Is “Those were the Good Ol’ Days” Now a Taboo Phrase? - What is it about this modern era where old-fashioned common sense is not allowed anymore?

There are many Sound House fans all over Japan. I’m not bragging about the success of the company, but I have been blessed to encounter many fans when I have traveled around the country. Surprisingly, not only have these fans become frequent customers themselves, but there are also many who enthusiastically recommend Sound House to their friends. I am truly grateful for this. It is a strange feeling because I should appreciate the support from our customers, but every time I talk to them, they are actually the ones who thank me.

Since its establishment, all of us at Sound House have indeed worked hard to serve our customers. I think this has worked out for us and our dedication is appreciated by the customers. On the other hand, looking back on the history of the company, we have always been a growing company so there was always a shortage of manpower. In the 1990’s, we had many days when we stayed up past midnight working, and we worked hard together until we completed the job. We would go out for ramen together in the middle of the night, which was something that we always looked forward to after work. Those arduous days made us at Sound House who we are today!

However, these days, no one listens to me when I tell my stories to young people. They think that it is just nonsense when a superior tells them, “You should be grateful just for receiving the opportunity to work for a company that is loved by many people.” On the contrary, many young people start to complain when their bosses try to teach or tell them something. For example, they will just answer, “I don’t think it’s necessary” when their superior tells them, “Don’t forget this number because it is very important,” or they will grumpily answer, “Now?” to your “Do this now!” Some even get mad, “Can’t you see I’m busy?” They can’t just say, “I got it” because they want to assert themselves by answering, “I don’t think so” to everything. Is this the latest trend? If so, this makes me sad.

A company is a group of people that is run by a mere human, so of course it is not perfect and mistakes happen. It’s important for everyone to cooperate with each other, improve what needs to be fixed, and work together to achieve the company’s goals. Many people work together, and hence an organization is formed. A chain of command is established, so order is absolutely essential in order to run a company as smoothly as possible. Therefore, respect and consideration for each other are important. This is commonly referred to in Japanese as, “Reading the air.” It should be natural for people to sense and understand something that’s not said outright. However, perhaps the new school has a different way of “reading the air” from the old school way of doing it. I’m afraid that thinking about this kind of thing in and of itself might make some young people think about me, “Read the air and get with the times!!” If this is the case, then I’m going to start bringing back the old-school taboo phrase: “Those were the good ol’ days!”