We are family - Borg Family

For those who are unfamiliar with the Borg from Star Trek, this article from Wikipedia is actually quite helpful to bring you up to speed.  I *do* not suggest you need to read the WHOLE article, but the first few paragraphs should give you an overview.

While the naming of this blog was a product of auto-correct, on more than one occasion, the naming of the blog after this “pseudo-race” from Star Trek seems very fitting, nonetheless.

Although I am an active weekly church-goer and participant, I find much value in Eastern philosophies.  Early on,I was amused to make the connection between Taoism and the Borg, when I first read in an elementary book on Taoism (it may even have been the Tao of Pooh)that resistance is futile. 

The Borg operates as a collective. All the smaller units are really just part of a whole and they all have the same data and responses, generally to any situation.  They think alike.  They are alike.

In the last two weeks, I have made more friends in the Twitter-verse (particularly from #wineparty) that I now follow.  It is clear, of course, that it has attracted like-minded people.  But the similarities amongst us are remarkable.  There have been a number of tweets that I have flagged with the thought of using them as “story-starters”or post generators.  Where one of you has expressed something that I strongly agree with, or have expressed at some point (likely recently) myself.  Made an observation that I have made.  Felt the same emotions, reactions, responses as I have felt.  And even some of you have responded to my tweets or my blog with amazement at how much you feel like you could have written that.

A friend of mine was venting to me last night by e-mail about the evil ex of her current flame.  And she ended it with a stern warning of her mood: “please don't give me the compassionspeech”.  I admit – and she may not want to know this – I laughed a little at that. Because in many ways we are more alike than we are different.  And I often preach (see, Dad was right) to stop and put yourself in someone else’s shoes to try and understand why they are reacting or responding the way that they are acting.  If we can step back from ourselves and always being right, we may realize that if we were in the same situation we might be acting the same way – or at least want to. 

When we stop and realize that I am just like you and you are just like me – with all of our wonderful qualities and all of our flaws (yes, you DO have flaws, sorry, honey, you are NOT perfect) – then it is easier to give someone else the break that we feel we deserve.

If we stopped and thought of ourselves as a collective – as one being of sorts – so that hurting someone else was really the same as hurting ourselves, perhaps we might think twice about some of our behavior towards others.  If we realize that the ultimate impact in mistreating others was being mistreated ourselves, then perhaps we might treat each other a little gentler.

One poor tweep today in reaction to another friend on Facebook reposting a Dalai Lama quote blasted her (or him?) about how she didn’t want to read some stupid repost PARTICULARLY when she knew that you didn’t even believe it yourself.  I teased her back, “but I do!” and she felt sheepish and clarified that it wasn’t about me (which I knew).  But I do believe in all that compassion stuff that the Dalai Lama talks about.  It is hard to practice, but I think if we stop and realize that we are all extensions of one another, and treat each other with the same respect as we want, the world – or at least the one that you live in – will begin to look better. 

Resistance, after all, is futile. You will become one with the Borg. You will be assimilated.  We are one.

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