there have always been empires, but there have been people for even longer than that

sketchbook edition of a casual essay from discord DMs I think a lot of Asian conformist culture is about not making ripples that disrupt group harmony, prioritizing the wellbeing of the group (as an extension of the way within a family a member is taught to prioritize family needs over the individual). this directly contradicts the hyperindividualism of western economic competition where it's "dog…