(Clearwisdom.net) In the sci-fi series Star Trek, the most evil and scary life forms in the universe are the Borg. The Borg are not really human. They are part-artificial "drones" with bio-chips and a human form. The Borg behave like zombies with no expressions, emotions, or independent thinking. All their thoughts are connected through bio-chips to a collective consciousness. All their knowledge and thoughts are shared by the Borg Collective, which is orchestrated by the Queen through a central hub. All the Borg have just one brain, and everyone follows the central command, because it was determined by the Borg Collective, representing "the group's wisdom" and must be the most perfect. As a result, no Borg has any individual consciousness. They only have the concept of "we" but not "I." As an individual Borg drone, the worst possible thing is to be cut off from the network of the Borg Collective.
The Borg exist for one reason: to capture other life forms and "assimilate" them into the Collective so that the Borg can grow stronger. All of the technology and knowledge of these life forms also become a part of the Borg Collective. Claiming that they only want to "improve the quality of life for all species," the Borg invade many regions and destroy any culture or race that refuses to be "assimilated." In popular culture, the word "Borg" has become synonymous with people who are cruel, greedy, or without independent thinking.
Many people from Mainland China may realize that they also have lived in such a "collective" which asserts its wish to "raise the quality of life" of the whole world. Even after leaving China, some people still hold on to the concept of a "collective." They don't have independent thinking and remain in the same frame of thought in which the "collective" trained them.
For example, whenever the issues of China's human rights, freedom of speech, or freedom of belief are mentioned, some Chinese people inside and outside of China would say, "The most important thing for people is food. The first human right is to survive. When food and shelter are in question, what's the point of talking about freedom of speech or freedom of belief?" "If I had to choose between stability and freedom, I would undoubtedly choose stability. Only with stability can there be development and freedom." These seemingly eloquent words are exactly the same as the propaganda from the "collective" of the CCP.
Actually, it is not hard to see that although human rights include the right of survival, it is not limited to it. More importantly, the right of survival does not conflict with the other basic human rights. The more painful is the struggle to survive, the greater the need for spiritual beliefs. The more impoverished the people are, the more necessarily it is for the entire society, especially the upper class, to hear their pleas. In other words, the people in poverty are in greater need for the freedoms of belief and speech.
When a society uses the excuse of maintaining the "right of survival" to suppress the people's basic human rights and limit their freedom, so that the mass media and the populace cannot hear the voices of the people with the lowest socio-economic status, such a society is bound to be a distorted society. When the potential problems are not communicated and resolved in a timely manner, how could there be long-term stability? In many other countries, the people can have both basic human rights and freedom, and society can also develop. Why are human rights in China pitched against stability and development? Are the Chinese people less capable of managing their freedom and more likely to cause social turmoil? It's actually just the opposite. The Chinese are a very peaceful people. Decades of political campaigns have worn people out, and they are even afraid to enjoy the rights granted by the constitutions. Who is the beneficiary of such distorted logic?
There are also some people who say, "The so-called human rights and freedom take a long process to develop. They have to conform to the circumstances of each nation. Don't impose the human rights standards of Western countries on China." Some people even think advocating for human rights in China and exposing the persecution are a blemish on "the image of the nation."
Human rights belong to everybody. People in Western countries have them, and so should the Chinese people. Actually, the so-called "human rights standards of Western countries" are a part of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which China has agreed, and which every Chinese citizen should enjoy. Why are the Chinese people only entitled to the right of survival? Actually, human rights are the basic rights of every citizen. When every citizen's dignity and rights are protected, the dignity of the entire nation is also protected.
The basic rights of the masses are the rights of the individuals. It is against common sense that many ordinary Chinese citizens would neglect their own basic rights to defend the corrupt officials and the CCP who abuse the citizens. A more in-depth analysis reveals that behind such distorted logic are the vague concepts of "national interest" and "nationalism." The focus was quietly shifted to the protection of the CCP's interest. This is the CCP's brand of thinking; not unlike when a life is "assimilated" to become a Borg, he turns into an empty shell and loses the sense of "self." All he knows is "we," yet this "we" is actually controlled by the Queen through the central hub.
In Star Trek, year 2368, the Enterprise found a Borg drone, who they called Hugh. After Hugh was cut off from the "Collective" and lived with the Enterprise crew for a while, and with help from the crew, he became an individual again. After being "rescued" by a Borg scout ship, the individuality in Hugh spread through the network and affected everyone on the ship, causing a separation of the ship from the rest of the collective.
Over 8.5 million people who grew up in an environment controlled by the CCP have withdrawn from the CCP and its related organizations to find their freedom and independence. The Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party helped them escape from the haze of the "CCP culture" and find themselves. We encourage the people who are still blinded by the "Borg collective" to seek their individual character, thinking, and soul, and to judge things independently based on their conscience.
Category: Perspective
