Completion of the Garden: The Fate of Uninvited Flowers and Scissors - 1/24/2026

Summary

An ideal garden where every species blooms. To maintain that beauty, we have, without realizing it, hired "gardeners" and begun to eliminate anything that is out of place. This new order, called diversity, may actually be creating the strictest "correct answer." It's ironic to see the umbrella we spread in pursuit of freedom gradually transform into a cage that traps us. This article examines how this quiet transformation repaints our daily lives.

Keywords

Boundaries of tolerance, invisible walls, sorting of good intentions, automated justice

A Morning in a Perfect Garden

A new garden was created in a town square. Rare flowers collected from around the world were planted there, and a sign proudly proclaimed, "Love all colors." Visitors marveled at the vibrant colors and unreservedly praised the beauty of different things blooming side by side. Blue thorny grass swayed next to red roses, and damp moss lurked quietly beneath tall trees. Everyone agreed that this was the ideal landscape.

But after a while, one man tilted his head. He pointed to an unnamed brown weed growing in one corner of the garden. It was an all-too-ordinary, somewhat old-fashioned plant that disrupted the vibrant, exotic atmosphere. "This weed doesn't fit into this beautiful landscape. It seems to be interfering with the individuality of the other flowers," he muttered. The people around him agreed. To preserve diversity, we must not tolerate anything that disrupts that harmony. The next morning, the weed was uprooted. Satisfied, everyone gazed upon the beautiful garden once again. This was the quiet beginning of what was to come.

An Invitation from the Invisible "Scissors"

Everyone was free in this garden. However, little by little, rules to maintain that "freedom" were gradually added. At first, it was a seemingly considerate promise: "Avoid plants with strong scents that interfere with the scent of other flowers." Next came guidelines stating that "drab colors that detract from the vividness of certain colors are not welcome here." People gladly accepted these restrictions in order to maintain the beauty of their beloved gardens.

But something strange began to happen. Gradually, a hierarchy began to emerge among the flowers that had once been praised for their "diverse." Flowers with the "correct colors" that suited the current trends were favored, while those that didn't were relegated to the shade. Even more troubling, garden visitors began to monitor each other. If someone were to utter a comment like, "Isn't that withered flower also a part of this garden?" they would be met with cold stares. "You don't understand the philosophy of this garden. Don't you see that its withered appearance infringes on the rights of other healthy flowers?"

People became obsessed with identifying and criticizing anything "wrong" before anyone else, lest they themselves be excluded. While the scene no longer bore any resemblance to the old slogan, everyone believed without a doubt that it was a "legitimate defense of diversity."

Purity of inclusion = number of excluded dissenters + pressure to conform

The dictator in the mirror

We are facing a moment when comfortable words bare their fangs. Accepting different opinions should be an extremely painful and tedious task, requiring us to accommodate those who make us uncomfortable. However, in the vast garden of modernity, we have deftly cut away that pain with the scissors of "justice."

What's frightening about this system is that it's not imposed by a single dictator, but is driven by the "goodwill" of each of us. The more we believe ourselves to be open, the more merciless we become toward those who question our framework. This is because doubt itself seems like a virus, destroying the narrative of "perfect harmony" we've built.

Diversity here actually means simply expanding the number of options on our "approved list." Values ​​not on the list, or voices that reject the list itself, are no longer even recognized as "voices" but are treated as "noise." While we pretend to accept our differences, we are actually comforted by gathering only the tamed differences that we can understand.

The Last One Color Remains

A few years later, the garden in the square was more "perfect" than ever. Every flower shone with the same brilliance, arranged in neat rows according to specific rules. There was not a single weed, and all unpleasant odors and garish colors that might irritate someone's eyes had been eliminated.

One day, a child looked out at the garden and said, "Dad, it seems there's only one type of flower here." His father, surprised, scolded him. "What are you talking about? Look closely, there are red, blue, and yellow flowers here. You'll never find so many different types gathered together anywhere else."

However, the child saw a different picture. While the colors may differ, they all share the same shape, orientation, and well-behaved. They resemble a group of identical models painted with different colors of ink.

At the garden's management office, the acceptance screening of "new and diverse species" continues today. The judges nod in satisfaction as they find "new colors" that perfectly meet their standards. The scissors they hold in their hands shine sharply with wear. They never dreamed that the same scissors would one day be used to trim their own weeds.

Perfect Diversity = Absolute Unity

Outside the garden, real weeds, blown by the wind, are about to sprout, breaking through the soil unnoticed. But those sprouts will never again cross the boundaries of the square. It's such a "beautiful and open" sanctuary.

Comment

Anonymous, January 24, 2026, 4:23 PM

The child's words were poignant. It was chilling to hear that this was being done by goodwill and not by a dictator.