The modern age has presented humanity with great struggle and jeopardy. The powers of the world continue to reap the benefits of the working masses while leaving a wake of oppression and exploitation that covers the globe. The North American imperialists aided by their European counterparts hold the developing world on strings as it crumbles from devastating poverty and disease. Now, more than any other time, we must recognize these facts and begin to destroy these powers and look to build a more humane society, one of equality and justice. It is the American Socialist, the person living within the system that has the greatest power to educate, to motivate, and to activate the masses, to loosen the foundations upon which the imperialists stand, and to bring it to the judgment of the people. That should be our only goal, by doing this we will perhaps gain forgiveness from the world and someday acceptance as equals in the struggle.
What fuels change? What makes men look beyond the norms of their society, what causes men to act? These questions often inspire great thought and theory on the nature of man and revolutions. Such questions stem from a yearning to understand the limits of the human, the limits of pain and oppression, the limits of tyranny and dictatorship. One cannot argue that such change is not fueled by idealism, a desire for change of the human condition, and maybe even a utopian view of the nature of change. Idealism is often dismissed as naïve thought and conjecture, but you cannot ignore the power of ideals when applied, and brought to the finality of action. Is the origin of idealism important? Does reality corrupt idealism, or does lack of conviction contribute to its demise? This essay will attempt to answer those questions, and at the very least explain my views on the topic.
Ideals are not only a shallow feeling of pity or some utopian dream, an ideal can be a concrete basis for action. The ideals of the revolutionary are contrived from a love of humanity, strength of principles and the will to sacrifice for them. They are constructed from altruism, but empowered and reinforced by the desire to make the ideal reality. The ideal should only be the beginning of the struggle, and it should always guide us as to ensure complete victory.
The origin of ideals in is important especially if those ideals are to be used to motivate action. Ideals that are based on study and education are not as strong as those based on experience of the reality. A man who has never worked much and has spent most of his life in intellectual pursuits may hold the ideals of Socialism, which are derived from a moral conviction or objection, but not cemented in any experience, these ideals will not survive through the struggle of the revolution, what is stopping that man from abandoning the ideals he once held so high when the fighting becomes tough and the goal almost impossible to reach when the only foundation for the ideals is based on text and theory. That is the flaw of the Utopian viewpoint or idealist. The absence of any experience of the reality creates ignorance and once the ignorance is revealed with knowledge, many times the hollow principles will collapse. Ideals are never enough to sustain the action, experience is necessary. However I will admit that total immersion into the reality is not necessary to cement ideals into strong sustainable convictions. A man can experience poverty and never live in it, can see the results of oppression and be affected; these experiences and the reactions that they generate can become deep convictions that are the basis for commitment to action. Ideals no matter what their origin are useless without action, that is fact, and the action derived from such ideals, even if they are not from direct familiarity is a positive change. One could argue that those who act without having to, those that throw away the comfort and security of the bourgeois lifestyle to fight for the common good, for the liberation of the masses, denotes a greater conviction to the ideals that inspired them. To make your self an equal in the struggle, in the action, is perhaps the greatest accomplishment of the revolutionary. The great Socialist hero Ernesto Guevara fought and risked death not as a leader but as an equal to his comrades in arms. His ideals drove his action and inspired change in Latin America. Ideals derived form a love of humanity, and from study, but cemented in the experience of the oppressed American people. There must be a movement from the ideal to the experience and finally to the action. The revolutionary who follows this path will be stronger than one only armed with shallow altruism.
Idealists often fear action because they are afraid that the end will not mirror the vision which they sometimes hold as infallible truth. They are wary of outside corruption and subsequent disillusionment. However it is not really outside corruption that destroys the idealist’s aims, it is a general weakness of the idealist himself. If the ideal is rooted in firm bedrock of moral conviction, created through the experience of the reality then the idealist will remain steadfast against the corruptive attacks of the imperialists. The strength of the ideals or principles is only evident in the method and the practical application of the ideals, what lies in a man’s head must be compared to what is built with his hands. What he works to build should reflect his principles, they should be a realization of them, if they are not it is only the fault of the revolutionary due to a lack of conviction. One could argue however that in some instances the greater good or cause must be guarded against petty indulgences of the idealist. Simply put, details of the ideal can be disregarded as long as the goal is reached. Although I will admit that reality deems such evolution necessary and at times revision of the ideal, one must be careful not to destroy the foundation of the principle. If the goal is reached through constant compromise and revision there is a danger of constructing not a strong edifice of economic and social change, but a hollow cast that could crumble at the first instance of attack. Ideals are not infallible thought and should be revised according to experience, but they should never be revised to compromise with the imperialists and to allow for the re emergence of imperialist policies or influences.
This part of the essay will deal specifically with the North American idealist. In the United States of America, because of the comfort of its citizens and the freedoms accorded to the individual it is hard to take seriously the convictions and ideals of the North American, especially when that North American is a Caucasian. It is often said that a white North American could never grasp the real effects of oppression though capitalism and imperialism, which their ideals, usually garnered from Universities, are not substantial and are usually pangs of adolescent rebellion. And while this may be true in some cases, I contend that many idealist and members of the cause are as devoted as their South American, African or Asian counterparts. Obviously they are not as deeply rooted in the struggle, it is not on their doorstep as it might be in Africa or Latin America however their ideals are just as solid, although their conviction to their ideals is rarely tested. The term “white liberal” is used to describe people that hold causes dear to their heart, but shrink of any meaningful action. These people look only to quell guilt and boost their ego, to appear altruistic without compromising their own comfort. Being white and living in North America does not automatically disqualify a person from being a true asset to the cause. We must forget the old titles and stereotypes that plague our society and welcome all willing comrades to the struggle, and at the same time guard against the weak white liberal component that could destroy the movement. Many non white North Americans and Latin Americans hold a feeling of resentment towards the white North Americans who do hold the ideals of Social and Economic change, of the anti-imperialists, such resentment is usually founded on the idea that white North Americans are acting more as preachers who dictate their ideals of change and again hold the ideals not based on real world experience but on intellectualism and naïve radicalism. While these feelings are not completely off based, they are swift judgments of an entire group of people. We must judge the individual, his ideals and most importantly his actions. Radicals and activists can be borne inside the Empire just as they can be borne outside the Empire, In fact it shows the true weakness of the imperial forces when members of its citizenry dissent from the narrow views and policies of its government. The ideal is borne through realizing the great force of the negative and tyranny over the world, especially the workers, whether inside the nation or outside, it is created when one dares to look beyond the black and white propaganda of the imperialists and begins to question the motives and actions of the people in power. The ideals are borne, and if cultivated and strengthened can lead to great action.
Karl Marx’s writings which many attribute the birth of modern Communism and Socialism are for the most part the least idealistic of any Socialist writings. His scientific examinations of the class struggles in his modern time, and overall definition of the human as material, and the systems he lives in an extension of the material reality, are cold and mechanical explanations of the economic situations of the human condition and subsequently the social conditions. His writings however do reveal idealism, perhaps not in the language or structure of the presentations, but in the basic fact that of its creation. Marx’s approach had to be inspired by a desire to change the class systems that oppressed the working poor 19th century Europe. The idealism of Marx led him to put pen to paper and create concrete theories and studies of the economic system. His idealism was cloaked by the cold intellectualism that defines all of Marx’s writings. The intellectualism that moves people to act can, in my opinion also lead to a stagnation of action. People moved by idealism to study theory and manifestos can become bogged down in the technicalities of what are now antiquated writings. (Although antiquated in age, but general principles still apply to the modern world) Their idealism can be diminished by a strict adherence to Marx; this is another way idealism can be destroyed, by removing oneself from the personal struggle, from the masses, and creating an impossible standard for people to reach. The revolution cannot be one of strict adherence to Marx or any other theorist. “In these circumstances one must have a great deal of humanity and a strong sense of justice and truth in order not to fall into extreme dogmatism and cold scholasticism, into isolation from the masses.” The great hero of modern Socialism, Ernesto Guevara personified the balance of idealism and action, of intellectualism and humanity. His example should be followed when considering action, when forming ideals and setting forth on the great struggle of liberation and social justice.
Ideals are not a shallow feeling of pity or some utopian dream; an ideal can be a concrete basis for action. The ideals of the revolutionary are contrived from a love of humanity, strength of principles and the will to sacrifice for them. They are constructed from altruism, but empowered and reinforced by the desire to make the ideal reality. The ideal should only be the beginning of the struggle, and it should always guide us as to ensure complete victory. The ideas and principles that live in the hearts and minds of men can never die, as long as we have record of the struggle, as long as there is oppression and slavery, as long as one man cries out for justice, there will be an eternal revolution.
******
Please reply to this essay with crituqe and input, I would really like to know what you think of the work.
Thanks
MKS
<span style=\'color:red\'>Any power must be the enemy of mankind which enslaves the individual by terror and force, whether it arises under a Fascist or Communist flag. All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded to the individual.
- Albert Einstein </span>
<span style=\'color:red\'>
Lenin was one of the greatest enemies of Socialism...
Noam Chomsky</span>
h34r: just FO R YOU O MAsTER OF CLaRITY(lmao)! SPICY ENUFF 4 YAAAA????
