The "superficial" syndrome?

(Baonghean) - "Come on, why bother with a secret ballot? Let's just vote by raising our hands to get it over with quickly. We still have to rush home to pick up our kids. It's already noon, so I suggest the election committee be lenient." A blunt statement, yet one that resonated deeply with the spirit of selflessness for everyone involved in the internal election of that agency.

Interestingly, as always, this statement was immediately met with approval from the twenty-seven delegates attending the meeting. "That's right, let's be lenient," some whispered. The head of the election committee glanced at the chairman for a questioning look. The chairman smiled gently, like a... superior, and nodded, "Yes, let's be lenient then." The subsequent "vote count" was, of course, a resounding success, with 100% confidence in the candidate.

Dear readers, this is just one story among countless others that we might encounter elsewhere. The word "superficial," one could say, represents a subtle phenomenon of superficiality that is quietly spreading.

"Phiên phiến" is a term often used when completeness isn't required, meaning that achieving a certain level of perfection is considered sufficient. The opposite of "phiên phiến" is perfectionism, thoroughness, strictness, adherence to principles, and precision.

In life, in certain specific situations, people sometimes take a more lenient approach to avoid excessive scrutiny or perfectionism. When I was working at the grassroots level, I remember each hamlet had a village headman who was a "self-serving official." These people were chosen by the villagers (of course, some places were also elected informally). Among them were retired officials, farmers, and even bricklayers who worked as motorbike taxi drivers… In general, everyone was active and diligent in their village affairs. Unfortunately, apart from a few retired officials, the rest were very reluctant to write reports. Furthermore, according to regulations, each hamlet had to compile a monthly report on the local situation for the commune office. Because they were reluctant to write, many of them "forgot." Seeing the tense situation, the commune office staff suggested, "We request that village heads, when reporting to the commune, simply use bullet points, focusing on the data, ensuring it is complete and accurate. It doesn't need to be formal; the writing style and structure can be somewhat casual." Yes, perhaps the commune office staff was right to use the word "casual." In this case, demanding perfection might not be appropriate.

However, nowadays, the term "half-hearted" seems to have been exploited to the extreme, even excessively, if not outright misused. It seems that half-heartedness is everywhere, and people can be half-hearted about anything. First, there are half-hearted meetings, even half-hearted speeches. Performance evaluations are half-hearted, disciplinary actions are half-hearted. Self-criticism sessions are half-hearted, acceptance of feedback is half-hearted. Plans are half-hearted, reports are half-hearted. Questioning is half-hearted, explanations are half-hearted. Regulations are half-hearted, implementation is half-hearted. Utterly half-hearted!

"Casualism" has become a common refrain. People are confused within the tangled boundaries they themselves created. They no longer have the clarity or attitude to recognize what is acceptable to be done casually and what should not, cannot, or must not be done casually. They even find every appealing reason to "protect" this so-called "casualism syndrome." Those who worship casualness are even considered the "easygoing" type. They inadvertently promote a lifestyle and work style that is sloppy, careless, easygoing, insensitive, unprincipled, and irresponsible… This is, of course, very contrary to what belongs to industrial civilization. The consequence is a plateau, or even a decline, in morale and work performance.

It is precisely because of superficial handling that many people disregard discipline. It is precisely because of superficial scoring that the motivation for competition is stifled. It is precisely because of superficial data that no one bothers to believe it. It is precisely because of superficial statements that no one bothers to listen. There are countless examples! Yet, unfortunately, some individuals who want to say no to superficiality are immediately considered eccentric, disruptive, and "going against the trend"! It is noteworthy that on this journey to discover superficiality, it seems that the further down the road one goes, the more vibrant the presence of superficiality becomes. Villages superficially evaluate culturally exemplary families and send the results to the commune, the commune compiles the results and sends them to the district... and so on and so forth. Not just in one field, but in many fields; not just in one unit, but in many units; not just once, but many times. Now, if someone were to step back and broaden their perspective, they might see that this mass of superficiality is gradually growing in the shape of a pyramid!

Since 1947, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has been established worldwide. In Vietnam, in recent years, many agencies and organizations have adopted ISO standards with very positive results. At least in some areas, no one can afford to be careless.

Of course, ISO standards aren't easy to implement, and their scope of application hasn't yet overcome the complexities of the current situation. In the myriad facets of life, to combat this "disease," perhaps the most important thing is a change in the awareness and responsibility of each individual. It's not just about self-discipline, but also about strictly adhering to the established framework. While it's true that every agency, unit, and system needs standardization, success is difficult if each of us doesn't standardize our own attitudes. This is likely a long and complex story; for now, I'll just briefly mention a few points this weekend!

Nguyen Khac An