Pham Dinh Ba
Canada, December 19, 2021
Dear Ms. Vi and Mr. Nam,
I wish you peace! I wish to share with you some of my thoughts about daredevilism that you raised in our last Zoom meeting.
Who “I” am? Social transformation begins with personal change. I am a body that needs air, water, food, shelter, and safety for my family. I also want tap water, electricity, cars, jobs, health care and other things. I have mind, spirit, heart, awareness and conscience. I was born physically, grew up in an environment, formed relationships with others, responded to failure, and worked toward the future – my world and life experiences shape my attitudes and behaviour. I have virtues and flaws, talents and needs, abilities and failures. I may be good. I have the ability to reason and often want to be honest, But I also have the ability to do bad things.
Being human means that I am like all others, but I am unique from my life experience. What makes me unique is the story I experience in my life and my ability to work for a better self at my own will.
What am “I”? I am not the tool of production that Marxism-Leninism claims I have to be. I am not a soldier in the endless wars that the Viet Cong waved againsts others. I am not the labor they export to other countries. I’m not a sex commodity they sell overseas. I am not a victim of their exploitation.
Who are they? They are the cult of Marxism-Leninism, especially those at the top who lie constantly. They are, for example, Nguyen Quang Thuan who lives two-faced. On the surface, he is the vice chairman of the Central Theoretical Council of the Communist Party of Vietnam, always wearing a “revolutionary” face. The hidden part is the life of the red seed, playing golf for billions, hiring expensive singers for dinners with friends, going abroad with high-class expensive airline tickets, having many wifes and children of priviledge in a society where the party and the state are just tools to exploit the people for the benefits of their communist class and leaders.
They act to preserve power and enrich the one-percent ruling red-class, including selling the sovereignty of the country to Communist China, provoking endless wars over the last 75 years, destroying the environment, destroying the social fabric of the people, imprisoning patriots, destroying the quintessence of many generations, making the people poor, making the country backward and losing the East Sea to the Chinese communist invaders.
They waged endless wars, first to occupy South Vietnam, fought a bloody war with the United States, invaded and occupied Cambodia for a decade and then fought another bloody war with their Chinese communist brethren. Millions died from the successive wars. They use a façade of environmental protection to destroy the environment. They destroyed the good way of life of people in the Northern Delta, rendered the poor life of people living on a thin piece of poor land in the Central region even poorer, and destroyed the prosperous life of our people in the Mekong Delta.
Who are their victims? I think about those who died unjustly during the Covid-19 pandemic. I think about the orphans whose deaths could have been avoided had the medical profession not been monopolized by them. I think about millions of petitioners because they occupy land and houses in the planning so that they can enrich the communist class. I think of the people of Dong Tam, the people of the vegetable garden of Loc Hung, the people of the parish of Con Dau and the atrocities they resounded in their homeland when they took over the land of the petitioners. I think of the more than 10 billion US dollars lost each year abroad and the educational social health services that are distracted by lack of money. I think of the sick, the wounded soldiers dragging the streets hungry hour after hour, and the millions of children lacking books. I think of my people writhing in the environmental disaster they created. I think of the people of Central Vietnam and the threat of Formosa Vung An. I think of the people of Hanoi and the fire of Rang Dong company.
I think of people in my hometown suffering from annual flood without much ever been done to mitigate its effects. I think of the people of Saigon who live through contaminated and dirty flooding every rainy season. I think of the people in the South having to buy water to drink while the whole Mekong Delta gradually sinks deeper into the sea. I think about billions of US dollars accounting for 1 every 3 US dollars invested in hydroelectric dams in Laos. I think of the devastation that comes from investment decisions on building lot of hydroelectric dams on the Mekong river. I am thinking about the suffering because of the environmental disaster in the Mekong Delta.
I think of the millions of people who were starving and exhausted during the period after 1975 when they commanded and controlled the economy. I think of the hundreds of thousands of prisoners in re-education when the war between the North and the South ended. I think of the hundreds of thousands of boat people who crossed the East Sea to become a flood of refugees, living and dying in search of freedom. I think of the people in the North who had to endure poverty during the war they caused to invade the South before 1975. I think of the nearly one million Northerners who left their homeland to migrate South in search of freedom in 1954. I think of our children who learn the history of our homeland according to their perspective, which is full of lies, deceit and propaganda. I think about the legacy of the Marxist-Leninist education they impose on generations of children. I think about the poverty and suffer that our people have to endure, and the low living standard of our people in comparison to those in neighboring countries, such as South Korea, Taiwan or Thailand.
What is their society like? I think of them painting a communist paradise but in reality our people live a miserable hell. I think of them discriminating against youngsters they view as unfavorite politically. I think of their favoritism that result in generations of idiots becoming the “elites”, with little or no capacity at all to lead the nation. I think about them using class struggle to make people hate each other, destroy each other, divide, fear and hate. I think of them using low-productivity and uninnovative production methods to monopolize the economy, commerce, import and export just to make profits for themselves. I think of them as architects of a failed economy and the loss of control over the commerce to foreign investors, leaving the majority of our people living in poverty. I think about them using the police to rule and control, preventing people from expressing themselves and talking about the miserable live they endure. I think of them as the new ruling class, the privileged and totalitarian ruling class. I think of them using violence, lies, deceit and cunning tricks to maintain power and domination.
What is my dream society like? I dream of the new society of my own accord. I respect the dream of each and everyone’s new society. I believe that all people are born equal. I respect human rights. I believe that everyone has the right to pursue their own happiness. I want to choose someone to represent me to make the law and enforce it fairly. I want society to take care of those who are less fortunate in their physical and mental health as well as those who are poor or those who lose their jobs or those who are at a time when they cannot take care of themselves.
I want me and my friends to dream big to tackle great injustices. I want my people to fulfill their dreams, such as the dream of lawyer Ngo Anh Tuan in the sentencing trial of Ms. Pham Doan Trang, “I have always dreamed of a day when there will be no more arrests and detentions, no more prisonners of conscience but instead we will discuss and find solutions for social conflicts in peace…”
What is Daredevilism? Daredevilism is a practice, commitment system, and philosophy to help me and my friends get out of the shackles of Marxism-Leninism. Daredevilism includes the principle means-ends consistency, open-mindedness, strong way of life, micro-resistance, and five processes to realize the dream of a new society.
How does Daredevilism oppose Marxism-Leninism? Daredevilism focuses on individuals; Marxism-Leninism focuses on the collective. Marxism-Leninism uses the ends of the communist paradise to justify their centuries and practice of brutality; Daredevilism does not distinguish between means and ends with both having to agree in the implementation process and the journey to the future. Marxism-Leninism focuses a single paradise; Daredevilism recognizes the diversity of dreams about future societies from each individual and creates a system and operating procedures to realize those dreams for everybody. Marxism-Leninism concentrates power on a minority; Daredevilism relies on individuals and a wide-ranging commitment and consensus system where each individual connects to others in a latently diffused web. Marxism-Leninism focuses on violence and activates its doctrine using ignorant loyalists; Daredevilism uses personal power and balances violence and emotion in the struggle towards freedom and happiness for all. Marxism-Leninism is the backward old-fashioned doctrine of the late 19th century; Daredevilism is built on social theory and practice in the 20th and 21st centuries, including prefigurative politics, the pedagogy of the oppressed and network individualism, among others (e.g., “live free or die hard”).[1-4]
What is the principle of mean-end consistency? I know people want different futures. I know that the end of the journey to the future must be everyone’s convergence point. I work constantly to think of different ways to convince many people about the basic tenets towards the future and make sure we build such future one step at a time, always adhering to these tenets from the start to the end.
We build a “good society” – a society where no one is oppressed and in which people treat each other the way they want to be treated – a society that is humanistic, safe, fair, just, democratic, humane, compassionate, tolerant and environmentally sustainable. We create a culture that primarily promotes socially responsible behavior such as honesty, cooperation, tolerance, forgiveness, nonviolent conflict resolution, and self-education. We create incentive structures – rewards, punishments and forms of accountability – that ensure people generally see that their good behavior is in their best interests. We create political, economic and social institutions and organizations that promote education, health, personal feelings, a culture of social responsibility, and implementation procedures that encourage positive social behaviour.
We accept personal responsibility for our practice regarding the consistency between the means and ends. We cannot fight for freedom by oppressing those who disagree with us. We cannot claim that we work toward social justice in the future by cursing and tearing at each others in our community today. We cannot criticize the communists for being corrupt when I benefit myself when engaging in community services. We cannot be insensitive to injustices in our community and at the same time resisting the insensitivity of the communists towards the poverty and suffering of other fellow men. We must be true and honest to ourselves. We must look inwards at ourselves to examine our values, honor, and responsibility in the journey toward the future.
What is an open-mind? I listen, exchange and recognize mistakes when see any one-way argument and thinking. I consider the many sides of each issue. I am flexible in study, work and daily life. I think, I choose, I am firm but fair in my dealings with others and problems.
I train myself to be receptive to new ideas. I have the ability to relate to the way that people approach the perspectives and knowledge of others. I am willing to take opposing views seriously. I train myself to go beyond or temporarily set aside my own views to give a fair and objective hearing with views that contradict my own. I really listen. I seriously consider alternative perspectives.
What is a strong way of life? I dig deep, be passionate and take death very lightly when doing what I want to do. I am willing to accept death as a price to pursue what I dream of. I would rather die for freedom of choice than live in slavery of any kind.
I have an optimistic spirit about changes and the future. I know change is hard but I can do it. I do not accept that the future has to be like now. I have a great passion for building a better society in the future.
I commit! I accept bold action in commitment. I dedicate myself to a purpose of my choosing. I am the person who best understands the value of the path I choose. I always know and feel what I do. I would rather die by choice than live in indifference, coldness, and shyness. I accept the price that I may go to prison as I pursue my social activism. I am willing to accept and experience failures large and small in my journey to build a better future.
I gradually become brave in carrying out my commitment. I am building up the extent of my passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. I train myself hard to have sufficient stamina for the tasks at hand. I am always attached to the dream future, day in and day out. I’m not just committed for the week, not just for the month, but for years, and working really hard to make my dreams about the future come true. I am living a life that feels like a marathon, not a sprint.
I put my country, honor and responsibility above my life and personal interests. I work hard to make a better life for our people. Our nation will be strong and our country will be on par with other rich and strong countries. I am willing to change my life to protect the autonomy of the nation, especially to protect our land and sea.
Living strong is not only about protesting against the current regime of thugs and thieves. Live strong in all aspects of life. I am passionate about my studies and I want to be strong both physically and mentally. I want to choose the path I grow up, study and work in. I love my family, but my family can’t decide my life. I make friends with people at home and abroad. I am a citizen of the open world.
What is micro-resistance? They use Marxism-Leninism to create darkness covering the whole society to benefit themselves and their cliques. They make one law for their dominant minority and another law for the remaining population. We can not live in a society where sexual abuse is tolerated by the government when it is committed by the communist cadres. We can not accept the way they discriminate and persecute those who do not follow them in a cruel and inhuman way. We have our patience but they push us to our limit. Enough!
I have the right to protest and we are fighting against them and their Marxist dogma incessantly, constantly and without interruption. Micro-resistance is to push back the darkness every second of every day in every area of life. Every day I choose a joy in repelling the darkness.
I understand two core elements of resistance: the first is a sense of action, namely the idea that resistance consists of I do some action against them; the second factor is the sense of antagonism, that is, the way I think and feel is for the purpose of opposing them and their dogma. By paying attention to these elements of resistance, I have come to understand the complexity and context involved in the goal of my struggle and my uncompromising attitude toward their power structure.
For example, I do not join their party. I am sensitive and ready to capture their bad acts against the people using my cell phone. I am a citizen journalist against suppression. I fight shoulder to shoulder with prisoners of conscience, people fighting for justice to demand the return of their home and properties confiscated by the state, and poor people. I oppose class structure and interest groups when they create social inequality. I seek and hold them responsible for the harmful effects they inflict upon my people, the environment and my society. I vow that nothing is small and that protest is my right and responsibility.
What are the processes of daredevilism? I think of processes that may help me increasing the chance of success in building a new social order.
Experimental Process – I think about my commitment to the struggle for freedom like I decided to learn martial arts to improve my inner strength. I dig deep to really understand what drives me to commit. I want to know how much I want to commit. What is the price of resistance? What is the price of not resisting. I do I fear of me being in jail and the punishment they will impose on my family when the fact that I was secretly working against their interest. How the fear, anxiety, and anger in me are mixed up. How difficult is it to get involved when I start out? Do I feel excited when I commit. Am I excited, hopeful? Do I feel like I contribute to the journey towards building a new future. How hopeless I am right now. Is hopelessness the enemy of the future?
If I do not do it, who will? If I do not do it, how far will they destroy my homeland?
Who are my role models that would increase my motivation when I think of their activism. I want to stand tall on their shoulders in my journey to build a better future. I think of the social activists like Pham Chi Dung, Nguyen Tuong Thuy, Le Huu Minh Tuan, Pham Thanh, Pham Doan Trang, Can Thi Theu, Trinh Ba Phuong, Trinh Ba Tu, Do Nam Trung, Nguyen Thuy Hanh, Nguyen Dinh Kinh, Nguyen Chi Thien, Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, Anh Ba Sam, Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, Nguyen Dang Minh Man, Michael Phuong Minh Nguyen, Huynh Thuc Vy, Le Anh Hung, Nguyen Anh Tuan and other committed people that my memory is too small to remember them all.
I think of the motivations that led former party members to publicly tore apart their party membership cards when they had realized the true crime of the party.[5] I think of the investagive reporting of members Truong Chau Huu Danh, Doan Kien Giang, Le The Thang, Nguyen Phuoc Trung Bao and Nguyen Thanh Nha of the Bao Sach group, who were jailed for a total of more than 14 years just because they reported on crimes committed by members of the communist party.[6]
During the pandemic, I think of the volunteering act of a young construction engineer who brought foods to patients and workers in each and many neighborhoods around the city of Saigon. [7] I think about the effectiveness of civil society through many individuals, organizations, and groups who quickly deployed foods and support shipments to alleys all over Saigon. [8] I think about the hardship and risk of the “zero dollar burial” volunteer group that takes care of burial services for people who died due to Covid-19 and whose families could not afford the burial costs; I think of their work, often working 24/7 and sleeping in their service vans. [9]
I also think about the selfish acts of my enemy, those who produced fake test kits from a front company that gives kickbacks with hundreds of billions of commissions paid to party members from the Viet A company in exchange for contracts to buy the fake test kits by public health agencies. I noted the erroneous results from these tests that might have far-reaching consequences in the prevention and control of Covid-19 across the country.[10] Of note, this corruption and fraud case has a national scale, possibly involving party members serving as the current Prime Minister, Minister of Health, Minister of Science and Technology, and directors of Centers for Disease Control in 62 provinces out of a total of 63 provinces across the country.
After thinking about the contrasts between my friends and my enemies, I start to experiment with taking the first steps towards realizing my dream society. I write down these steps and start conducting these steps. I told myself that nothing is small and my heart is certainly not small. The wishes toward a brighter and dream future I practice them every day with my close friends.
Discussion Process – I debate with many people about my dream society, especially those who hold different points of view and opinions. I want to talk to my friend about my visions and dreams. I want to change the way I view others, the environment and society. I listen to different opinions about a new order that I believe is taking shape. I discover, connect, and collaborate with others.
I create or help to gradually build a network of like-minded individuals to pursue social transformation according to my ability and my living conditions and environment. I urge my friends to let go of the old way of thinking and practice. I am open to different opinions, perspectives and ways of solving problems. I use the new media to debate, work, and convey an open mind and voice to many people and try to understand the rhythms of their life.
The process of building a new social order – I live now according to the social order that I strive to build in the future. I want a new society that respects human rights and doesn’t discriminate against race or sex. There I freely speak, freely write articles online and freely associate with others. There I have freedom of religion. There I will not suffer from background discrimination the like that my enemies practice now, especially the favoritism that only communist seeds can advance in society. There the people who hold power will not try to indoctrinate children about their dogma. There the right to protest and demonstrate against authority is guaranteed and facilitated the new police force that maintains new law and order.
There people help people so that no one lives in poverty. There, my people do not tolerate corruption in the state and businesses. There the new government will harness the resources inside and from our people who live abroad to create a national program to guarantee basic income for those who need it. There the reformed society values the health, well-being and quality of life of the people above anything else – more than money and power for the few.
In that new society every one believes in another. There, trust in society is very high. There unions protect the interests of workers. There unions engage with associations of employers or producers in finding solutions to employer-employee conflicts. There people are encouraged to understand and participate in public affairs and to choose their representatives to administer different levels of government. There people live strong and live happily. There people talk and laugh freely, openly and often.
The process of applying and implementing interventions to increase the chances of forming the new society – I work non-stop to spread my dream to others. I do volunteer work. I form an association of like-minded individuals. I join any union that represents me. I actively protect the petitioners when they put their houses under probation. I organize and help people affected by environmental disasters. I convince people of the new social order. I try to create consensus in the social transformation network.
I work to gradually grow and diversify the network of social transformation. I use and rely on the way people use social media and cell phones to implement interventions and implementations to create a new social order.[4] I experiment, rehearse and prepare so that the interventions, such as demonstrating in the streets to repel the bad influence and policies that the communist party has imposed in my society.[1] As another example, I work responsibly when I participate in testing and organizing pocket rallies for the cause.
The process of implementing social transformation on a large scale – I build faith in the future and I engage my friends on the journey to the future. I work tirelessly to make the network of transformation and civil society in my homeland relevant to the systemic competition between the systems of democracies and totalitarians. I research the possibility of social transformation and the potential downfall of the communist party in China. I am actively preparing to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the synergistic competition between the West and China. I am actively preparing for a color revolution in my homeland in the context of this global competition.
Dear Ms. Vi and Mr. Nam!
As they seek to teach and mold individuals who love to eat, drink, sex, do not do politics, and are emotionless, we write and talk about adventure, life free or die, passion, and the pursuit of new ideas and ideology, openness and micro-resistance. We will make our life beautiful by assuming responsibility and willing to die for our cause. That my friends is daredevilism and resistance against the commies to the end.
Wishing you a week full of energy and a Merry and Peaceful Christmas and a Happy New Year!
See you soon in our next meeting!
Best regards, Bá