I understood it that their society does not simply frown at one member standing out, but rather its framework is such that, if one becomes better than others in

I understood it that their society does not simply frown at one member standing out, but rather its framework is such that, if one becomes better than others in some regard, one has to overall “level it out” as it were by suffering ridicule and/or making some nuanced changes to one’s behavior. My primary objection is to the first paragraph of your comment, though. Becoming out-competed by other societies is only an issue as long as this framework is not adopted on higher scales. I know this is out of this world, but it’s interesting to consider. The true “global village”, possible thanks to modern connectivity, might be the great enabler; although the same technology also facilitates community fragmentation and bubbles, which are obstacles in context of establishing global egalitarianism JuǀʼHoansi-style.