Breaking with Old Ways of Thinking…Getting into the Revolutionary Process
Ardea’s experience may not be that unique and well it shouldn’t be; all of us should be grappling with these questions, but in a culture of “me me me” that may not seem “kool.” But anyone with a heart… a heart for humanity… and yes driven by the love of humanity and not simply anger and revenge, and not that anger is bad because you need to be angry at the injustices and unnecessary suffering caused by this system. A fire in the belly that not just makes you angry but actually gets you up to do something about it. After that you need to get an understanding of why so much suffering happens and why simply working on reforming the system isn’t going to end all the unnecessary suffering because in fact it’s the very nature of capitalism to exploit the majority of humanity for the benefit of some and then the violent reinforcement of that system. A system that will not shy from violence and often uses that violence not just against revolutionaries but just those that oppose U.S. imperialism or you can be doing nothing but walking home and are met with violence by some pig simply for the color of your skin. Violence is part of the fabric of this system.
Now with a heart for humanity, a fire in the belly, and a basic understanding of the nature of the capitalist-imperialist system we can start getting into the revolutionary process. First, that’s going to take some work and sacrifice. It’s gonna require time to study, and struggle things out and breaking out of old ways of thinking and dedicating your life to something bigger than just “self.” And yes continuous study to get a deeper understanding so that you can better fight against the system and not get discouraged on the road to revolution or get sidetracked towards a reformist road.
[box]In response to a challenge posed on the pages of revcom.us, a number of people wrote responses to an excerpt from the interview with Ardea Skybreak, “SCIENCE AND REVOLUTION On the Importance of Science and the Application of Science to Society, the New Synthesis of Communism and the Leadership of Bob Avakian.” The excerpt is entitled, “Getting Clearer on the Need for Revolution–Breaking With Wrong Ideas and Illusions.” Read more.[/box]