Cheng Lei's experience in a Chinese prison has shaped her understanding of freedom. After her detention by the Ministry of State Security, she reflected on how freedom is often overlooked until lost. Lei, speaking at the 2025 TED conference, emphasized that when deprived of liberty, one learns to appreciate life's simple joys, connections, and opportunities. She noted the difficulty in valuing freedom when choices abound, declaring it "the lottery" many take for granted, highlighting the transformative power of this realization after her traumatic experience.
"Itâs easy to squander and hard to get your priorities right. Freedom is wasted on the free."
"I yearned for simple things like running, which I hated when I was free; speaking to people, although before my detention, I had tuned people out."
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