Happifuru Club, despite the happiness its name suggests, we were caught up in the madness of a “24-hour, no-rest Creative Hackathon. Reminiscent of George Orwell's “1984,” a distorted version of a utopia is about to unfold here.
At midnight, a gong rings. It is not a bell that signals the beginning of creation, but rather an alarm bell that indicates the end of reason. No breaks, no lunch, no smiles. These prohibitions were imposed on the participants as if they were the source of creativity.
One participant overheard a comment, “This is not really creative. Is this really a creative environment? His question was quickly hushed up by a senior employee. The question was quickly hushed up by a senior employee: “You are not allowed to express your personal opinions. You must follow the data and our instructions. It was like something out of a George Carlin satirical comedy.
It was 3:00 a.m., and the participants' faces were deeply tinged with the color of fatigue. However, in the name of “no private time,” they are not allowed to rest. One participant fell asleep and slumbered for a moment. A senior employee then suggested a “coffee nap system. If you are approved by a senior employee, you are allowed to sleep, but only with black coffee. But only black coffee is allowed. Like Kafka's “Metamorphosis,” we witnessed a moment when humanity was being eroded.
At 7:00 in the morning, one participant suddenly stood up and shouted, “This is power harassment! This is power harassment!” But his voice was immediately silenced by a strange rule: “No violence. If you are subjected to violence, you must report in detail why the situation could not have been avoided in advance and propose your own measures to prevent its recurrence.” Like Orwell's “Animal Farm,” the boundary between oppressor and oppressed blurs.
At 12:00 noon, the participants are suffering from hunger. However, they are helpless before the “no lunch” rule. The words of a senior employee, “Those who show weakness and need lunch will be selected by natural selection,” sound as if they are a twisted version of Darwin's theory of evolution.
At 18:00 in the evening, one participant smiled at a message from his girlfriend. He is promptly told that he is in double violation of the “no romance” and “no smiling in the office” rules. A reprimand, “That's unprofessionalism.” Like Aldous Huxley's “The Wonderful New World,” this is a world in which human emotions themselves will be managed.
At 23:00 midnight, the 24-hour marathon finally comes to an end. The participants' eyes, along with exhaustion, were filled with something else. It was not a spark of creativity, but rather an emptiness that had lost its humanity.
The Happifuru Club may have paradoxically demonstrated what the essence of creativity is through this “24-hour no-rest Creative Hackathon. That true creativity does not come from oppression and coercion, but is nurtured in freedom and respect.
This event was a microcosm of the dystopian world that George Orwell, Franz Kafka, and Aldous Huxley warned us about. But at the same time, it raises important questions for us. What is creativity, what is humanity, and what is true happiness?
The Happifuru Club will use this experience to take a new step toward true creativity and respect for humanity. Or will this mad dance continue? The answer lies within each and every one of us.
Now, what do you think? Do you dare to dive into this “creative” world? Or will you forge a new path in search of true creativity? The choice is in your hands.