you make your happiness contingent on reaching the top of your chosen hierarchy, I am not sure it will happen. Because is there even a ‘top of the hierarchy’ — isn’t everyone beholden to someone or something else?
Happiness comes from much simpler things — finding peace with yourself, finding meaning in your daily work, and cherishing the small but easy-to-miss joys of daily life.
Still, human nature being what it is, we can’t help climbing hierarchies. And that’s totally fine — as long as we don’t expect some nirvana at the top.
Because there is nothing at the mythical ‘top’ — the real stuff is around us, which we miss because our gaze is fixed at the top.
– Rajan