Remember the Borg? Here's a Wikipedia summary to jog your memory: The Borg are a collection of species that have been turned into cybernetic organisms functioning as drones in a hive mind called "the Collective" or "the Hive". It's an intriguing concept if you don't know that, on Star Trek, the Borg are one of the most notorious groups of bad guys. Otherwise -- cybernetic organisms? Cool! Functioning as drones? We love drones! Hives? Bees live there! Bees pollinate our plants! And aren't we all supposed to act collectively...? Here's the problem with the Borg. In their quest for perfection, and their goal of absorbing the beneficial traits of all species, they morph into a mass with a single brain. The species they defeat and assimilate lose all individual identity. "We are the Borg. Your biological and technological distinctiveness will be added to our own. Resistance is futile." I know, the Borg is a fictional species (or collection thereof), but there are still lessons we can learn and comparisons we can draw from this very popular storyline. Even if you buy into the first two thirds of the Borg tagline-- which lonely, disenfranchised people might find attractive, and is a tool used in extremist agendas -- the last part of their very catchy catchphrase should have everybody running in the opposite direction. Resistance is futile? If at first it seems like, by being absorbed into the Borg you're joining some kind of winning team, just know that no functional team can entirely resist resistance-- because it's questioning, reexamination, and deconstructing ideas that allows us to put them back together in creative and effective ways. The Borg is strong, but they never won against the Enterprise because a team composed of freethinking individuals is inherently stronger. Ultimately, the Borg's gain is the individual's loss. Except for within the confines of the hive, there is no more ambition, no more growth, no more exploration and creativity. There is just a never-ending quest for perfection. Now don't get me started on the problems of perfectionism... Categories
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