Why doesn't everyone maintain relationships anymore?

I'm not saying no one is maintaining relationships. I'm just saying, have you noticed a trend where people are focusing more on themselves, no longer compromising to please others, and no longer engaging in ineffective social networking? Especially among young people.

I came across a conversation today where parents told their child that after entering society, they should maintain more relationships, develop higher emotional intelligence, visit relatives more often, and learn to read their boss's cues. Then the child asked if their parents could help them pursue a PhD; asked if they could arrange entry into a top-tier hospital; asked if they knew any daughters of high-ranking officials or professors to introduce to them. The answer to all was no. So if you're all so "savvy," you should have accumulated plenty of connections by now—how come you can't get anything done?

Because times have changed. What's changed isn't people's emotions, but rather that market-based specialization has become highly refined. In the past, having good relationships with relatives, mentors, and superiors could potentially open doors for opportunities—not because people back then had more "human warmth," but because the commercialization of power-to-cash systems wasn't as developed. For example, internal referrals to major tech companies, spots at prestigious high schools, or promotions—these were difficult to convert into money upfront or quantify into specific amounts, so typically it was "whoever has better relationships" or "whoever has better potential transaction value" who would get priority.

We call this kind of transaction "guanxi" (relationship), but it's really just an inevitably chosen by lower levels of market development.

What about now? Almost anything can be solved with money. My friends from Shandong might disagree, saying "power is supreme"—without connections, having money is useless. Haven't you noticed the phenomenon? The lower the level of market development in a place, the more it endorses this relationship-based approach? I'm not being discriminatory—I'm just describing a phenomenon: inland regions, Shandong, Northeast China, etc. Essentially, it's not that "their traditional culture is better preserved," but rather that they have no way to monetize things more efficiently, so they can only rely on relationships and guanxi.

I know the Yangtze River Delta region best. As long as you have money, you can get almost anything done. For example, regarding school enrollment for your child, you don't need to beg and plead—the entire industry chain is laid out there. If you're willing to pay, you can get into any school, even the best ones, regardless of whether you have residency, a school district apartment, or good grades. If you can't? It just means you "don't know how to look." The information is already out there; if you can't find it, that's on you. You can even get into civil service positions this way, completely legally and properly—believe it or not?

What does this represent? It represents the refinement of specialization—"maintaining relationships" is gradually becoming something that professional institutions handle. Many things can't be accomplished just because you're close to a key person, because they're an old friend or relative—why would they take on the regulatory risk for you? But it's different when you work with professionals. They operate as a supply chain. It's not about maintaining a relationship with one key person; it's about streamlining all legitimately operational pathways. They maintain the entire network of relationships across every link in the supply chain. In the end, they obtain proper documentation, without assuming any risk themselves, while earning clear, definite money. The work becomes much easier then—now you know why even having connections increasingly doesn't get things done? Those spots have all been captured by professional institutions. Connected individuals can collect money reliably—why would they leave opportunities for relatives or friends' kids? Whether they'll get returns later is uncertain anyway. Would they do it just to get two packs of cigarettes and two bottles of Moutai from you? Nobody's that naive.

Therefore, it's not that developed regions have less human warmth, but rather that developed regions typically have clearer supply chains and specialization, which allows commercialized operation of most things, with clear and immediate returns. Once these spots are all captured by supply chains, naturally there's less room left for "relationships" and "guanxi."

So why aren't young people bothering much with relationships anymore? Especially in developed regions. Fundamentally, specialization is clearer—what good does maintaining relationships do you? You carve out a bit of time and energy to maintain relationships—how can you compete with professional institutions? Therefore, young people don't need to do any of that. They just need to focus on making money. If you make money, you can solve problems. You don't need to know anyone, because money is a universal solution. If you can't make money, then you need to put on a smile for indifference, and finally that person just tells you "the regulations are tight these days, no one can work around it, sorry sorry," directly leaving your 20-year-old childhood friend out in the cold.

So what is "efficiency"? It's putting your energy in the "right" place. #加密行情震荡