The Ancient Greek philosopher Democritus is credited with coming up with the theory of atoms (the Greek word for “indivisible”) circa 400 BC. In the end, he said, all that exists are “atoms and the void.” 

That’s it. Technically speaking, he wasn’t wrong – even if it took until 1827 for Robert Brown to physically prove that they existed. 

As far as ancient theories go, it wasn’t a bad call. Subatomic particles, string theory, and quantum mechanics notwithstanding, it’s pretty much how most people still see the world.

Except that they don’t. Even if they say they do. 

When Notre Dame caught fire in 2019, why did millions of people who’d never set foot in France feel such profound loss? Why did people in Mumbai, or New York, or São Paulo care about the fate of a Catholic cathedral on another continent? Because Democritus forgot to factor in something important: consciousness and the meaning that we attach to groups of “mere” atoms.

While science can explain the atoms that make up Notre Dame’s limestone walls, despite its best efforts, it still can’t fully explain consciousness or what contemporary philosopher Dave Chalmers calls “The Hard Problem.” Even the great string-theory mathematician, Edward Witten, suspects this may always remain a mystery. 

This isn’t only about architecture or religion. When the world celebrated Notre Dame’s restoration, we weren’t cheering for reassembled calcium carbonate. We were celebrating something far deeper: our collective capacity to create meaning that is so powerful it transcends borders, cultures, and even time. 

Or look at the British and the Greeks currently fighting over the return of the Elgin Marbles. They are a bunch of stones… a lot of atoms. Why make such a big deal? Because it’s not about the thing itself. It’s about the meaning we create around the thing. 

For leaders paying attention, this insight is pure gold. Our organizations aren’t just collections of assets, processes, and people. An organization is a meaning-making machine. The best thing we can do is not to manage resources better, it’s to create meaning that resonates so deeply it moves people to do things they never thought were possible. 

The irony? Most leaders spend 90% of our time managing the atoms, and 10% creating meaning. The great ones do the opposite.