In our country, there exists a somewhat similar culture called "hyungnim culture", which resembles the culture of organized crime syndicates. Although the younger generation has somewhat diluted this culture, we still use "age" as a means to define our relationships. Because of age, a scoring system is implicitly assigned to relationships based on who was born earlier, and this process leads to subtle hierarchies being formed. The person who is born earlier, the one who attains the identity of "hyungnim" is expected to know more than the "dongsaeng" (younger sibling) and is implicitly burdened with responsibilities like paying for meals. While nobody explicitly enforces these obligations, they are akin to cultural conditioning and have been ingrained in our societal norms.
This concept of age introduces a rather unique way of thinking for us. As mentioned earlier, the hyungnim should know more than the dongsaeng and take on the responsibility of paying for meals. Conversely, the dongsaeng must actwithin the boundaries set by the hyungnim. They should not challenge the authority of the hyungnim and continuously send implicit signs of agreement with their wishes, even if not explicitly required.
Living in a culture where relationships are defined by age, I find myself instinctively judging others based on their age. For instance, when establishing a new relationship, if the person is younger than me, I tend to assume they are less capable than me and feel an implicit responsibility to cover the costs when dining together. Furthermore, if someone younger than me possesses objective abilities superior to mine, I feel an internal urge to undermine them. If unsuccessful, I may even terminate the relationship. It is because I have failed to maintain my selfperceived superiority. Conversely, when encountering someone older than me who is genuinely more competent, a sense of relief arises within me. They are older than me, so it is natural for me to lack certain abilities, and it becomes natural for me to submit to their authority within their boundaries.
While living a long life may serve as evidence of having survived for a significant period, why does our sense of self lead us to such irrational judgments despite not guaranteeing a greater wealth of experience or knowledge? (Oh, I apologize for using "our sense of self." At least it seems like my own sense of self.) I had thought that I only inherited physical genes from my ancestors, but now it seems that I have also inherited cultural genes. Our actions are mostly constrained by genetic purposes, but within those limitations, it appears that cultural genes, in the form of memes, have drawn another line. (Which of the two has a greater width?) It is truly amusing how the abundance or lack of age dictates the dominatorsubordinate relationship in our society. And I, having been indoctrinated by those memes, am a rather laughable existence as well.