The Shadow of Death Taught Me the "Purpose of Writing"
What do people want to leave behind when they become aware of their mortality?
I had to face this question when I was told I had "suspected colon cancer" during a medical checkup at the age of 33. For someone who had never even broken a bone, this was a moment when my own death suddenly felt real.
During the weeks waiting for test results, my mind was in turmoil. The disappointment that "if I die, the research I'm working so hard on will be interrupted." And simultaneously, the sense of mission that "that's precisely why I need to leave information for someone who will carry on my will."
In the end, I had a benign adenoma (polyp) removed, and things seem fine for now. However, this experience brought me a powerful realization.
We never know when we might die. That's exactly why there's meaning in the act of shaping and leaving behind our thoughts and values.
This rediscovery of the "purpose of writing" has become even more important in an age when AI automatically generates text. In today's world where information is easily obtained through ChatGPT, writing that merely organizes knowledge or provides information has diminishing value. However, I firmly believe that text infused with someone's emotions and experiences, words with a person's soul embedded within them, have unwavering value even in the AI era.
One reason I stopped writing blogs was the risk of backlash on social media. I used to think, "If I'm going to be attacked, the benefits of writing aren't worth it." The fact that I decided to pick up my pen again after a health crisis may have been an act of courage born from confronting mortality.
Wadan's Goal of "Redefining Communication"
Let me introduce myself again. I am Ryosuke Yoshizaki, President and CEO of Wadan Corporation. Though currently, it's just me in the company. Wadan was started with the mission of "achieving organizational transformation through the redefinition of dialogue." The name "Wadan" combines the Japanese concepts of "wa" (harmony, peace) and "dan" (conversation, dialogue), embodying our goal of creating harmonious communication.
Behind this mission is my strong personal concern.
People give us energy, yet people also hurt us.
I want to face this contradictory phenomenon head-on, to increase the energy we receive from people and reduce to zero the harm we cause (and receive from) others. To achieve this, I want to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) technology, my area of expertise, to realize better communication. The company name "Wadan" contains my wish to create "harmonious communication (dan)".
However, as my research progressed, my perspective expanded further.
Good communication doesn't emerge in a vacuum. It's only when relationships between people are healthy that valuable communication arises. In other words, to improve the quality of communication, we need to focus on the network of human relationships that forms its foundation.
From Social Network Analysis to Complex Network Control
There is an academic field that studies networks of human relationships called Social Network Analysis (SNA).
While SNA might not sound familiar, everyone knows about Social Network Services (SNS). This similarity in abbreviations is no coincidence. SNS platforms visualize connections between people and promote those relationships.
In SNA, mathematical foundations called graph theory are used to represent relationships between people as graphs (networks). This approach allows us to mathematically analyze human relationships or consider controls for stabilizing and optimizing these networks.
However, controlling human networks presents significant challenges.
Even if a system intervenes with suggestions like "Person A, please connect with Person B!" most people won't act. People only take action when they can receive benefits or avoid losses. This is a human characteristic widely discussed in behavioral economics.
With physical systems like power networks, results can be changed through mechanical control, such as increasing or decreasing power at certain points. However, humans have high uncertainty and are difficult to control. In fact, when people feel manipulated, it can be counterproductive.
That's why nudges that naturally encourage action as if the person chose it themselves are effective. Dealing with humans is more complex than other systems, but that's what makes it such a fascinating research subject.
Systems that cannot be easily represented, like human groups, are called "complex systems." And the approach that guides complex networks in desirable directions is complex network control. This is currently the research area I'm most interested in.
The Crisis of Social Division and the Potential of Complex Network Control
Why is complex network control important now? The reason lies in the structural challenges Japan is facing.
During the high economic growth period (roughly 1955-1973 when Japan experienced rapid economic development), when the economy was generally good overall, society could move in a positive direction without needing to precisely control many people's actions. However, Japan is now in the midst of a declining birthrate and aging population. The working population continues to decrease, while social security costs increase due to the growing elderly population. Less income but more expenditure. This is clearly an unsustainable state.
If this situation continues, the conflict between younger and older generations is likely to intensify. Young people will be dissatisfied with paying into a pension system predicted to decrease, while their income doesn't increase and their burden only grows. Meanwhile, older people will assert their rights based on the pensions and taxes they've paid over the years.
Both sides are asserting their own justice from their respective positions, which is precisely why they're incompatible. However, such opposition is not constructive discussion but merely an exchange of complaints.
The key to preventing social division is "margin" or "room to breathe." When people lose this margin, they can only think about protecting themselves. When starving for the food right in front of you, there's no room to think about Japan's future 30 years from now. That's why we need to address long-term problems while we still have that margin.
According to the social contract theory proposed by French philosopher Rousseau, it is more beneficial and rational for people to support each other rather than compete with each other. However, generations born and raised in modern society tend to think that surviving in a competitive society is natural.
Appropriate competition can revitalize society, but if the lack of margin accelerates, it could create a state of human conflict. Complex network control may play an important role as a means to prevent the emergence of such a society.
The Essence of Research and Responsibility for the Future Revealed Through a Life-Threatening Crisis
Having experienced a life-threatening crisis with suspected colon cancer, I have reaffirmed the essential significance of my research.
It goes beyond mere technical interest or academic contribution. Preventing social division, helping people understand each other, and building a sustainable society where people support each other – this is the ultimate goal of my research.
Complex network control is not a magic wand for solving society's problems. However, it holds the potential to understand networks of human relationships and, through appropriate incentive design and nudges, promote a society where people voluntarily cooperate with each other.
The core of complex network control research is not "how to manipulate people" but "how to build an environment where people can cooperate of their own volition." This is both a technical challenge and a field that requires ethical considerations.
Having experienced a life-threatening crisis, I feel even more strongly. I want to work backwards from Japan's future and focus on what I can do now. The realization of "harmonious communication" embedded in the name Wadan might be the first step toward social transformation through complex network control.
I hope this article serves as a record of my thoughts and as a catalyst for dialogue with people who share the same concerns. If anyone is interested in this topic, I would like to advance research and social implementation together.
What do people want to leave behind when facing death? My answer is clear. It is sowing the seeds for a better society.
