Tim... who hurt you? You're floating close to gravity on a lot of this, but gosh... companies are just versions of the organizaitonal systems we know everywhere in life — religion, communities, families. The great majority can use improvements, but they're not all growth-hungry, beast machines. Like all good systems, there are events>patterns>structures to consider. I've spent 20 years studying the bizarre-yet-beautiful conundrums of these systems, and this one-size summary just doesn't cut the cloth squarely. I feel for whatever experiences you had, and I hope one day you can find an organization that suits your goals — there are some terrific ones out there doing a significant amount of good for their people and the people served by their work. Cheers!