“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” Mahatma Gandhi
“Chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans have been living for hundreds of thousands of years in their forest, living fantastic lives, never overpopulating, never destroying the forest. I would say that they have been in a way more successful than us as far as being in harmony with the environment. Jane Goodall
“With an eye made quiet by the power of harmony and the deep power of joy, we see into the life of things.” William Wordsworth
“He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the universe.” Marcus Aurelius
Four years ago I wrote a post on Supremacy. It included a discussion of the difference between hegemony and harmony. While the principles in the post remain true (to me, at least), the shift to hegemony has accelerated and it feels like there is much less harmony in the world. The effects of that shift have become acute. I thought the idea deserved a deeper exploration given the precarious state of our planet.
To me, hegemony is about dominance; it’s the urge to be “over” others. Harmony is about connection; it’s the desire to be “with” others.
Several years ago, I edited Due Quach’s brilliant book, Calm Clarity, which discusses the intersection of modern neuroscience and ancient wisdom and the mechanics of our inner lives. She maps out three distinct brain states—brain 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0—that perfectly mirror the tension between the social forces of hegemony and harmony.
When we operate from Brain 1.0, we are in a state of survival—fight, flight, or freeze. This is the biological root of hegemony. When we feel threatened, our world narrows. We see others as predators or prey, allies or enemies. Hegemony, in this state, is a defensive posture. It’s the “might makes right” mentality born of fear.
Brain 2.0 is the “achievement treadmill.” It’s driven by the dopamine hit of status, power, and acquisition. Here, hegemony takes a more sophisticated form: the pursuit of being “the best” at the expense of everyone else. It’s the zero-sum game of corporate ladders and social standing. In Brain 2.0, we don’t just want to survive—we take an offensive posture—we want to dominate the leaderboard.
Brain 3.0 is what Due Quach calls “Calm Clarity.” This is where the prefrontal cortex is fully online, allowing for empathy, wisdom, and emotional regulation. This is the home of harmony. In Brain 3.0, we recognize that our well-being is inextricably linked to the well-being of the collective.
Harmony isn’t the absence of conflict; it’s the presence of connection. In a harmonic system, differences aren’t suppressed for the sake of a single dominant voice; they are integrated to create a richer, more complex sound. As a musician at heart, I like to say that you can’t make music with hegemony. A song is more melodious when there is harmony.
The costs of choosing hegemony over harmony are clear. In organizational psychology, hegemonic leadership—dominance-based—leads to high levels of “toxic stress” and burnout. When a system is tuned to Brain 1.0 and 2.0, it becomes rigid and fragile.
In contrast, systems built on harmony show higher levels of innovation and resilience. Because there is a high degree of trust and shared identity, these systems can navigate uncertainty without breaking. Those systems are created by leaders in Brain 3.0.
While a hegemon can create a surface-level order, it is an asymmetrical relationship. It’s a peace maintained by power, not by shared purpose. When we pursue hegemony, we trade authentic connection for control. The consequence is a culture in which people comply because they have to, not because they want to.
I wonder what would happen if we quit deluding ourselves into thinking that more power or more “winning” will lead to security. Hegemony is an illusion of safety that actually keeps us in a state of perpetual hyper-vigilance. It keeps us stuck in Brain 1.0 and 2.0, running faster and faster on a treadmill that goes nowhere.
If we want to live a life of purposeful meaning, we have to make the conscious shift to Brain 3.0. We have to choose the “melodious song” of harmony. We have to move from the “I” of dominance to the “We” of connection.
If Mahatma Gandhi were living today, he would be appalled by the disconnects between what people say and what they do—the lack of harmony. And, I am constantly baffled by what in hell our “leaders” are thinking before they post on social media and before they act.
In Jane Goodall’s farewell video, she reflects on her life with our closest living relatives, with whom we share 98.7% of our DNA. Scientists have determined that we shared a common ancestor approximately 6 million years ago. It’s a shame we weren’t able to learn the lessons they bequeathed us: never overpopulating, never destroying the planet, living “fantastic lives.” While they occasionally committed violent acts of aggression over territory, resources, and mates, they were able to engage in reconciliation to restore group stability. Oh, if we could only have learned the power of reconciliation to return to a state of harmony.
William Wordsworth implored us to embrace the power of harmony to quiet our minds, experience a deeper sense of joy, and to see into the life of things. Oh how I long for a quiet mind, deep joy, and an appreciation of life.
Finally, Marcus Aurelius hit the nail on the head when he observed that we need to live in harmony with ourselves before we can live in harmony with the universe. Perhaps that’s the best place to start.
I’m hoping we can find our way out of Brain 1.0 and 2.0 into the calm clarity in Brain 3.0. Indeed, I’m hoping we can shift our focus from hegemony to harmony. May it be so.
