Winter
8th August 2008, 07:31
"It often happens that objectively the masses need a certain change, but subjectively they are not yet conscious of the need, not yet willing or determined to make the change. In such cases, we should wait patiently."
The above is a quote from Mao Tse-tung. Does the situation he describes sound familiar? It should if you're living in any first-world country, especially the United States. The revolutionary spirit seems to be non-existent within the mind of the western man and woman. Communism has been demonized beyond recognition due to mass media propaganda and intellectual elites with agendas. How can our road to Socialism begin without travellers willing to walk the path valliantly?
Fortunately, there are people willing to take the first steps. We may not know them personally, we may not even share a continent with them, but their courage and hope deserves our support. The Maoist revolutionaries in Nepal and other third-world countries show that Marxism-Leninism-Maoism is not dead.
The nations that we live in create a bubble to trap our interests only to events the corporate media wishes to tell us are important. Those in power do not want us to know that people in the world are still starving and have no access to clean, running water. They want us to believe that revolutions are obsolete in this century. They have convinced the masses that capitalism is the only way and has no flaws. They want us to believe that revolutions in this day are committed by only the most fanatical religious fundamentalists.
Saying this, is there any wonder why there are no revolutions occuring throughout first-world countries?
Men and women living within the first-world have no reason to revolt. The vast majority our comfortable with the way things are. Besides, who has time to worry about humanity when bills are piling up and a constant sense of anxiety plagues you to make sure you have enough money saved to retire at an early age?
Should we be blaming the people for thinking in this manner? Should we hold them responsible for not educating themselves on the truths? Afterall, there is no excuse to be unlearned in this day and age when almost every household has internet access.
But, who are the ones that will tell them this kind of knowledge is out there? With ones fast paced life, we must pose the question whether or not these people ever thought about these situations at all. I know I did not before I met a certain individual to expand my horizons to these truths. And I can imagine if I never met this person, I would still be "asleep", so to speak. Mao concludes:
"We should not make the change until, through our work, most of the masses have become conscious of the need and are willing and determined to carry it out. Otherwise we shall isolate ourselves from the masses."
We are responsible for educating our fellow men and women. Without our aid, the capitalist system will continue to manipulate them, making sure no unintended information gets through their security bubble. We must convince one person at a time that events in the world are not okay and billions of people are being exploited. Leaflets containing facts about poverty and starvation are a good way to cause people to pay attention. Our continued support of Maoists in the third-world is neccesary, each victory they achieve, we too achieve.
Only when the elite within the first-world lose access to cheap labor and stolen resources will any revolutionary progress occur in the first-world. "Persistent worsening of socioeconomic conditions will lead to violent collective actions." writes Mobo Gao, professor of Chinese Studies. In the meantime we must "carry our ideological education on the mass line, but at the same time we must teach these comrades many concrete methods of work." Revolution in the first-world is currently out of the question. To conclude my point; a quote from Mao:
"If we tried to go on the offensive when the masses are not yet awakened, that would be adventurism. If we insisted on leading the masses to do anything against their will, we would certainly fail. If we did not advance when the masses demand advance, that would be Right opportunism."
The above is a quote from Mao Tse-tung. Does the situation he describes sound familiar? It should if you're living in any first-world country, especially the United States. The revolutionary spirit seems to be non-existent within the mind of the western man and woman. Communism has been demonized beyond recognition due to mass media propaganda and intellectual elites with agendas. How can our road to Socialism begin without travellers willing to walk the path valliantly?
Fortunately, there are people willing to take the first steps. We may not know them personally, we may not even share a continent with them, but their courage and hope deserves our support. The Maoist revolutionaries in Nepal and other third-world countries show that Marxism-Leninism-Maoism is not dead.
The nations that we live in create a bubble to trap our interests only to events the corporate media wishes to tell us are important. Those in power do not want us to know that people in the world are still starving and have no access to clean, running water. They want us to believe that revolutions are obsolete in this century. They have convinced the masses that capitalism is the only way and has no flaws. They want us to believe that revolutions in this day are committed by only the most fanatical religious fundamentalists.
Saying this, is there any wonder why there are no revolutions occuring throughout first-world countries?
Men and women living within the first-world have no reason to revolt. The vast majority our comfortable with the way things are. Besides, who has time to worry about humanity when bills are piling up and a constant sense of anxiety plagues you to make sure you have enough money saved to retire at an early age?
Should we be blaming the people for thinking in this manner? Should we hold them responsible for not educating themselves on the truths? Afterall, there is no excuse to be unlearned in this day and age when almost every household has internet access.
But, who are the ones that will tell them this kind of knowledge is out there? With ones fast paced life, we must pose the question whether or not these people ever thought about these situations at all. I know I did not before I met a certain individual to expand my horizons to these truths. And I can imagine if I never met this person, I would still be "asleep", so to speak. Mao concludes:
"We should not make the change until, through our work, most of the masses have become conscious of the need and are willing and determined to carry it out. Otherwise we shall isolate ourselves from the masses."
We are responsible for educating our fellow men and women. Without our aid, the capitalist system will continue to manipulate them, making sure no unintended information gets through their security bubble. We must convince one person at a time that events in the world are not okay and billions of people are being exploited. Leaflets containing facts about poverty and starvation are a good way to cause people to pay attention. Our continued support of Maoists in the third-world is neccesary, each victory they achieve, we too achieve.
Only when the elite within the first-world lose access to cheap labor and stolen resources will any revolutionary progress occur in the first-world. "Persistent worsening of socioeconomic conditions will lead to violent collective actions." writes Mobo Gao, professor of Chinese Studies. In the meantime we must "carry our ideological education on the mass line, but at the same time we must teach these comrades many concrete methods of work." Revolution in the first-world is currently out of the question. To conclude my point; a quote from Mao:
"If we tried to go on the offensive when the masses are not yet awakened, that would be adventurism. If we insisted on leading the masses to do anything against their will, we would certainly fail. If we did not advance when the masses demand advance, that would be Right opportunism."