Throughout history—whether under monarchy, aristocratic republic, or modern democracy—societies have grappled with an age-old and complex question: who should make decisions, on what grounds, and for what ends. As communities grow larger, interests more tangled, and social structures more diverse, mechanisms are needed to bring individual will, resources, and collective goals into alignment.
At first glance, voting seems to provide a way to “gather the will of the people.” Yet in reality, voting has never been the same as decision-making, and voters themselves cannot truly serve as decision-makers. When the two are mistaken for one another, serious consequences inevitably follow.
This article examines this hidden but central mechanism of human governance by addressing four dimensions: the plural nature of voting, the professional nature of decision-making, the functional boundaries between them, and the social consequences of their conflation.

I. Voting: a mirror of will, interests, and resource distribution

Voting serves as a channel for expressing collective will and revealing how interests and resources are inclined to be distributed.In essence, it is a psychological mirror of the group and a projection of resource dynamics, but it is never decision-making itself.To treat voting as the basis of decision-making, or or even as a substitute for them, is to fall into institutional shortsightedness and a step backward in civilization.
In general, voting can be categorized into five basic forms:

1. Capital-interest voting
   This is the type of voting that really decides outcomes. Throughout history, control over military power, money, and material resources has always determined how organizations function and what strategies they can pursue. Whoever controls the capital holds the real power.
   Unlike public elections, this voting is usually hidden. The “votes” of military-industrial groups, financial elites, and energy companies may never be visible, yet they shape national security policies, economic directions, and even decisions on war and peace. Its hidden nature and resource bias make it the true locus of power within any system.
2. Civic-moral voting
   This type of voting shapes a group’s cohesion, sense of identity, and long-term stability. It reflects a society’s ideology, moral standards, corporate culture, and national spirit. Abstract though it may seem, it has a direct impact on the legitimacy of decisions and their ability to be sustained over time.
   When a nation loses the support of its people, an army lacks conviction, or a company loses its cultural foundation, failure becomes inevitable. The significance of civic-moral voting lies in its role as a source of validation for leaders’ decisions—determining whether a decision can endure and whether people are willing to bear the costs it entails.
3. Expertise voting
   In a professional society, the support of skilled individuals often determines whether a decision can work out. Engineers, scientists, medical staff, military officers, lawyers, and other specialists collectively cast what can be called a “skills-based vote.” They do not make the decisions themselves, but they determine whether a decision is feasible.
   If a nation, organization, or company ignores this form of voting and acts blindly, it risks technical gaps, failed implementation, and strategic breakdowns. Skills-based voting not only aggregates professional judgment but also serves as an early-warning system, signaling future trend and viable paths.
4. Political-orientation voting
   This form of voting captures society’s feelings about the present and expectations for the future. People express their support for radical reforms or cautious conservatism, for expansionist policies or peaceful restraint, through ballots, polls, petitions, and public opinion.
   While political voting can be unpredictable and influenced by emotions, it plays a crucial role in guiding a nation’s strategic adjustments and maintaining internal stability. It provides important context for decision-making, but it should never override professional strategic judgment.
5. Personal-affection voting
   This is the narrowest, riskiest, and most easily abused type of voting. Favoring friends, letting emotions guide decisions, or putting personal connections above merit is common in organizations, companies, and even governments.
   Personal-affection voting can seriously damage institutions. It often lets incompetent people rise to power and rewards the wrong individuals. If too much authority is decided this way, efficiency collapses, nepotism and factional infighting take over, and organizations or states can end up as little more than empty shells.

II. Decision-making: responsibility, insight, and strategic accountability

Unlike voting, decision-making is carried out by a small group of individuals who possess strategic capability, a global perspective, and the authority to act. They weigh the results of various votes, environmental factors, and available resources to make choices and issue directives.

1. The essence of decision-making
   Decision-making is not just adding up votes or public opinion. It is about filtering information through reason and setting a clear strategic direction. Good decision-makers must have the courage to go against popular sentiment, face risks head-on, and take responsibility for the results. Exceptional decision-makers never aim to please every vote; instead, they prioritize the survival of the group and the long-term strategic goals of the organization, charting a sustainable path forward.
2. Decision-making direction
   Voting results are just reference points. Decision-makers need to weigh practical limits, potential risks, international situations, and the balance of power at home and abroad to decide the right course: which way to move, whether to attack or defend, whether to act quickly or cautiously. If the direction is wrong, all efforts can fail.
3. Purpose of decision-making
   Every decision needs a clear goal: is it meant to preserve strength or gain advantage, to balance different factions or suppress rivals? Without a clear purpose, strategy has no foundation, and execution has no direction. Most voters cannot grasp these complexities, which is why they should not be the ones making the decisions.
4. Decision implementation and presentation
   Carrying out a decision is not just blindly following orders. It means turning a complex plan into concrete steps, and coordinating its execution across different stages, regions, and groups.
   Presentation matters too. Internally, it builds confidence and stability; externally, it shows strength and determination. Both execution and presentation are essential—without either, even the smartest plan can fail.

III. The consequences of confusing voters with decision-makers

When voters and decision-makers are treated as one, several serious problems arise:
● Short-sighted opportunism: Decisions are driven by immediate public opinion, often at the expense of long-term interests.
● Emotional rule: Highly charged groups sway decisions, fueling political populism and weakening governance.
● Fragmented power: Voters representing capital, skills, values, or personal ties compete for influence, splintering authority and preventing unified action.
● Reverse selection: When personal-affection voting dominates, the incompetent rise to power while those with real strategic ability are sidelined.
History demonstrates that systems where “the public directly decides major state affairs” tend to fall into extremes or collapse from internal conflict. Examples include the Greek city-states, late Rome, the French Revolution, and some modern nations.

IV. Conclusion: the principle of division in civilized governance

Voting is for expressing opinion, while decision-making is for taking responsibility. Keeping them separate is the foundation of a stable and civilized system. Voters shape the environment and available resources, while decision-makers use strategic judgment to make the final call.
The more advanced a civilization, the more refined this division of labor becomes. Mature communities use voting to gauge public will, decision-making to set direction, execution to test results, and oversight to correct mistakes. In contrast, weak or crude systems confuse votes with decisions and treat decisions as mere bargaining, ultimately risking collapse.
May readers of this article understand the logic of sound institutions, recognize the distinction between voting and decision-making, and avoid being swept up by emotion or dragged down by mediocrity.

The true purpose of a nation is to protect basic human rights, uphold the dignity of its people, and improve their quality of life.

If a country appears powerful but its people are suffering—if there is national pride but public anxiety—then that country is just an empty shell. It may look strong on the outside, but inside it is full of deep problems.

That is why it is essential to understand the difference between “serving the state” and “serving the people.” A modern government must see serving its people as the only true source of legitimacy. Only then can a nation remain stable, fair, and truly prosperous.

I. The conflict between serving the state and serving the people

“Serving the state” usually means focusing on national goals like economic growth, military power, global influence, and national security.

“Serving the people” means protecting individual rights—fair income, stable jobs, affordable housing and healthcare, free speech, fair justice, public welfare, dignity, and political participation.

These two goals should go hand in hand. But in practice, especially in how governments use power, there are often structural conflicts:

• Resource conflict: Governments spend more on big projects or military and choose to cut public welfare spending.
• Unequal participation in decision making: National strategies are decided by a small elite; ordinary citizens have little say.
• Different values: Power wants control and unity, while people need freedom and choices.
• Unfair benefits: “National interest” often serves the rich and powerful, while citizens are left behind.

These deep conflicts are the biggest problem with “state-centered” policies—and the real threat to the people.

II. What are the risks of “state-centered” policies?

Some governments, in order to protect national image or appear strong in foreign affairs, choose to sacrifice the rights and wellbeing of their citizens. Over time, this leads to seven major risks, with consequences that are hard to ignore:

1. Collapse of social trust

Citizens lose trust in the government, the legal system, and institutions. As a result, policies lose effectiveness.

2. Widening wealth gap

Powerful capital groups take advantage of national strategies to control resources. Wealth becomes concentrated among the few, while the poor get poorer.

3. Crisis of political legitimacy

Public confidence in the government fades. People no longer believe in the system, and the state’s legitimacy begins to erode.

4. Rising social anxiety

High costs of housing, jobs, education, healthcare, and retirement create widespread stress and insecurity.

5. Rigid policymaking

Decision-making is dominated by a small elite. Without public input or checks and balances, policies become outdated and tensions build up.

6. Backlash from media control

When free speech is suppressed, public frustration grows beneath the surface, creating a false sense of peace while unrest brews underneath.

7. Decline in long-term national strength

A society without freedom and fairness loses its creativity, innovation, and energy. In the long run, the nation’s global competitiveness will suffer.

III. Core principles of a people-centered government

A truly modern government must be guided by four key principles that serve the people:

1. People’s wellbeing comes first

Government spending must first support basic needs—healthcare, education, housing, jobs, and retirement.

2. Protection of rights

The constitution must guarantee citizens’ rights to know, to speak, to participate, and to hold power accountable.

3. Transparency in public finances

Budgets, spending, and government decisions must be fully transparent. Taxpayers have the right to monitor how public funds are used.

4. Limits on state power

State power must be bound by law, used only for the public good—not for personal gain, private interest, or political inheritance.

IV. A balanced structure for national governance

To build a fair and effective system, We need three-pillar governance model with dual-level counterbalance.

V. Reforming the civil service: new standards for a modern era

A truly modern civil servant must meet the following criteria:

1. Public-first mindset: serve the interests of taxpayers, not just follow orders from above.

2. Performance-based evaluation: measured by public well-being, citizen satisfaction, and policy implementation results.

3. Lifetime accountability: retirement does not exempt one from responsibility for past actions.

4. Public reporting system: regularly report achievements and problems to citizens, and accept public questioning.

5. Separation from business interests: strict bans on collusion with capital groups; assets must be declared and transparent.

VI. A mature model of tripartite governance

In a fully modern state, governance should evolve to the following form:

• Reduced government scope: government is limited to macro coordination, national defense, foreign affairs, justice, and legislation.
• Full autonomy of social organizations: sectors like healthcare, education, academia, and community affairs are managed by self-governing bodies.
• Comprehensive citizen oversight: establish citizen assemblies, policy referendum days, and annual government satisfaction voting.
• Public budgeting under citizen control: national budgets must be approved by a citizen assembly each year.
• Transparent public projects: major national projects require open proposals, public opinion surveys, and third-party evaluations.

VII. Conclusion: serving the people is the foundation of the state

A country may appear strong, but if its people suffer, that strength is hollow and unstable.

A country may seem powerful, but without public trust, it cannot last.

The only rightful path to national governance is to build a people-centered modern system—rooted in citizen rights, focused on quality of life, guided by people-first budgeting, protected by limited and transparent power, and secured through open and participatory institutions.

Only then can a nation achieve lasting peace, public trust, and sustainable development.

To understand these two distorted educational patterns, we must go beyond blaming individual parents or schools. Instead, it is necessary to examine the deeper cultural and historical roots—particularly the long-standing authoritarian structure of Chinese civilization.

For centuries, Chinese society operated under centralized power, where a person’s fate was tightly linked to political authority. Even minor dissent could lead to bring disasters to not only the individual but their entire family. In such a high-risk environment, people developed two common survival strategies:

• The first was extreme caution—avoiding responsibility, staying silent, and never standing out. Even when faced with injustice, lies, or wrongdoing, many chose to ignore it in order to stay safe.
• The second was extreme aggression—using violence, connections, or authority to suppress others and secure personal gain. In a system where justice is weak and rules are unclear, power and force became tools for survival.

Over generations, these survival behaviors were passed down through family traditions, education systems, social norms, and public discourse. Gradually, they became deeply embedded in the cultural mindset.

As a result, from a young age, individuals are often taught one of two belief systems. Some grow up hearing messages like:

• “Mind your own business.”
• “The nail that sticks out gets hammered.”
• “Do not talk about right or wrong—just say what benefits you.”

Others grow up with messages like:

• “Whoever has the strongest fist gets to decide.” “The one in charge is always right.”
• “If you can use force, there is no need for reason.” “We cannot fight them, so we might as well submit.”
• “Power and money make you a god.” “Everything is about money.”

This is precisely the civilizational and psychological soil in which the dual personalities of cowardice-based and brutality-based education are especially likely to emerge in Eastern societies—particularly in China.

II. The vicious cycle in social ecology: how cowardice-based and brutality-based education reinforce each other

At first glance, these two types of education seem opposites—one soft, the other harsh. But in reality, they create the perfect breeding ground for each other and sustain one another.

Why is that?

Because the brutal rely on the silence of the cowardly, and the cowardly rely on the dominance of the brutal.

The cowardly dare not speak the truth, uphold justice, or resist wrongdoing, which only encourages the arrogance of the brutal. Meanwhile, the brutal use violence, connections, and power to suppress opposition, pushing ordinary people to become even more fearful.

Results:

• Good people are silenced like terrified birds, while bullies reap the benefits.
• Righteous voices quietly disappear, leaving evil to dominate the conversation.
• Integrity is mocked as foolishness and dismissed as angry rebellion.
• Violence becomes the passport, the true representative of power.

Such a systemic vicious cycle exists universally, whether in the Qing imperial court of old or in modern arenas like online public opinion, the workplace, government, and the capital market.

The worst part of this structural issue is that it gives rise to a false stability where society seems organized but is actually breaking down from within.

When wrongdoing goes unchecked, when power acts without limits, and when everyone seeks only self-preservation without responsibility, even the richest and largest societies will quickly become fragile and collapse.

III. On the civilizational level: collapse patterns of cowardice- and brutality-driven societies

Looking across the history of human civilizations—from the Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Qing Dynasty, to the Soviet Union—almost every collapsed civilization follows a common pattern:

• The common people become generally fearful, unwilling to question authority or seek the truth.
• The ruling class abuses power violently, rules break down, and justice becomes impossible.
• Institutions appear normal on the surface, but morality, justice, order, and trust systems are completely shattered.
• Society is reduced to mere calculations of self-interest, lacking shared values and any pursuit of justice.

Ultimately:

• Before external enemies arrive, the system collapses from within.
• Before finances fail, public trust dissipates.
• Before external threats intensify, internal conflict destroys.

A culture of cowardice erodes the moral foundation, while a culture of brutality destroys the rule of law. Under this dual assault, even the most seemingly powerful civilizations quickly disintegrate.

Today, if this culture continues to spread unchecked in the East and exports itself through globalization to other civilizations, humanity faces a catastrophic future—a global collapse of shared values, widespread cowardice, and normalization of violence.

IV. Current reality: how is the Chinese education model harming the world?

At present, the cowardly and brutal aspects of the Chinese education model are spreading and impacting global public environments in various ways.

• Capital penetration: Large capital-driven enterprises, prioritizing profit above all else, exploit workers, monopolize resources, and evade laws. They promote a culture of pure profit-seeking, spreading across Southeast Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe, driving a brutal system that values power and profit over justice.

• Social discourse dissemination: Through the internet, social media, and short video platforms, values rooted in cowardice—such as “it is none of my business,” “the less trouble, the better,” “backing down is a survival strategy,” and “standing up is foolish”—are being promoted, gradually eroding young people’s sense of responsibility and moral courage around the world.

• Cultural clashes through migration: The migration of individuals shaped by cultural norms emphasizing submission and authoritarianism introduces informal power dynamics—such as patronage networks, rule-bending practices, and non-confrontational attitudes—into liberal democratic societies, posing serious threats to institutional trust and civic order.

• Erosion of international order: Passive nations stay silent, aggressive regimes provoke. Rules lose meaning, justice becomes costly, evil becomes easier. The world sees more wrongdoing—and fewer consequences.

If this cultural virus continues to spread unchecked, global social governance will spiral out of control, public morality will fracture, and institutionalized violence will become rampant.

V. The path forward: restoring courageous character and rebuilding civilizational bottomline

What will truly save Eastern civilization—and perhaps world civilization—is not producing more clever cowards, smooth opportunists, profit-driven minds, or power worshippers. It is cultivating individuals with courage, principles, a sense of responsibility, and unshakable integrity.

That is the ultimate mission of education.

Priorities for future educational reform:

• Parents should teach children to take responsibility, not just protect themselves.
• Schools should encourage students to speak the truth, not simply say what sounds good.
• Public discourse should welcome critical questioning, not suppress opposing voices.
• Government institutions should uphold justice, not enable authoritarian power.
• The international order should hold wrongdoers accountable, not surrender through compromise.

Only in this way can we rebuild a character rooted in courage and integrity, restore the value of justice, and protect civilization from being devoured by cowardice and brutality.

Conclusion

The culture of cowardice and brutality in Eastern education (especially Chinese eduaction) is not just a problem for one region, but a growing threat to the future of global civilization.

If we do not see it clearly today, tomorrow we may face a world of broken order, widespread cynicism, growing violence, and the loss of justice.

Courage and responsibility are the foundation of a living, lasting civilization.

When people have backbone, society stays strong. When integrity is lost, civilizations fall. Let this be a wake-up call to us all.

1. What is a state? What is a citizen?

A state is not merely a set of borders, institutions, regimes, or ruling authorities. In its modern form, a state is a political community voluntarily formed by a group of social citizens, organized around shared interests, common security, and collective visions for the future. Citizens are the foundation and core of the state. Without genuine citizens, a state loses its legitimacy as a political community and degenerates into a mere instrument of rule and coercion.

True citizenship is not defined solely by residence or possession of national identity documents. It is defined by the exercise of political sovereignty.

Only when individuals possess political sovereignty can they become true agents within the national community—able to decide, monitor, participate in, and place checks on the operation of state power. Only then does the state become “our state,” rather than a tool monopolized by a privileged few.

2. Historical depth: the evolution of the state and sovereignty

Looking back through human political history, the earliest forms of the state emerged from tribal alliances, military conquest, and territorial rule. These early “states” were held together by force and bloodline, with individuals stripped of rights and subjects possessing no sovereignty of their own.
In the age of feudal empires and theocratic regimes, political sovereignty was concentrated entirely in the hands of monarchs, popes, nobles, and clergy. The people were treated as livestock—powerless, disposable, and voiceless.

It was not until the rise of the modern nation-state—through the Enlightenment, bourgeois revolutions, and the creation of constitutional governments—that the idea of popular sovereignty and citizen political participation began to enter state structures. The French Revolution declared that “sovereignty belongs to the people.” The U.S. Constitution established a “government of the people” and a popularly elected legislature. From this point onward, the political legitimacy of modern states began to rest on the principle of citizen sovereignty.

Yet even today, truly citizen-sovereign states remain rare. In most countries, the idea of “rule by the people” exists only in name. In practice, power is still concentrated in the hands of a few, while citizens remain passive, subordinate, and politically excluded.

Where citizens are absent, sovereignty is hollow. Where sovereignty is hollow, the state decays—and with it, civilization stalls.

3. The true meaning of political sovereignty

Political sovereignty is not a symbolic clause in the constitution, nor is it limited to occasional elections. It is the genuine right of citizens to participate meaningfully in the operation of state power, the making of public decisions, the allocation of public resources, and the design of governance structures.

This system includes:

• Decision-making power: Citizens have the right to express opinions, propose ideas, and take part in decisions on major national issues—not merely to passively accept outcomes made by others.
• Oversight power: Citizens have the right to monitor the actions of the government, judiciary, military, and public institutions, holding them accountable and preventing abuse of power.
• Recall power: Citizens have the right to remove officials who violate public interests or harm citizens’ rights.
• Participation rights: Citizens should be able to engage widely in national affairs—whether through parliaments, civic organizations, public forums, or digital platforms—across domains such as law, economy, education, welfare, and environmental policy.

If a state allows only formalistic voting but denies citizens substantive political sovereignty, then the people become mere numbers, and the state becomes an oligarchy.

4. Without sovereignty, citizenship is just a lie

In today’s world, many countries claim to be “citizen-based,” but in reality, citizenship often exists only in name. Citizens are given legal identity, but not real power. They have no sovereignty and no true role in governing the country.

They carry obligations and pay the price, but are left out of the decision-making process, becoming mere subordinates of the state.

This means:

• Public resources are neither fairly nor transparently distributed, and decisions are made behind closed doors, allowing a small elite to monopolize the benefits meant for all.
• The legal system does not always protect equality. Some people enjoy privileges, while basic rights for the majority are often ignored.
• Policies are shaped by powerful interest groups. There is no strong system to protect public interest.
• Public opinion is manipulated and citizens have no real way to speak their minds.

This creates a troubling social structure: the state promises to put citizens first, but fails to treat them as true participants in public affairs.

When sovereignty slips from the hands of the people, the state loses its power to unite hearts and minds. Social trust begins to crumble, and the foundation of civilization starts to shake. In the end, such a nation no longer belongs to all its people—it becomes the private property of a privileged few, and its decline becomes irreversible.

5. The impact of lost sovereignty on a nation’s fate

History and reality both repeatedly prove this: any nation that strips its citizens of sovereignty will eventually fall into four major crises:

1. Social fragmentation: When political power is overly concentrated and the public lacks channels for participation and oversight, social classes become rigid, and tensions between different groups cannot be resolved through institutional means. This may ultimately lead to deep division or even national disintegration.
2. Crisis of legitimacy: A government’s legitimacy depends on citizens’ trust and sense of belonging. Once people are politically marginalized, collective identity weakens, and public trust in government declines. The regime is then forced to rely on coercion to maintain order, pushing the state into a crisis of rule.
3. Collapse of public morality: When governance revolves solely around power and profit—rather than responsibility and the common good—public morality begins to erode. Core values like justice, fairness, trust, and accountability lose institutional support, leading to moral decline and social decay.
4. National decline and collapse: History shows that whether empires or modern states, once they lose the support of the people, their systems of governance break down, and their social structures weaken, they become unable to respond to internal and external challenges—ultimately falling into irreversible decline or complete collapse.

6. The only path to a civilized future

If human civilization is to continue progressing, there is only one viable path: the full establishment of a modern state system based on citizen political sovereignty. This means:

• All state power must belong to the citizens, and political authority must be derived from their consent.
• Citizens must enjoy equal, open, and ongoing rights to political participation.
• A strict system of checks, balances, and accountability must be in place to prevent the privatization of power and the formation of political oligarchies.
• Public affairs must be transparent and open, allowing citizens to express their views in real time and receive meaningful responses and feedbacks.
• A citizen-led society must be built, advancing mechanisms for local governance, industry self-regulation, and community-level consultation.

Only through such a system can a nation truly become a citizen-based state—one that is stable, just, and prosperous. Only then can civilization continue to evolve.

Conclusion

Without citizen sovereignty, there can be no true citizen state.

A nation without the political sovereignty of its citizens becomes nothing more than a regime of elites and a machine of coercion.

A society without citizen sovereignty becomes a stage of oppression, exploitation, and hollow performances.

A civilization without citizen sovereignty is destined to fall into darkness, corruption, and collapse.

The true owners of a country can only be its civic citizens—those who hold political sovereignty in their own hands. The future belongs to the citizens: those who have the courage to awaken, to participate, to claim, and to defend their sovereignty.

This is the bottom line for the existence of any nation, and the final safeguard for the future of civilization.

In free and democratic societies, education is seen as the key to awakening public awareness, protecting human rights, checking political power, and advancing social justice. But in authoritarian regimes, education is repurposed as a tool of control—used to train obedience, maintain the system, and suppress the truth.

As Aristotle once said, “The fate of empires depends on the education of youth.” In a dictatorship, education loses its role as the light of civilization. It becomes a weapon—used by the ruling class to break down personal freedom, reshape identity, distort thinking, and turn citizens into mental servants.

This article offers a systematic analysis of why authoritarian states reject democratic education, how they build a corrupted system of schooling, what kind of content and personnel they rely on, and how they raise generations of citizens with damaged cognitive abilities.

This analysis draws on historical patterns observed across various times and places, without reference to any particular nation.

Why authoritarian regimes reject democratic education

At the heart of democratic education lies a simple yet powerful idea: during the formative years of a person’s life, education should cultivate independent thinking, critical reasoning, rational understanding, and an awareness of rights. This is done through the transmission of knowledge, the awakening of values, and the shaping of character.

Once exposed to democratic education, people may begin to develop:

• The ability to tell right from wrong and to see through lies
• The right to voice opinions and participate in public life
• The awareness to question authority and challenge injustice
• The capacity to tolerate diverse values and different ways of life

Democratic education is to a free society what sunlight is to plants, or air to life itself—without it, civilization withers and society decays.

The Abyss Kingdom, as a typical authoritarian regime, is built on absolute power, strict control of information, and total public obedience. If democratic education is introduced, people begin to develop awareness of their rights, critical thinking, historical reflection, and the ability to question the system. This directly threatens the legitimacy of authoritarian rule.

Democratic education threatens to undermine the three core supports of authoritarian rule:

• Monopoly over historical truth: Democratic education encourages the search for truth and the restoration of historical reality. In contrast, authoritarian regimes rely on rewriting history, covering up past atrocities, and constructing myths of national glory to maintain control.
• Myth of sacred power: While democratic education teaches that power must be held accountable and serve the people, authoritarian systems depend on deifying leaders and promoting the idea that power is above question.
• Climate of fear: Democratic education fosters courage, encourages critical thinking, and breaks down fear. But fear is essential to authoritarian governance—it maintains obedience through intimidation, surveillance, and psychological conditioning.

Once education moves beyond basic technical skills and enters the realm of history, philosophy, politics, law, ethics, or sociology, it inevitably raises questions about power and legitimacy. Intellectual awakening fosters individual reflection and collective awareness—forces that authoritarian systems find deeply destabilizing.

Therefore, authoritarian regimes must sever all pathways to genuine intellectual enlightenment. In its place, they promote only what serves the system: fake truths, fragmented teachings, and ideologically sanitized content. Democratic education is not just unwelcome—it is banned outright. Because once minds begin to awaken, the regime’s grip on power begins to crack.

The four pillars of education in the Abyss Kingdom

After cutting off democratic education and halting intellectual enlightenment, authoritarian regimes must construct a closed, coercive, and systematic model of dark education designed to reshape human cognition, emotion, personality, and values into a form that serves authoritarian power.

1. Education for ignorance

The primary goal of ignorance-based education is to disrupt the development of a complete and independent worldview by erasing, distorting, or withholding critical knowledge. The result is a population left cognitively impaired, deprived of the tools needed to understand their world.

Measurements:

• Erasing historical truth: rewriting or concealing records of tyranny, massacres, and repression, while fabricating illusions of “great leaders” and “national rejuvenation.”
• Hollowing out the humanities: minimizing or eliminating philosophy, ethics, political science, sociology, and legal studies—preserving only technical or natural sciences that pose no threat to the regime.
• Injecting false knowledge: promoting pseudoscience, fake history, and conspiracy theories such as ethnic supremacy, leader-worship, or hostile foreign plots.
• Banning critical thinking: removing courses on logic, dialectics, or analytical reasoning to prevent the development of rational and independent minds.

Effects:

• A population with weakened cognitive abilities and poor judgment
• Public thought confined to the artificial framework created by state propaganda
• Knowledge transformed from a tool of empowerment into a weapon of subjugation

2. Hatred-based education

Hatred-based education works by dividing people into “us” and “them.” It deliberately fuels nationalism, class resentment, and hostility toward the outside world. The goal is to shape citizens who are narrow-minded, aggressive, and emotionally unstable—easier to control and quicker to obey. By stirring up fear and anger, the regime can redirect public frustration, maintain social pressure, and protect its own grip on power.

Measurements:

• Demonizing the “enemy” in textbooks: portraying foreign powers, dissidents, spies, and critics as national threats.
• Creating online scapegoats: flooding public discourse with labels like “foreign hostile forces,” “traitors,” or “cultural pollution” to fuel resentment toward alternative views.
• Promoting a victim-revenge narrative: emphasizing historical victimhood and the need for revenge, keeping the public in a heightened emotional state of persecution and retaliation.

Effects:

• A population prone to paranoia, hostility, and ideological rigidity
• Internal conflicts are deflected outward, helping the regime preserve “stability.”
• Citizens begin to police each other, turning into enforcers of ideological purity.

3. Fascist education

Fascist education demands absolute loyalty and worship of power, the leader, and the nation. It completely denies individual dignity and values, and dissolves personal will into the “state,” the “leader,” and the “national destiny.”

Measurements:

• Mandatory courses from kindergarten through university that indoctrinate leader worship, political doctrine, and loyalty oaths.
• Leader portraits, regime slogans, and songs of loyalty displayed prominently in schools, with regular or surprise group recitations and performances.
• Systematic removal of concepts like free will, human rights, and individualism from curricula, replaced by moral teachings emphasizing “self-sacrifice” and “obedience to the collective.”

Effects:

• Uniformity of personality, loss of individual will, and aesthetic degradation
• Individual cognition, emotions, and will become dependent on authoritarian power.
• A breeding ground for mass extremism, fueling fascist regimes with devoted human resources.

4. Slave education

The ultimate goal of slave education is to strip individuals of free will and independent personality, cultivating obedient subjects who lack thought, resistance, and self-esteem.

Measurements:

• Promoting the idea that “a good child is an obedient child.”
• Discouraging independent thought; punishing students who voice personal opinions.
• Encouraging a culture of surveillance—reporting on peers and family, engaging in public self-criticism—to destroy trust and enforce submission.
• Embedding covert doctrines such as “individual interests must yield to the state,” “the leader is always right,” and “to oppose the leader is to betray the nation.”

Effects:

• People become psychologically dependent on authority, losing self-respect and free will.
• Critical thinking atrophies; obedience becomes instinctive.
• Society is filled with compliant followers, informants, blind loyalists, and those unable to think independently—conditions ideal for sustaining totalitarian rule.

Content engineering and operational mechanisms of education in the Abyss Kingdom

Every education system relies on content—but in an authoritarian regime like the Abyssal State, this reliance becomes a tool of control. To construct a stable and long-lasting cognitive cage, the regime must systematically produce and manage educational materials that suppress independent thought, erase critical awareness, and normalize submission and hatred. The state monopolizes knowledge production and narrative power by carefully designing what can be taught, remembered, and imagined.

The creation of these materials goes far beyond textbook editing. It is a deliberate, long-term operation coordinated by state propaganda and ideological departments. The result is a tightly controlled set of narratives and concepts—psychological weapons designed to shape how people think, what they fear, and whom they obey. The regime uses seven core strategies to construct this indoctrination system:

1. Distorting historical facts

History education forms the foundation of a society’s collective understanding. In authoritarian regimes, it is always the first target of manipulation. The crimes of the ruling elite are repackaged as wisdom, resistance is slandered as treason, and brutal crackdowns are whitewashed as righteous victories.

In the Abyssal Kingdom, history is never a record of truth—it is a tool of control. Indoctrination begins with the systematic rewriting of historical textbooks. Any part of the past that might expose injustice, tyranny, or failure is deleted, distorted, or buried beneath patriotic gloss.

Common strategies:

• Erasing massacres, purges, and crackdowns, and replacing them with narratives of “glorious triumphs.” Atrocities are reframed as “necessary sacrifices,” and public suffering is rebranded as “the price of national revival.”
• Deifying dictators as “national heroes,” “wise leaders,” or “saviors of the people,” while concealing their brutality and disastrous decisions.
• Erasing grassroots heroes, dissident voices, and stories of civil resistance. Uprisings are redefined as “riots” or “acts of terrorism.”
• Shifting the blame for famines, internal power struggles, and failed policies onto “hostile foreign forces” or “uncontrollable circumstances.” Any record of independent intellectuals or critical thinkers is wiped from memory.
• Constructing an official “national history” with a single, approved narrative. Independent publications and non-state archives are banned; no alternative version of history is allowed to exist.

Effects:

• Public understanding of their nation and identity is reshaped into a false myth of “suffering–redemption–national greatness.”
• The right to reflect real history is entirely stripped away, and historical lessons are severed from collective memory.
• By controlling historical narratives, the Abyssal State cuts off all access to authentic past experiences, ensuring that the people remain trapped in a fabricated mythology of “glorious prosperity” and the illusion of “historical inevitability.”

2. Pseudoscience and false doctrines

The Abyss Kingdom infuses its education system with widespread pseudoscience and fabricated ideologies—outside the realm of natural science—as tools of thought control. These constructs are designed to reinforce leader worship, myths of national superiority, fatalism, and conspiracy theories targeting supposed enemies.

Common false doctrines include:

• The myth of ethnic superiority
• The dogma of state infallibility
• The narrative of foreign manipulation
• The cult of the supreme leader
• The ideology of collective submission as destiny

These narratives are dressed up as philosophy, political theory, or social science, giving them a veneer of legitimacy while concealing their inherent absurdity.

Effects:

• The public loses any stable criteria for rational judgment and becomes accustomed to living within lies.
• Critical thinking is systematically prevented from ever taking root.

3. Creating fake heroes and false idols

Another core tactic of dark education is the mass production of fake heroes and false role models. These figures replace genuine public role models and are used to create a system of idols for the people to worship and rely on emotionally.

Common strategies:

• Rewriting history to highlight national humiliation and danger, while turning dictators, elite families, and loyal enforcers into “national heroes” and “moral examples.”
• Inventing stories of fearless, loyal “martyrs” who die for the regime. These myths are repeated in textbooks, movies, and public events.
• Erasing real thinkers, critics, and independent voices from history. Only “loyal soldiers” and “defenders of the state” are allowed to exist in the public memory.
• Demonizing enemies and dissidents. Promoting “model citizens” who are celebrated for their loyalty, violence against opponents, and service to authoritarian rule.

Effects:

• People live in a constant state of fear, hatred, and blind obedience.
• Violence and intolerance are seen as virtues.
• Citizens are led to believe that following orders, suppressing conscience, and hating outsiders is heroic. This blocks any path to critical thinking, personal growth, or truth.

4. Glorifying the leader

A key part of blackened education in the Abyss Kingdom is turning the leader into a perfect, untouchable figure.

• Write books that make the leader look like a hero or legend.
• Claim the leader was “born with a sign” or “chosen by destiny.”
• Treat every word the leader says as a rule or great truth.
• Broadcast daily news about the leader’s actions, quotes, and so-called miracles.

Effects:

• People gradually develop blind admiration and emotional dependence on the leader.
• Independent thinking weakens, and critical judgment is replaced by loyalty.

5. Teaching the “correct” values

The Abyss Kingdom’s education system aims to shape one single way of thinking, leaving no room for freedom, diversity, or critical thought. All lessons, textbooks, and media campaigns must promote state-approved values.

Common strategies:

• Define “loyalty to the state,” “obedience to authority,” and “self-sacrifice” as the highest virtues.
• Promote ideas like “the collective comes first,” “the state’s interest always comes before the individual,” and “dissent equals disloyalty.”
• Label concepts like freedom, human rights, democracy, and equality as foreign threats or hostile conspiracies.
• Force students to memorize political slogans, take loyalty pledges, and participate in staged political events.
• Portray curiosity, independent thinking, and critical reflection as dangerous to national stability.

Effects:

Young people grow up without the chance to form independent minds. Instead, they become obedient, passive, and unquestioning—ready to serve the system without resistance and even help enforce it on others.

6. Thought control and the system of forbidden words

In an authoritarian system, the final line of defense in education is strict control over thought. The goal is to completely block any idea, word, or memory that could challenge the regime. This is done through a mix of laws, censorship, and social pressure that gradually shrink the space for public thinking.

How it works:

• A constantly updated blacklist defines which historical events, people, concepts, or political terms are considered “controversial” or “dangerous.”
• Textbooks and classrooms avoid topics like freedom, democracy, human rights, rule of law, or historical trauma, to prevent independent thinking.
• All academic content must go through official approval. Teachers are banned from using unapproved materials, and research topics are tightly controlled.
• A cross-platform censorship system reviews everything from books and films to social media, deleting or punishing anything that does not match the state’s ideology.
• Peer surveillance is encouraged. Students are urged to report teachers or classmates, creating an atmosphere of fear and mistrust.

But the real power of this system lies not in the visible bans—it lies in the fear it creates. People begin to censor themselves. Over time, they no longer even think about the forbidden.

A society where critical thinking disappears, and only two emotions are allowed: obedience, or hatred for the “enemy.”

Education no longer shapes free, responsible individuals. It produces citizens who are either hateful, passive, or blindly loyal—exactly what the Abyss Kingdom needs to maintain its rule.

The construction and conditioning of dark education personnel

To sustain a long-term authoritarian education system like that of the Abyss Kingdom, it is essential to build a teaching force that is fully loyal, carefully shaped, and ideologically aligned with the regime.

In this system, educators are no longer independent thinkers or mentors, but carefully selected and trained to become instruments of ideological transmission. Their role is not to encourage curiosity or critical thinking, but to deliver a specific narrative and suppress alternatives. They serve as amplifiers of official ideology and enforcers of intellectual conformity.

Such educators are not expected to be scholars or guides for growth, but rather function-driven personnel shaped to meet the following criteria:

• Obedient personality: Committed to following authority without question, avoiding personal interpretation or dissent.
• Limited exposure: Educated almost entirely within the regime’s framework, often lacking familiarity with ideas such as democracy, freedom, or universal rights.
• Moral compromise: Taught to prioritize loyalty to the system over concerns about fairness or truth, often turning a blind eye to manipulation or suppression.
• Emotional detachment: Conditioned to remain neutral, or even indifferent, when students experience confusion, fear, or frustration under ideological pressure.
• Surface professionalism: Often appear friendly and dedicated, but use their role to subtly enforce ideological discipline rather than open dialogue.

Selection and conditioning mechanisms

• In order to ensure long-term ideological alignment, authoritarian education systems implement strict screening processes to filter out dissent from the very beginning.
• This often includes background checks designed to exclude individuals from families or environments associated with liberal or critical thinking.

Even after this initial filtering, the system continues to shape educators through ongoing ideological training. The goal is to gradually erode independent thinking and reinforce loyalty to the dominant narrative. This process is often subtle, relying on institutional culture and management practices rather than overt coercion.

Methods of conditioning include:

• Teachers are regularly required to attend “ideological study sessions” or “political education workshops,” where they repeatedly review official doctrines and submit personal reflections, creating a structured process of internalization.
• The workplace often includes mechanisms like anonymous reporting, mandatory “self-criticism” and peer reviews, which undermine mutual trust and strengthen top-down control. Group rituals such as “value-sharing sessions” or “model teacher showcases” help normalize conformity and visible expressions of loyalty.
• For those who still try to maintain independent thought, the system often applies indirect pressure—through marginalization, job reassignment, or public criticism—until they either conform, remain silent, or eventually leave. Over time, the profession becomes a kind of self-selecting environment: the ones who stay are those best adapted to its expectations.

Long-term impact

• This approach leads to a narrowing of thought and the loss of diverse voices in education.
• Teachers are no longer seen as guides who inspire critical thinking, but rather as enforcers of rules and repeaters of official narratives. As a result, the educational environment becomes less creative and less reflective, conditioning students to obey rather than question.
• The authoritative culture reinforced through the control of teachers gradually shapes students’ perception of power. It makes them more likely to accept rigid hierarchies and view authority as something that must not be questioned. In this way, education shifts from being a force for social progress to becoming a tool for maintaining the status quo.

Training professionals in ideological conditioning

In a deep authoritarian system, there often exist secretive institutions—such as political loyalty colleges or ideological training academies—dedicated to producing specialists in cognitive manipulation.

• Mass psychology and communication theory, used to analyze public sentiment and how people absorb information
• Crisis messaging and narrative control, to manage public opinion during emergencies
• Nation branding and leadership image design, which involves creating emotional loyalty and symbolic representations of authority
• Social stratification modeling, including techniques to foster in-group/out-group tensions and mobilize collective hostility

After graduation, these professionals often take on roles such as:

• Working within national-level propaganda, media, or education planning agencies to shape ideological messaging and communication strategies
• Monitoring public opinion and implementing “thought safety” protocols to identify and suppress dissent
• Redesigning public discourse—rewriting history, building political consensus, and weakening critical engagement
• Developing simplified narratives and emotionally charged slogans to increase acceptance and reduce public capacity for complex, independent thinking

Outcomes of indoctrinative education

This kind of education does not raise free-thinking, well-rounded individuals. Instead, it trains people to stop thinking for themselves and become mentally dependent on authority.

Over time, through constant brainwashing and emotional pressure, the system shapes people into four common types. These are not accidents—they are exactly what the system wants, because they help keep the authoritarian system in place.

1. Cognitively limited individuals

Cultivation mechanism:

• From a young age, they are taught only one way to see the world, without exposure to different ideas or cultures.
• Textbooks are full of rewritten history and made-up stories, making it hard to tell what is true or false.
• Political slogans are repeated so much that critical thinking and abstract reasoning never develop.
• Reasoning, debate, and philosophical questions are discouraged. Students are expected to just follow orders and show loyalty, relying on emotions instead of logic.

Results:

People raised this way lose the ability to think for themselves or make their own judgments. When faced with complex issues, they get confused or avoid thinking deeply. They tend to trust authority or mainstream stories without question. Although they can learn and work, they lack critical and independent thinking, making them easy to control and turn into obedient followers.

2. Emotional damage caused by toxic education

Definition: People whose emotions become distorted due to long-term exposure to hate, loyalty brainwashing, and fear control. They struggle to feel empathy or care and may see violence and oppression as normal or even right.

Cultivation mechanism:

• From childhood, they learn to divide the world into “us” and “them,” becoming suspicious or hostile to different views or cultures.
• Violence is framed as “just” or necessary, weakening respect for peace and inclusivity.
• Schools reward loyalty by encouraging political activity or reporting others, pushing conformity and aggression.
• Emotional expression is discouraged, while cold logic is praised, suppressing empathy and warm communication.

Results:

They become numb to others’ pain, participate in hate and violence easily, and form the emotional foundation that keeps an oppressive system stable.

3. loyal mental servants

Definition: People fully accepting the regime’s logic, seeing obedience and loyalty as their highest values, losing independent will and identity, and willing to devote their lives to the system.

Cultivation mechanism:

• Forced political education, loyalty oaths, and collective rituals erase personal identity.
• Role models and idol worship teach that sacrificing for the regime is honorable.
• Free thinking is criticized; ideas like “obedience above all” and “national interest first” are enforced.
• Rewards, promotions, and honors make loyalty seem like the only right path.

Results:

Mentally dependent on authority, they lose independent judgment and only know how to “follow orders.” They lack resistance and often actively support the regime, becoming the regime’s most stable social base.

4. Ideological enforcers

Definition: Citizens shaped by authoritarian education to monitor, report, and suppress dissent. They do not just follow the rules—they actively participate in maintaining ideological control and policing public opinion.

How it happens:

• From a young age, children are taught to report on classmates or teachers.
• Titles like “model of loyalty” or “thought leader” reward those who report others, turning surveillance into a form of achievement.
• Education sharpens suspicion toward alternative views, teaching people to treat dissent as a threat.
• Constant warnings about “hostile forces” and “social instability” instill fear and normalize mutual surveillance.

Results:

These individuals become the regime’s eyes and ears within society. By monitoring others and reporting any nonconforming opinions, they create an atmosphere of fear and self-censorship—strengthening authoritarian control from the ground up.

Core traits of the cognitively limited

Those shaped by blackened education may appear educated and capable in daily life—they can drive, use smartphones, shop online, even pass political exams. But their thinking is deeply distorted, shaped by years of mental conditioning:

• They lack a full understanding of history, often absorbing edited or simplified versions. This makes it hard for them to tell truth from fiction. As a result, they tend to glorify national leaders and overlook systemic flaws or mistakes.

• Their ability to think critically is weak. They struggle with cause-and-effect reasoning and rely heavily on official narratives to make sense of the world. Alternative viewpoints feel threatening or confusing.

• Personal and social issues are often blamed on vague “enemy forces.” They show little tolerance for dissent or diversity of thought, and can be hostile toward those who question the status quo.

• A strong sense of fatalism runs through their worldview. They believe personal destiny should serve the interests of the state and tend to accept injustice or oppression as inevitable.

• Their way of speaking is limited—they tend to repeat official slogans and lack original thought or personal voice.

Eventually:

They function well in a technical sense, but they are unable—or unwilling—to grasp the deeper realities of power, society, or human dignity. For an authoritarian regime, they represent the ideal subject: obedient, unquestioning, and intellectually domesticated.

The social function of mental slaves

In an authoritarian society, some people go beyond simply obeying. They become loyal followers—those who truly believe in the system, defend it without question, and even help spread its control over others.

What they do:

• Watch and report: They report anyone around them—friends, coworkers, neighbors—who they think has “wrong” ideas.
• Attack online: They spread lies, attack people with different opinions, and try to silence voices that speak of freedom or truth.
• Repeat the system: At school, work, or home, they pass on the same ideas they were taught, discouraging new thinking in the next generation.
• Join by choice: They take part in political rituals, repeat slogans, and proudly serve the system, convinced that the leader is always right.

Their features:

• They fear the truth and dislike freedom.
• Their words sound empty, like they are repeating a script.
• They are polite to the powerful, but cruel to those with no power.

They enjoy helping the system punish people who speak out.

The most dangerous part of this kind of education is that it does not stop people from learning completely. Instead, it teaches them only what the system wants—how to pass tests, do technical work, or follow orders—while keeping them away from ideas like fairness, justice, or free thinking.

Long-term impact

• Over time, people’s minds are locked inside the narrow “acceptable zone” of thought defined by the regime. Any ideas beyond that trigger fear, anger, or rejection.
• They become obedient tools within the system—enforcers of everyday violence, online trolls, and spreaders of hate.
• When an entire population suffers from this kind of cognitive damage, the society falls into a cycle of ignorance and repression—making authoritarian rule seem natural and permanent.

This is the most cunning success of authoritarian education: it trains people to never use their brains.

How authoritarian education operates

Authoritarian education keeps the public in a state of cognitive dissonance, reinforcing what is known as doublethink—the ability to believe two contradictory ideas at the same time without feeling any inner conflict. The system achieves this through the following tactics:

• 1. Imposing logical contradictions:People are taught to accept two conflicting ideas as if they are perfectly compatible. For example, citizens are told that “freedom must be restricted,” while also being made to believe that “the ruler holds supreme wisdom and authority.” These opposing messages are presented as truth, and questioning them is discouraged.
• 2. Applying social pressure: Through group psychology, collective pressure is used to reinforce so-called “social consensus.” Anyone who expresses a different view is publicly shamed or excluded, pushing individuals to conform—often against their own reasoning. Over time, they internalize the regime’s warped logic as reality.

Outcome: People become mentally trapped, accepting contradictions as normal. They lose the ability to think critically or independently, and gradually turn into instruments of the regime’s cognitive control.

At the same time, authoritarian education relies on cognitive violence to force people into obedience—often without them even realizing it—eventually enslaving their minds. This is achieved through several key methods:

• Psychological intimidation and terror tactics: By instilling fear—such as the idea that “any resistance could cost your life”—people are pushed into constant self-censorship. The widespread fear keeps everyone silent and compliant.
• Thought control and behavioral correction: Mandatory activities like “thought reports,” ideological inspections, and compulsory political education force individuals to constantly examine and criticize their own minds for “dangerous thoughts.” Over time, this leads to emotional exhaustion and internalized fear, where people begin to police themselves.
• Self-monitoring and mental isolation: Education implants fear and self-doubt so deeply that people stop thinking independently. They surrender to the official narrative and allow it to shape every aspect of their thoughts and behavior—becoming, essentially, slaves of the system.

Outcome: This kind of cognitive violence creates a society filled with fear and repression. Through psychological manipulation, the regime builds a population that is deeply obedient—yet rarely even aware of how deeply they have been controlled.

The global expansion of authoritarian education

Authoritarian education is not just a domestic phenomenon confined to a single nation—it has the potential to expand and take root globally. Its methods can be exported, infiltrating the political, cultural, and educational systems of other countries.

As globalization accelerates, authoritarian regimes may extend their control over education beyond their own borders, using various channels to influence public opinion and shape how people think. This marks the beginning of a broader push toward cognitive dominance on a global scale.

1. Expansion mechanisms

The spread of dark education relies on several key strategies:

• Exporting ideology: Authoritarian states promote their educational models abroad through political and economic aid, as well as cultural exchange. In many cases, developing countries that receive financial support are also expected to adopt educational systems that diverge from their own cultural values. This paves the way for authoritarian ideologies to take root globally.
• Cultural industry infiltration: Through films, television shows, and online content, authoritarian regimes embed their values into cultural products consumed worldwide. These ideas quietly enter everyday life, subtly shaping how people in other countries think and view the world—without them even realizing it.
• Use of international organizations and political alliances: Authoritarian governments seek influence within institutions like the United Nations, forging alliances and pushing for international acceptance of their political education models. In doing so, they attempt to shape global education standards to reflect their own ideological framework.

The result: The global education landscape faces increasing pressure from cognitive manipulation driven by authoritarian forces. Traditional values of liberal education—such as critical thinking, diversity, and individual freedom—risk being pushed to the margins, challenged by a rising tide of centralized control and thought conformity.

2. The rise of global cognitive hegemony

Through the expansion of dark education models, authoritarian regimes are not only consolidating ideological control within their own borders—they are also working toward establishing a global cognitive hegemony. This trend manifests in several key ways:

• Shaping a global cognitive framework: By delievering culture, influencing international media, and interfering with educational systems abroad, authoritarian states are constructing a global narrative where their model of governance becomes the benchmark. In this framework, values like freedom, equality, and democracy are pushed to the margins, replaced by notions of “national loyalty” and “leader worship” promoted by these regimes.
• Control over global information and education: As authoritarian powers gain influence over the infrastructure of the global internet and collaborate with multinational corporations and international media outlets, they are increasingly able to shape the global flow of information. This enables them to spread ideologically aligned narratives while suppressing dissenting voices, gradually creating a unified worldview centered around authoritarian values.
• The politicization of educational standards: Global educational norms and practices may come under the sway of authoritarian influence. Academic journals, international education conferences, and curriculum development initiatives risk being steered by political agendas, embedding authoritarian logic into the very fabric of global education discourse.

The consequences: Freedom of thought and intellectual innovation may face widespread suppression. As cognitive hegemony takes hold, political, cultural, and philosophical diversity across nations will diminish—leaving the global community increasingly dependent on, and aligned with, authoritarian worldviews.

3. Cultural homogenization and the erosion of indigenous identity

As this dark education models expand globally, the diversity of local cultures and traditional values faces an existential threat. The spread of authoritarian educational frameworks contributes to:

• Accelerated cultural homogenization: By controlling the cultural industries, education systems, and information channels, authoritarian regimes aggressively promote a singular set of values—erasing differences and imposing conformity.
• Loss of cultural and intellectual autonomy: Under the weight of this globalized pressure, people around the world are losing the ability to freely choose their own cultural identities and ways of thinking. Instead, they are pushed into adopting a one-size-fits-all worldview that leaves little room for individuality or authentic self-expression.
• Disappearance of traditional cultures: Authoritarian education, by its very nature, is coercive and repressive. It destroys the soil in which local traditions and free thought once thrived. As creative thinking and resistance are gradually eliminated, cultural diversity is reduced to a distant memory.

The consequence: The world risks entering an era of cultural barrenness, where unique traditions and diverse philosophies fade away. In their place emerges a single, authoritarian global culture—uniform, unchallenged, and unfree.

4. The global rise of dark education alongside social control

The spread of dark education is closely tied to the expansion of global social control systems. With advances in technology, authoritarian regimes can now exercise remote control over societies worldwide through several key means:

• Social media and information monitoring: The widespread use of the internet allows authoritarian states to track and control speech and behavior globally in real time via social media platforms, search engines, and data surveillance tools.
• Transnational political and economic alliances: By forming cross-border alliances and leveraging economic aid and technological partnerships, authoritarian countries tighten their grip on other nations’ education systems, forcing the adoption of their dark education models.
• Global digital cultural education: Using AI, big data, virtual reality, and other cutting-edge technologies, authoritarian regimes are building a worldwide virtual education network. This system delivers tailored dark education content designed to manipulate and brainwash populations over the long term.

Consequences: Unnoticed by most, the world is slipping into an era of all-encompassing cognitive control. People everywhere face constant surveillance and ideological manipulation. Authoritarian influence will become unavoidable, shrinking the freedom of thought across the global intellectual landscape.

Hope and challenges for the future

As the dark education model continues to spread across the globe, movements of resistance gradually emerge, engaging in a worldwide struggle for free thought and liberating education. Despite the seemingly overwhelming power and reach of dark education, history has shown that the forces that suppress thought and learning are ultimately shortsighted—and never invincible.

Resisting dark education is not only a historic mission. It is also a responsibility shared by every generation—to defend freedom, pursue truth, and safeguard the spirit of innovation.

1. The rise of resistance: rebuilding global thought and education

Despite the global wave of authoritarian, dark education, more and more thinkers, educators, and ordinary people are rising up to speak out and resist this ideological oppression. This growing resistance is rooted in a deep commitment to human freedom and individual dignity, and it is driven by several core principles:

• The return of free thought: the resistance calls for the revival of open, unrestricted thinking. A truly free educational system must break away from authoritarian constraints and create a space that welcomes open inquiry, critical thinking, and creative exploration.
• Diversity and inclusion in education: opponents of dark education advocate for diverse and inclusive educational systems that respect different cultures, values, and ways of understanding the world. Real education should cultivate independent, critically minded citizens—not uniform thinkers trained for obedience.
• Social engagement and awakening: this movement emphasizes the importance of civic participation. Through social activism, digital platforms, and cultural exchange, it seeks to raise awareness about the dangers of authoritarian education. The goal is to awaken individuals and communities alike to rethink the true purpose of education—and to reject systems that erode human dignity and intellectual freedom.

The rise of this resistance is not just a direct challenge to dark education; it also offers hope for a renewed global vision of education. Through shared ideas and collective action, the grip of authoritarian education may slowly loosen, and a new dawn of liberated learning may begin to emerge.

2. Breaking the grip of authoritarian education

To effectively dismantle the grip of authoritarian education, reformers must pursue a comprehensive transformation of the educational system across multiple levels. Key strategies include:

• Redefining the purpose of education: education must shift its purpose from obedience to empowerment. It should foster independent thinking, curiosity, and the courage to question.
• Embracing diversity in education: one-size-fits-all education models often serve political interests. To counter that, we need diverse, inclusive learning systems that reflect the complexity of our world. Multicultural education, interdisciplinary learning, and a global outlook can help students develop nuanced perspectives, encouraging them to think for themselves rather than inherit narrow ideologies.
• Empowering teachers as change-makers: teachers are not just deliverers of content—they are shapers of culture and consciousness. Reform depends on a new generation of educators who are deeply aware of their role in society. These teachers must be equipped—and encouraged—to champion intellectual freedom, ethical integrity, and the lifelong pursuit of truth.
• Using technology to open new doors: digital tools offer powerful alternatives to centralized, controlled education systems. From online courses and open-source platforms to global learning communities, technology can unlock access to diverse knowledge and break through ideological walls. Used wisely, it allows people everywhere to learn on their own terms.

Successful education reform can gradually reverse the damage done by authoritarian models, paving the way for a more open, diverse, and innovative learning environment. The true purpose of education is no longer to produce obedience and conformity, but to cultivate citizens who think freely, act responsibly, and question the world around them.

Conclusion: the dead end of civilization and the eternal night in the abyssal state

What allows authoritarian regimes to sustain themselves over time is not just control over weapons, resources, or institutions—it is their total control over knowledge and how people think. The system of “darkened education” lies at the heart of this control. It is not merely an educational method, but a comprehensive framework for shaping minds. It spreads through classrooms, textbooks, media, the internet, political rituals, public opinion, and even private conversations, forming an all-encompassing network of cognitive control.

In such a society, knowledge is no longer used to understand the world or seek truth. Instead, it becomes a tool for producing mental dependence and spiritual submission. History is rewritten, heroes are fabricated, values are engineered, hatred is standardized, and independent thinking is shut down. Entire generations grow up under this system—from innocent ignorance, to willing acceptance, to actively defending the system—until they become part of the machinery of oppression, like twisted flowers blooming on the ruins of a lost civilization.

In a truly humane and civilized society, education should awaken reason, pursue truth, and uphold dignity and free will. But in the abyssal state, education is used to numb the mind, train obedience, and breed hatred. When a nation is shaped by such education for three generations or more, the chance of awakening fades away. What remains is a population trapped in spiritual slavery and collective ignorance—a stain on the progress of civilization, destined to be crushed by the force of history and left behind by the times.

Civilization doesn’t arise by chance. It takes effort and commitment. The foundation of this persistence lies in the civic spirit of reason, self-respect, love, justice, freedom, and happiness.

Today’s world is filled with chaos, not only due to institutional failure but also the collapse of value systems. Vulgar content dominates public discourse, short-sighted thinking guides decision-makers, and people are increasingly finding it hard to believe that terms like “reason” and “responsibility” still have any real meaning.

Thus, any nation seeking progress and development must first undergo a profound cultural reflection—reaffirming clear spiritual and cultural ideals.

I. Cultural Decline: A Sign of Civilization Losing Momentum

A civilization’s true strength isn’t about how big its territory is or how much wealth it has, but how it treats its people.

When culture begins to abandon the pursuit of human dignity, reason, and kindness—when it starts to see short-sightedness as cleverness, indifference as maturity, and pleasure as freedom—this society, though still loud and busy, is already crumbling from within.

We have seen this before: Ancient Rome lost its civic responsibility in a haze of luxury, the late Qing dynasty lost its cultural confidence under foreign pressure, and today, some societies are drowning in mindless consumerism, shallow values, and anti-intellectual chatter, slowly forgetting what public good, moral courage, and human compassion really mean.

To rebuild a strong cultural foundation, we don’t need to “cleanse” society, but we do need to reignite culture’s real purpose: it should not be just a tool for entertainment or propaganda, but a force that helps people see further, think deeper, understand each other more, and learn to be responsible for others while living with dignity.

A truly healthy culture isn’t afraid of diversity or criticism, but it can keep society grounded, preventing it from sinking into a cold, numb, and meaningless routine.

II. Institutions Should Support Ideals While Citizens Spark Hope

In a truly mature and prosperous nation, the government and its citizens should never be opposing forces. Instead, they should be a community that supports and uplifts each other. History has shown us that countries with overly concentrated power, suppressing the will of the people, often end up divided and stuck in rigid systems.

These lessons remind us that for a society to keep growing, a healthy political system and a strong community culture must be deeply connected.

“National-citizen culture” refers to a political and cultural ecosystem built on a solid national system, with citizens at its core, where fairness, justice, freedom, and responsibility coexist.

“Community culture,” on the other hand, focuses more on the social atmosphere of mutual respect, cooperation, and the shared pursuit of happiness that citizens build together in public life.

If social systems can actively encourage citizens to grow into rational, brave, and responsible individuals—rather than mere followers of power—they will inject vitality into society.

At the same time, citizens should, under the influence of community culture, rise above indifference and self-interest, and actively participate in the work of building civilization.

When the values of the state and the recognition of citizens are perfectly aligned, both will stand on the same ideal. This creates a positive cycle: the state is the protector of citizens’ freedom and happiness, and citizens are the builders of the state’s civilizational ideals.

III. Reshaping Citizens’ Rationality, Self-Respect, Optimism, and Resilience

Great nations are built on extraordinary citizens.

This excellence comes from an education and social system that supports every individual’s growth, helping them develop self-respect, confidence, rationality, compassion, optimism, resilience, courage, and responsibility.

Self-respect is the belief in one’s own dignity and freedom. It allows us to stand tall before the world, always confident in our own value and worth.

Confidence is the ability to remain clear-headed and determined in the face of adversity and challenges, giving us the courage to tackle difficulties and shape our own future.

Rationality is the ability to think clearly and make independent judgments amid the noise and chaos of information. It keeps us from being easily swayed by rumors or emotions, allowing us to maintain clear thoughts and a fair perspective.

Compassion enables us to recognize the pain and needs of others, to open our hearts, care for every life, defend justice, and strive to make the world a better place.

Resilience is not just physical health—it’s inner strength and determination. It allows us to stand firm under pressure, untouched by vanity or burdened by desires.

Citizens must form a shared understanding and work together to integrate these qualities into education and culture. They should not remain abstract concepts but become the inner strength that guides individuals toward a healthier, more harmonious society.

IV. Cultivating a Culture of Rationality, Freedom, and Happiness

The ultimate goal of a great nation’s cultural ideal is to create a civic value system based on rationality, freedom, and happiness.

This system includes:

• Ensuring that the rights to individual freedom of thought, speech, belief, and personality are protected by the the institution, and preventing any manipulation of public opinion or culture by power.
• Promoting the rights of citizens to freely choose their own path in life, express their opinions, and participate in national affairs.
• Guaranteeing an environment and the right for citizens to pursue happiness—not limited to material possession, but encompassing spiritual freedom, a rich inner life, personal dignity, and social justice.

Reason, freedom, and happiness go hand in hand. Without reason, freedom fades; without freedom, happiness is out of reach. That is why a healthy civil society must protect the mindset and environment where reason and freedom can thrive—only then can everyone have a fair shot at a fulfilling life and personal growth.

The ultimate vision of the Glorious Nation

A truly glorious nation is a civil community where every citizen possesses reason, freedom, compassion, and a fulfilling life. In such a society, the state and its people share the same ideals, support each other through sound institutions, inspire one another spiritually, and together build a life of dignity and meaning.

True civilization is not only about strength, but about kindness; not only about self-reliance, but about service to others; not only about perfected systems, but about clarity of conscience.

This is the ultimate vision of a glorious nation:

A place where citizens live with dignity and confidence, guided by reason and courage, enjoying freedom and well-being, grounded in kindness and compassion—a nation that stands tall among the world’s civilizations and embraces its responsibility for the future of humanity.

Throughout the course of human civilization, the idea of building a “perfect abyss” has never been a mere fantasy. Its prototypes are scattered across history and present-day society—different in appearance, but strikingly similar in essence.

If one were to deliberately design such a society, three foundational principles must be strictly upheld: all wealth flows from one source, all power speaks from one voice, and all officials follow one chain of command.

I. Centralize all wealth, control the world

Money is the most fundamental unit of power and freedom in modern society. Whether a person can make independent choices largely depends on their basic economic capacity. Housing, education, healthcare, career paths—even the freedom to express opinions—all rest on a degree of financial autonomy. That is why restricting economic agency is one of the most effective ways to limit social freedom.

In a well-engineered abyssal society, people must never gain real control over economic resources.

The chronic financial vulnerability of the lower classes is not an accident—it is a structural reality. When people live paycheck to paycheck, drowning in debt and instability, they lose the capacity to reflect on systemic injustice, let alone organize to change it. Survival becomes their sole occupation.

And none of this is maintained by brute force, but rather by the quiet operation of a complex system—one that ensures that control over resources is always concentrated in the hands of a few. Tax policies favor capital, public resources are unevenly distributed, the education system rewards obedience, and the finance and housing sectors manufacture burden and dependency. Each seemingly neutral institutional design subtly funnels economic resources upward.

When people are consumed by survival—by housing near good schools, social insurance, and endless loan payments—they no longer have the strength to ask what freedom means, or what justice looks like.

II. Tame the citizens, preserve the throne

To crush political dreams, all it takes is turning citizens into obedient sheep.

The greatest threat to a deep-state society is not weapons, but the widespread awakening of civic consciousness. Once ordinary people realize they have the power to act collectively and participate in politics, the legitimacy of absolute power begins to crumble. That is why cutting off pathways for political participation becomes one of the system’s core strategies.

This suppression is not achieved through brute force, but through layered mechanisms—culture, education, media, and psychological conditioning—all working together to quietly neutralize resistance.

• From an early age, the education system frames politics as something that belongs to the upper ranks of society—instilling a belief that “politics is not something people like us can influence.”
• Mainstream media deliberately oversimplifies political issues and distances them from everyday life, aligning itself with those in power.
• Meanwhile, the public discourse is saturated with subtle suggestions that “getting involved in politics is tantamount to rebellion,” gradually turning civic engagement into something dangerous—something to be avoided.

This long-term shaping of information and cognition does not result in the silence of a generation, but rather in the “lack of political imagination” within it. People can no longer conceive of collective expression, democratic dialogue, or public action, and they find it increasingly difficult to trust or unite with others. Individuals gradually become atomized, losing the ability to form collective power.

Ultimately, citizenship is reduced to that of a “submissive individual”—no longer concerned with how the system operates, but only with how to avoid being harmed. In this state, even when widespread injustice exists, there is a lack of sufficient mobilization to push for change.

No need for suppression, no need for bullets—the system continues to function, because people have long since abandoned the possibility of fighting for change.

III. Control Through Bureaucracy: The System’s Grip on Power

Fostering “controllable talents” and making internal friction an institutional inertia.

In a highly centralized power system, maintaining long-term stability requires a bureaucratic structure loyal to the system, rather than to the people. In such a mechanism, those with independent judgment, a sense of public responsibility, and the courage to speak out are often excluded from the core. Instead, the system favors controllable talents—those who are deeply attached to power and have no moral boundaries when it comes to personal gain.

Some of them are addicted to power, some are driven by greed for money, and others are enslaved by personal desires. These “weaknesses” make them particularly easy to manipulate. The system places them in various power positions, where they become the boss in institutions, granted a paternalistic authority that forces peope to comply.

A deeper strategy is to create structural divisions and competition. By overlapping the authority of departments, leaving room for power struggles between local and central governments, and uneven resource allocation among officials, the system forces them into constant infighting within the institutional framework. This artificial mechanism of internal competition compels officials at all levels to expend vast amounts of energy on mutual surveillance and the struggle for limited resources, leaving little time for building consensus or pushing for reforms.

In the midst of this chaos, those in power only need to occasionally “mediate” to win hearts and establish authority. People may even come to appreciate the “arbiter of order,” despite the fact that they were the ones who created the very chaos. As the old saying goes, “The world is vast, yet it is like holding it in the palm of your hand.”

Finale: The Art of the Abyss

Building a “highly efficient yet dark society with no power to resist” does not require advanced technology, nor does it demand war or slaughter. It simply requires an understanding of human nature: make people fearful, foster internal strife, keep them poor, lead them to self-doubt, sow distrust among them, and then offer just a little bit of hope, sugar-coated distractions, or spiritual opiates.

In this way, millions can be reduced to silent sheep, walking through the abyss while believing that there is light above them and a path beneath their feet.

The true hell is not a place of blazing fire, but a world where everyone adapts, everyone accepts, and no one resists.

Introduction

The development of civilization has never been smooth. Rather, it has always been shaped through a series of conflicts and power struggles that adjust its course.

At every stage, it is often those who are unwilling to accept the status quo, who hold ideals, and who take action that drive civilization forward. However, there is also always a group of “vampires” and “parasites” who excel at exploiting, attaching themselves, and draining resources, obstructing the advancement of civilization.

This conflict is not just a clash of values and interests. More profoundly, it reflects the struggle between humanity’s inner spiritual pursuits and the external societal systems.

While this struggle is fraught with challenges, it is also a crucial driving force for the evolution and purification of civilization.

The public needs to clearly recognize who is laying the foundation for civilization and who is eroding its roots.

I. The Craftsmen and Builders of Civilization: The Backbone of an Era

Civilization builders are those groups who fight for the public good and long-term values.

They can be scientists, educators, engineers, doctors, farmers, workers, or even reformers, system designers, and intellectual pioneers.

They build cities with their hands, design systems with their wisdom, uphold justice with their passion, and inspire faith with their souls.

From the mudbrick builders of ancient Babylon to the craftsmen of the Han and Tang dynasties, the thinkers of the Renaissance, and today’s practitioners working on the frontlines of research and infrastructure, these individuals are the driving force of civilization. They are the true authors of human history.

Their contributions are often invisible, but without them, civilization would be nothing more than a house of cards.

However, their contributions often go unrewarded and are frequently overlooked. They are most commonly labeled as the “silent majority,” quietly working away without seeking power or personal gain.

While they are the ones who build systems, they are not always the ones who control them. In practice, they are often marginalized, and their value is rarely acknowledged or addressed within the existing frameworks.

II. Social Exploiters and Parasites in the Cracks of the System

In contrast to civilization builders, there is a group of system opportunists. They excel at extracting excess profits from the gaps in the system, yet rarely contribute directly to the core values of civilization’s progress.

These groups may come from privileged capital, nepotistic networks, financial speculation, or they may disguise their self-interests under the guise of public welfare or freedom while engaging in hidden exchanges of benefits.

Their strength lies not in building, but in navigating the gray areas of the rules. They are skilled at packaging “injustice” as “legitimacy” and using public discourse to suppress true creators.

In the narratives they control, “efficiency” is often used to overshadow fairness, “profit-seeking” is presented as “human nature,” and the pursuit of short-term returns becomes the direction encouraged by the system.

Meanwhile, those who create long-term value often struggle to secure the resources and platform they deserve. As a result, power is concentrated in the hands of a few, while the social returns drift further away from the true value creators.

When social resources are excessively concentrated among these structural profiteers, the fairness of the incentive system is eroded, and the wisdom and efforts of builders go unrecognized and unrewarded. This damages the very foundation of civilization’s development.

III. The Struggle of Civilization: A Tug-of-War Between Progress and Regression

The relationship between builders and exploiters is not a static, binary opposition, but rather a dynamic tension within the evolving social structure. At certain historical moments, the constructive forces take the lead, driving institutional innovation and societal progress.

For instance, the formation of modern nation-states, the legal reforms spurred by the Industrial Revolution, and the establishment of representative democracy and welfare systems are all products of the builders’ dominance.

However, history also reveals another cyclical pattern: once certain groups accumulate dominant resources within the system, they may lean toward using institutionalized methods to protect their interests, ultimately suppressing reform.

This phenomenon is especially clear during the end of feudal dynasties, the resource exploitation in the colonial era, and in some stages of extreme financial liberalization. In these situations, the system becomes a tool that protects the interests of a small group, leading to concentrated resources, misaligned power, and reduced social mobility.

Therefore, the development of civilization is not a straight path forward. Instead, it is a process where builders continuously try to break through fixed structures and reshape society.

At the same time, those who benefit from the current system and unbalanced structures do not act as revolutionaries. Instead, they enter the system as “protectors,” “experts,” “elites,” or “stabilizing forces.”

Their actions, though cloaked in the name of legality, may gradually weaken the openness and sustainability of the system.

This is the deeper logic behind the tragedy of civilization: parasites do not create civilization, yet they can define it; they do not build the rules, yet they control the interpretation of those rules; they do not work to solve problems, yet they shape the distribution structure.

In the struggle of civilization, the most dangerous moments are often not when violent external enemies attack, but when there is a slow internal erosion. It is the process by which civilization gradually drifts away from its core values—a form of “self-denial of inner civilization.”

This does not immediately lead to war or revolution, but it continuously distorts social values, weakens institutional credibility, and erodes public trust, until the entire civilization loses its sense of direction and ability to regenerate.

1. “Hollowing Out” Civilization: From Plundering Material Wealth to Controlling the Mind

In the early stages, exploiters focused on the plundering of material wealth—land monopolies, tax exploitation, and resource control. However, in modern society, their tactics have shifted towards the “soft control” of culture, institutions, and human hearts.

• They reshape educational systems and social evaluation standards to encourage young people to pursue short-term gains and glorify superficial achievements, while undervaluing practice, patience, and social responsibility.
• By influencing the media and public discourse, they create information chaos, marginalizing serious discussions and rational public thought. This in turn makes emotional manipulation and division become the mainstream strategy for spreading ideas.
• Through lobbying and institutional design, they gradually adjust legal frameworks to favor the interests of specific groups.
• Even in traditional areas that carry the public spirit—such as religion, philosophy, and public welfare—they “industrialize” moral discourse through symbolic packaging and capital operations.

As this trend develops, the core systems of civilization—its language, value structures, and power mechanisms—may experience a phenomenon of being “softly taken over.” The system continues to operate, but its direction has quietly shifted.

At this point, those truly committed to knowledge production, technological progress, and ethical maintenance—the “builders”—are often gradually marginalized.

Their language seems “out of fashion” and does not align with “trends.” Their beliefs are mocked as “idealism,” and their actions are seen as “inefficient” or even “unrealistic.”

Meanwhile, a deep paradox quietly takes shape in society: those who work hardest to push society forward are the ones who receive the least recognition and support. On the other hand, those most skilled at avoiding responsibility, manipulating systems, and extracting public resources are increasingly seen as “success models,” and they dominate the direction of social values.

2. The Turn-Based Fate of Civilization: The Craftsman Phase vs. The Parasitic Phase

Throughout history, civilization often follows a “turn-based” rhythm: one phase is led by the “craftsman spirit of civilization,” where innovation, hard work, fairness, and progress become the mainstream values of society.

However, when the achievements of the system accumulate to a certain point, parasites swarm in, attaching themselves to it, cashing in on its value, and disrupting its balance.

We can observe two relatively typical cyclical trends:

The construction phase of civilization: This phase is usually characterized by high investment and a strong focus on public ideals. During this time, the system encourages innovation and collaboration, and society recognizes those who invest in the future, such as scientists, engineers, and institutional reformers. Historical examples include the Renaissance, the early stages of the Industrial Revolution, and the formation of democratic states.

The decline or solidification phase of civilization: This phase often sees excessive resource concentration and distorted systems, with vested interests maintaining their advantage through structural arrangements, causing the overall vitality of society to gradually decrease. Examples of this include the late stages of feudal dynasties, the end of colonial empire expansions, or modern stages of highly financialized capitalism, where “inefficiency and concentrated power” are common characteristics.

Between the “construction phase” and the “parasitic phase,” there often emerges a critical stage known as the “structural decline window.” The typical characteristics of this period are:

• The economy appears to grow on the surface, but innovation capacity stagnates.
• The institutional framework remains intact, but public trust significantly declines.
• Material conditions are relatively abundant, yet societal anxiety and insecurity increase.
• Public discourse becomes more active, but consensus on spiritual and value-based matters gradually dissolves.

During this transitional period, the direction of civilization’s development often faces a critical choice:
Either, constructive forces come together again, driving new institutional reforms and a rebuilding of values, leading society into a new upward cycle.
Or, entrenched interest structures become further solidified, triggering a prolonged systemic decline, ultimately resulting in social fragmentation, governance failure, and even the erosion of the very foundation of civilization.

3. Who will end the parasitism: the need for institutional reconstruction and spiritual reboot

To break the cycle of parasitism in civilization, two profound reforms must be carried out simultaneously:

• First, a systemic reconstruction at the institutional level: This means fundamentally improving the mechanisms of power operation and resource distribution, minimizing the space for institutional abuse.
• Second, a cultural update at the value level: This involves rebuilding society’s respect for honesty, creativity, responsibility, and dedication, making the “builder spirit” the core societal value once again. This requires not only a deepening of educational content and the reshaping of public culture but also a profound awakening of public consciousness—recognizing that what truly weakens the vitality of civilization is not technological backwardness or resource scarcity, but systemic parasites.

When society collectively realizes: Those who do not create value should not control society; those who do not put in effort should not hold power.

When the true craftsmen and builders of civilization stop being silent and instead actively speak out, organize, and take action, civilization may finally break free from the endless cycle of being parasitized, and enter a truly autonomous and sustainable development phase.

IV. The modern dilemma: Who is building, and who is exploiting?

As humanity enters the 21st century, civilization stands at an unprecedented height—frequent technological breakthroughs, fast information transmission, and close global interconnectedness. However, behind the light of civilization, new shadows are cast.

The polarization of social structures has not narrowed with the spread of knowledge and institutional progress. Instead, it has become more structured and harder to change.

In this era, the question of “who is building and who is exploiting” is no longer just a matter of class division, but a functional differentiation within a complex system. It represents a new struggle between labor and exploitation, creation and speculation, public spirit and private self-interest.

Technological achievements should be a shared benefit for humanity, but at the intermediary level of capital and institutional design, their distribution is increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few, even turning into a tool for “secondary exploitation of creators.”

For example, many startups, after being acquired, see their core ideas shelved or destroyed, leaving behind only profits from capital operations. In the platform economy, algorithms exploit millions of workers, while data and profits are controlled by a handful of major platform operators.

1. The New Form of Parasites: The Institutional Architects of Legalized Exploitation

Contemporary social parasites, unlike the historical exploiters who relied on violence, privilege, or family identity, are more “modernized.” Cloaked in the guise of “entrepreneurs,” “market experts,” and “public opinion leaders,” they use systems like law, finance, media, think tanks, and education to legitimize their extraction mechanisms.

These parasites have several distinct characteristics:

• Mastering the Definition of “Success”: By controlling the media and educational systems, they shape the narrative that success equals “capital gain” and “social status,” making hard workers and creators appear as “failures.”
• Expert at Systemic Arbitrage: By mastering the intricacies of systems, they exploit legal loopholes to avoid taxes, cash out, and engage in insider trading, thereby accumulating disproportionate wealth.
• Control of Resource Gateways: They control key resource distribution rights, such as land approvals, financial permits, and public project resources, turning them into long-term power benefits.
• Self-Legitimization Through Philanthropy: They use tools like establishing foundations, think tanks, and multinational cooperative programs to beautify their actions, covering up their erosion of institutional and societal values.

This group is not overtly anti-social; in fact, they actively seek to “fit in”—appearing at charitable events, donating to academic causes, and speaking out on environmental issues.

However, it is precisely these individuals who “alienate” the essence of civilization: no longer is it a collective effort to build a shared future for the public, but rather a mere preservation of vested interests in its formal sense.

2. The Marginalized Builders: The Silent Backbone of Society

Compared to the highly visible and influential parasites, the true builders of civilization—philosophers, teachers, engineers, grassroots doctors, entrepreneurs, social workers—are often marginalized. They are “underestimated,” “underpaid,” and “disrespected,” yet they perform functions that are indispensable to the operation of the system.

In many countries, the most crucial public professions are also the ones with the weakest bargaining power. A scientist might spend a decade developing a breakthrough material, only to find it overshadowed by the profit of a viral product. A primary school educator bears the weight of shaping the next generation’s spirit, but struggles just to make a living.

The neglect of the builder class is not only a matter of distribution, but also a matter of symbolism: it symbolizes a shift in the spiritual center of civilization, where the system no longer honors creation but instead rewards manipulation.

3. Systemic Parasitism from a Global Perspective: From Nation-States to Super-Capital Entities

Globalization has not yet led to the balanced structure of a shared human destiny as initially envisioned. Instead, in many instances, it has evolved into a new form of colonial system—not through military occupation but via capital control, debt chains, and data dominance.

• Countries in the “Global South” are now placed on low-price positions within the raw materials chain, while high-value-added products and financial systems are firmly controlled by the “Global North.”
  The intellectual property system increasingly serves to suppress innovation rather than promote it, with tech giants monopolizing global digital rights.
• The intellectual property system increasingly serves to suppress innovation rather than promote it, with tech giants monopolizing global digital rights.
• Multinational corporations have become “super parasites,” feeding off the world while avoiding taxes in their home countries, exploiting weaker nations, and lobbying for political systems that favor their own interests.

This represents a new issue for global civilization: it is not a conflict between different civilizations, but a clash between global parasitic mechanisms and global constructive efforts. The former is invisible yet powerful, while the latter is tangible but isolated.

V. Reconstructing the Future of Civilization: Ending the Parasitic Mechanism

The history of civilization should not be a continuous tragic cycle: construction, parasitism, corruption, collapse, and reconstruction, followed by more parasitism. If, with all the advanced knowledge, information technology, and governance tools available in the 21st century, humanity continues to repeat these old patterns, it will be a self-betrayal that history cannot forgive.

What we need is not just reform, but a complete reconstruction of civilization. This requires severing the roots of parasitic structures at the institutional level and awakening the builders’ mindset to once again become the guiding force of society. Only then can the “craftsmen of civilization” truly become the heart of society, rather than remaining as invisible gears in the machinery.

1. Establishing Anti-Parasitic Institutional Mechanisms: Transparency, Accountability, and Anti-Incentives

First and foremost, we need to establish systematic “anti-parasitic mechanisms” at the institutional level. These mechanisms should deprive parasitic behaviors in society of their fertile ground and create continuous institutional disincentives for parasites.

• Complete Transparency in Resource Distribution: Key resources such as public finance, land approval, project bidding, and research funding should be governed by real-time, publicly accessible tracking systems. This will close any loopholes in the system that might enable rent-seeking and prevent resources from being siphoned off by a few.
• Reconstructing the “Legitimacy of Wealth” Review System: Wealth should no longer be presumed to be legitimate simply because it is owned. Instead, we must trace the public contributions made during the accumulation of wealth, and impose high “anti-system use taxes” on wealth derived from institutional manipulation.
• Introducing a “Civilizational Liability Balance Sheet” Mechanism: This mechanism should not only assess the economic contributions of businesses and individuals but also evaluate their systemic impacts on social ethics, ecology, labor relations, and other sectors. Parasites in this system will find it impossible to get credits or resource support.

True institutional justice is not about the illusion of equal distribution, but about distinguishing between “value creation” and “systemic extraction” in evaluations and using this distinction to guide rewards and penalties.

2. Rebuilding Public Spirit: Cultural and Educational Value Realignment

While institutional reform is crucial, without the internalization of public spirit, it will eventually degenerate into formalized “paper policies.” Therefore, the cultural and educational systems must be the core support for the reconstruction of civilization.

Rebuilding Education’s Mission with the “Public Builder Spirit”

The core of education should no longer focus on “success” defined by fame and profit, but instead, it should return to cultivating a sense of responsibility, honesty, creativity, and civic awareness. The “creators of public value”—whether they are teachers, researchers, grassroots engineers—should be held up as societal role models, replacing the individual hero narrative of the “winner-takes-all” mentality.

Cultural Resources Shifting Toward Practicality and Creativity

Through policy support and platform guidance, mainstream culture should encourage positive narratives around craftsmanship, scientific exploration, and grassroots laborers. These individuals should gain the respect and visibility they deserve in film, media, and public discourse, rather than being marginalized as the “silent majority” or mere “functional tools.”

Rebuilding an Independent and Rational Public Cultural Ecosystem

Breaking the dominance of cultural capital-driven single-narrative frameworks, we must support the development of public media, independent publishing, and knowledge-based communities, granting more space for diverse voices to be heard. This will help detach culture from excessive commercialization and return it to rational discourse, making it the “engine of thought” that drives social consensus and institutional advancement.

Without a cultural layer of “social civilization re-education,” parasitic structures will merely disguise themselves in new, more sophisticated forms and continue to counterattack.

3. Reshaping Social Structure: Resource Redistribution Centered on Constructive Functions

Rebuilding the structure of civilization is not about simply “redistributing the cake,” but about designing the flow of resources based on the creativity and sustainability of social functions. In other words—those who contribute to society’s sustainable development should be the ones who receive more support.

• Establish a “civilizational-supporting professions” system of security: for fields like education, healthcare, basic research, environmental protection, and public services, set up long-term investment and institutional incentive systems to prevent these professions from being marginalized under the commercial return-oriented model. These careers may not produce immediate results, but they are the foundation of long-term societal stability and the leap toward a higher civilization.
• Encourage long-term investment capital: promote the shift of the capital market toward “patient capital,” offering tax and policy incentives to those investing in long-term research and foundational industries, and creating a priority system for “social construction investors.”
• Use the “social production function” instead of “market pricing” as the standard for distribution: introduce public economic indicators and social welfare functions into resource decision-making, to prevent market signals from misleading the social structure systematically.

The essence of structure does not lie in the concentration of wealth, but in whether the flow of resources serves public construction and the welfare of the people.

4. A Global Framework for Civilizational Collaboration

In the context of globalization, the reconstruction of civilization cannot be limited to a single country, as the parasitic mechanisms will continue to expand in more covert transnational forms. A global system of collaboration to confront these issues must be established:

• Reconstruct the global governance power structure: Break the control of a few powerful nations over discourse and institutional rules. Create a global “builders’ alliance” platform for discourse, and push for developing countries to have more leadership in resource design and technological cooperation.
• Establish a “Global Anti-Parasitism Treaty”: Through international agreements, limit the systematic exploitation of labor and resources by multinational corporations, and curb the global spread of “legally unjust” practices.
• Promote cross-cultural integration of constructive values: Foster mutual understanding and co-building of values among different civilizations, creating a “shared construction ethics” that transcends ideology.

Only by exposing “global parasites” and enabling “global civilization builders” to work in unison, can humanity truly enter a future of co-construction and shared prosperity.

5. Activating Social Construction Organizations: From the Silent Majority to an Actionable Community

Lastly, and most fundamentally, is the need to activate the self-organizing power of civilization builders. If these builders remain silent, fragmented, and isolated, no matter how just the systems and values may be, they will struggle to form substantial checks and balances against parasitic mechanisms.

• Build a Civilization Builders’ Alliance and Artisan Citizens’ Community: Connect the practical, creative, and responsible individuals across various fields to form a new public discourse and collective organizational capacity. In fact, “Yicheng Commonweal” is such an organization.
• Support Anti-Parasitism Citizen Movements: Encourage the use of legal, peaceful, and sustainable methods to expose and confront parasitic structures, promoting gradual institutional change rather than violent rupture.
• Create Builder-Led Digital Spaces and Financial Systems: Build decentralized collaboration platforms and distributed financing systems to break the parasitic control over platforms and credit.

The fate of civilization ultimately does not rest in the hands of the “rulers,” but in the hands of the countless grounded, hard-working artisans.

Conclusion: Who Owns Civilization? Who Determines the Future?

“What does civilization belong to?” This is not just a philosophical question; it is the fundamental choice regarding the future of civilization.

Civilization should belong to those who work quietly, who stay grounded, bear responsibility, and ignite hope—those who, even in the gaps of the system, persist in goodness, uphold justice, and are not swayed by profit. These are the builders of society.

However, the reality is often the opposite. Power over discourse and distribution lies in the hands of a few who excel at manipulating systems and exploiting outcomes. The parasites do not create, yet they define order; they do not contribute, yet they control the rules.

This is a regression of civilization and a significant risk to the human spirit.

Today, we face not only technological and ecological challenges but also the disarray of values and systems. In a world dominated by attention and capital manipulation, the builders have grown silent, and the foundation of civilization is quietly eroding.

But the course of history is never merely a matter of fate—it is also a matter of choice.

The future does not belong to the manipulators but to the builders. The direction of civilization should be written by those who create.

Let us return “the key to civilization” to those who truly deserve it.

At this stage, being a citizen is no longer just a legal status—it is an ideal of character, an institutional role, and a way of existing in society. So, what should a citizen in a mature society possess? And what responsibilities should they take on?

This article puts it simply: power, responsibility, and protection are the three keys that define what it really means to be a citizen in a modern society. They are not only a recognition of rights, but also a call to duty—not only gifts of the system, but tools that forge personal character.

Take away any one of these, and the idea of citizenship falls apart. And without real citizens, you can’t have a truly civilized society.

1. Power: Being recognized means saying “I’m here” in the modern world

For most of human history, power was a privilege held by the few. The rest were managed, sacrificed, or forgotten. It wasn’t until the rise of the modern nation-state that we began to acknowledge a basic truth of civilization: every person has the right to take part in shaping their own future.

Citizen power isn’t a gift—it’s a birthright

Freedom of speech, the right to vote, to hold leaders accountable, to organize, to protest—these aren’t favors handed down by the state. They’re the foundation of the social contract. If a society expects people to follow laws, respect rules, and do their part, it must first give them a voice in creating those rules.

Power is what turns a citizen from a passive bystander into an active owner of society.

A true “modern human” is, above all, someone who has the right to speak up, the strength to stand against injustice, and are entitled to shape the future.

Power is the foundation of happiness

Without power, freedom can be silenced.

Without power, dignity can be crushed.

Without power, happiness becomes a favor—not a right.

Power is the first line of defense for happiness—it is what the system gives us to claim the way we want to live.

That’s why every citizen must understand: my power is proof that I exist. To defend it is not just about protecting myself—it’s about making sure the next generation can still live in the light.

2. Responsibility: Behind freedom lies our response to society

Civilization isn’t just built on “what I want”—it must also be built on “what I should do.”

Without responsibility, power turns into selfishness and abuse. Without accountability, freedom slips into emptiness and destruction.

In a civil society, responsibility isn’t something imposed from the outside—it comes from a place of personal maturity.

Citizen responsibility is an active response to the community

Paying taxes, serving in the military, following the law, caring about public affairs, participating in democracy, respecting others’ rights, supporting the vulnerable—these are not just legal requirements. They represent a core value: I am not just an individual; I am part of society. No one is an outsider. Every time someone chooses inaction, it’s a step toward society’s breakdown.

In a complex and diverse modern society, responsibility isn’t just the foundation for maintaining order—it is the invisible contract that allows trust to flourish among us all.

Responsibility is another path to freedom

Some people misunderstand freedom as “doing whatever I want,” but they forget that only those willing to take responsibility for their choices truly deserve freedom. Social freedom isn’t about “escaping control”—it is about understanding the goodwill behind the rules and asserting yourself within the boundaries.

A citizen’s responsibility reflects their freedom. It is not a form of constraint, but a self-imposed discipline—a weight we choose to bear for the people we care about and the causes we believe in.

3. Protection: The warmth of the system is the bottom line of civilization

While power and responsibility define the moral contract between individuals and society, protection is the system’s core promise to its citizens—it is the safety net that ensures no one falls through the cracks.

Citizen protection is the very reason for a modern state’s existence

No one should lose their dignity because of illness, lose hope because of poverty, or have their future taken away due to where they were born. Education, healthcare, social security, job opportunities, and fair justice are not just “perks”—they are the system’s way of showing basic respect for every individual.

A citizen without protection may have a vote, but lacks real existence; may have rights, but doesn’t live a life of dignity.

Protection doesn’t weaken a person’s abilities—it ensures that everyone has the chance to stand tall, with the strength to chase their own dreams.

Protection is the moral compass of the system

In a healthy society, no one should fall into despair due to poverty or illness, no one should be abandoned because of old age, and no one should have nowhere to turn after being wronged.

A true civil society ensures that every ordinary person—regardless of background, resources, or powerful connections—can live a life of respect and dignity.

This protection is not only the conscience of the system, but also the warmth of society and the very essence of civilization.

The Unity of Power, Responsibility, and Protection

Power, responsibility, and protection are an interdependent and mutually balanced organic whole:

• Power without responsibility is enslavement.
• Responsibility without power is abuse of power.
• Power and responsibility without protection are empty structures.
• Protection without power is charity.
• Protection without responsibility is dependency.

Only when these three work together can true citizenship and the stability of modern society be achieved.

This is the fundamental logic of the modern state: power lifts people’s heads, responsibility upholds their dignity, and protection brings security.

Conclusion: Empowering Individuals, Illuminating Society

The greatness of civilization doesn’t lie in its power, but in its ability to ensure that ordinary people live lives filled with light and warmth.

The ideal of a civil society is this: to regain one’s voice through power, restore dignity through responsibility, and find security through protection.

Each of us is not only a part of this nation but also the master of this era. We have the right to say “no,” the responsibility to say “yes,” and the strength to stand tall without fear of being abandoned in the storm.

Power, responsibility, protection—these three swords of citizenship are not only gifts from modern society, but also the greatest legacy we can pass to the next generation.

Yicheng Commonweal sincerely wishes for everyone to become a citizen of light, wielding these three swords—lifting dignity through the system, defending freedom through responsibility, and securing happiness through protection.

Human civilization is stepping into the “social citizenship era”—a time when people are more aware, systems are stable, and individual rights truly matter.

From obedient subjects to national citizens, and now to social citizens, civilization is no longer measured by empires, power, or flashy technology—it is defined by new values and a better quality of life for all.

In the era of social citizenship, true civilization isn’t measured by towering skyscrapers or military power but by the seamless unity of freedom, democracy, and happiness.

These three values stand as the “trio of civilization”: freedom upholds individual dignity, democracy embodies public reason, and happiness defines the purpose of life. Together, they shape the core values of modern civilization and offer a path for the sustainable development of future societies.

1. Freedom: The Spiritual Awakening from Subjects to Citizens

Freedom is the most fundamental civil right in the era of social citizenship. It means that individuals are no longer subjects of power or mere “tools” in the social structure, but independent entities with the basic rights to think, express, move, and believe.

Throughout history, the idea of freedom has often emerged from the struggles against oppression.

From the silent uprisings of individuals in slave societies, to the defiance of the Church’s authority in medieval Europe, and the birth of the “natural rights” concept during the Enlightenment, freedom has always been the first spark ignited by civilization. Philosophers like Rousseau, Locke, and Kant all echoed a common truth: without freedom, there can be no moral judgment, no accountability, and no solid foundation for a stable society

In the age of social citizenship, freedom is no longer just a privilege for the elite. It should be a fundamental right for everyone. This freedom must be formalized—not the chaotic freedom of “anarchy,” but a lasting freedom safeguarded by the constitution and operating within the rule of law. It must protect individuals from state overreach while also shielding people from the dehumanizing effects of emerging forces like capital and technology.

2. Democracy: The Institutional Foundation of Civil Society

If freedom marks the awakening of civic consciousness, then democracy is the path that institutionalizes this awareness. It is not just about casting votes, but a full system that involves checks on power, public involvement, the rule of law, and transparency in information.

Democracy is essential because it ensures that power originates from the people and ultimately serves the people.

In the age of social citizenship, democracy goes beyond mere formal legitimacy. It cares more about the fairness of both the process and the results. A genuine democracy must embrace diverse voices, allowing policies to be shaped, questioned, and refined through open public debate.

However, making democracy work is no simple task. Today, even though formal democracy is common, populism, information manipulation, and the rise of “digital oligarchies” led by powerful elites, corporations, and tech platforms are gradually weakening the core of democratic systems.

While the right to vote is the foundation of civic participation, without mature civic awareness, critical thinking, and effective platforms for public discussion, this democratic mechanism can easily become an empty form.

These days, everyone has something to say on social media, but the internet also floods us with information, fuels polarized opinions, and spreads misinformation. Traditional ways of participating in democracy have been shaken up by this change, making it clear just how badly we need to rethink and strengthen our democratic systems.

In recent years, democracy has faced even more challenges, with global political chaos and a growing distrust in democratic institutions. As the wealth gap keeps growing, it seems democracy has missed the memo on actually protecting fairness and justice. Some groups have been completely ignored or left out, and surprise, surprise—trust in the system is plummeting. Now, people are looking to authoritarianism or populism as the next big “solution.”

This doesn’t mean democracy is incapable. After all, it is never a perfect system. Democracy itself needs constant adjustment and refinement to meet the demands of the times. The issues that have surfaced actually present an opportunity for progress, pushing society to think about how to improve democratic mechanisms for better fairness and justice.

In the era of social citizenship, democracy is not about casting votes. However, it hinges on fostering deeper civic awareness, strengthening institutional resilience, and supporting the growth of civil society organizations.

To update and strengthen democracy, nations must make long-term investments in education, cultivating independent thinking, critical judgment, and a higher level of social reasoning.

With this foundation, artificial intelligence and social media can function as tools for modern democracy, using data analysis to refine policy decisions, increasing government responsiveness to public opinion, and creating more opportunities for civic participation.

More importantly, governments must continue to support the development of social groups and build effective systems for citizen engagement. People need real and accessible ways to express their concerns, drive change, and take an active role in public affairs through legal and rational means.

Together, these efforts shape a democracy that is more than just elections—it becomes a way of life, reflected in daily participation and a culture of informed public debate.

3. Happiness: The ultimate destination of civilization

Freedom and democracy set the stage, but happiness is the real goal of civilization. It is based on fair political systems and economic growth, but manifested on how people actually experience life, from their well-being and relationships to their sense of purpose.

For centuries, happiness was tied to material wealth. But as society moves into the era of social citizenship, the definition has evolved:

Do people have access to quality healthcare and education? Do they feel safe, included, and treated fairly? Do they have the time and freedom to pursue what truly matters to them? Are they free from fear and scarcity? These are the questions that define what happiness really means.

At this stage, a society’s happiness can no longer be measured by GDP growth alone. Instead, it is reflected in people’s sense of dignity, achievement, social responsibility, and overall fulfillment. This requires a multidimensional approach—one that prioritizes social welfare, fairness, environmental protection, and mental well-being—to build a modern society centered on human dignity.

Happiness cannot be imposed, nor can it be manufactured through material excess or propaganda. It emerges naturally from both personal experience and social conditions, as the true outcome of freedom and democracy.

4. The balance and tension between freedom, democracy, and happiness

Freedom, democracy, and happiness are not separate ideals but a dynamic, interdependent system:

• Democracy without freedom is a façade. When speech is silenced and independent thought suppressed, voting becomes an empty ritual.
• Freedom without democracy is precarious. Without accountability, those in power can strip away freedoms at any time.
• Freedom and democracy without well-being are meaningless. If people are trapped in poverty, fear, and instability, even the most sophisticated political system fails to create a truly livable society.

In reality, these three forces rarely exist in perfect harmony. Some countries eagerly trade democracy for economic efficiency, others wave the flag of democracy while quietly tightening their grip on freedom, and even in the most generous welfare states, a well-padded safety net cannot catch the creeping sense of emptiness.

This ongoing tension is a reminder that civilization is not some neatly wrapped gift but a constant balancing act—one that requires recalibration rather than blind faith in any single ideal.

The real challenge of the social citizenship era is not just to preach freedom, democracy, and happiness but to build a system where they actually hold each other accountable, ensuring a society that is both functional and genuinely livable.

Around the world, many nations are still caught in the grip of authoritarianism and unrest, while others enjoy wealth without security, power without compassion. This reveals a hard truth: humanity has yet to fully transition into the era of social citizenship.

In the midst of such upheaval, every nation, every society, and every individual should ask themselves:

Is our freedom genuine? Is our democracy trustworthy? Is our happiness sustainable?

Only when these three forces—freedom, democracy, and happiness—are balanced, institutionalized, and accessible to all can we truly step into a new era of civilization—one that values individuals, fosters social harmony, and pursues the well-being of all.