Igniting Imagination here ♦ What Causes World War? here ♦
Igniting the Fires of Imagination
I was just talking with a group of colleagues about the capitalist, racist, and exploitative systems that keep people down.
“And it’s just going to stay that way,” one said.
I reacted strongly, urging the whole group, “No, change is possible! It has happened in history, and it will happen again.”
We only need to look to struggles of the past to see the toppling of systems that once seemed inevitable or even ordained by god. Other, often indigenous, ways of knowing have been erased from history books or consigned to footnotes. But many different ways of life are possible, and the capitalist empire benefits from our impoverishment of imagination.
One of the core missions of the International Communist Workers’ Party must be to ignite the fires of imagination in our disillusioned colleagues and loved ones. Our ability to dream up better worlds keeps us powerful. It gives us hope that keeps us in the fight.
We have been told to give up in advance, and we must do more than refuse that order. We must encourage and inspire others. We must uplift their imaginations. We must ask them about the better world they want. Is it about no borders, healthcare, renewable energy?
And we must ask them to work with us on how to get there. We point to the history books and show fights that have been won. We share Red Flag and the ideas of communism.
Even if they do not join the party right away, or ever, we have planted a seed. We have broken through the false narrative that hope is foolish and change is impossible. We have broken the capitalist chokehold on imagination and made space for something new and beautiful to grow. We can only build power with people who believe change can come.
I believe that change is not only possible, but inevitable. I am reminded of Octavia Butler’s meditation on change in Parable of the Sower. “All that you touch, you Change. All that you Change, Changes you. The only lasting truth is Change.”
After this meeting, many colleagues took copies of Red Flag and expressed curiosity about the party. I expect some of them will join us in the May Day march.
—Los Angeles (USA) comrade
What Causes World Wars? How Can We End Them?
“Trump is completely destroying the country and the world. The economy is a mess. It will get a lot worse with oil prices going up every day. Killing all those people! Alienating allies. China is beating the US at everything!” said a friend who is very worried about what’s going on.
I explained that the US is the declining imperialist power and China is a rising one. “Yes, everyone knows that,” she said.
We have to ask ourselves why there have been two world wars and now we are heading into World War III.
“What is the root cause of this?” I asked. “What is it in the nature of capitalism that leads to ever more destructive world wars? How come humankind hasn’t figured out how to stop that from happening?”
She didn’t have an answer.
I said that no imperialist power in the history of capitalism has given up its hegemony without fighting to the death to keep or regain it. We talked about how the Versailles treaty that ended World War I was a humiliation. The German rulers used it to whip up nationalism to launch their Nazi campaign to conquer Europe and especially the Soviet Union. The US is like a cornered beast, like Germany between World Wars I and II. The US must try to halt China’s rise militarily.
She thought that sounded right.
I said that to end this murderous cycle we have to put an end to capitalism. Capitalism, based on competition to exploit workers for maximum profit, makes murderous world wars inevitable. Capitalist profit comes only from exploiting workers’ labor power. As competition increases, the capitalists invest in more machines with fewer workers. Exploiting fewer workers, the capitalists’ rate of profit declines. Their “solution” is to fight to destroy their competitors’ factories, resources, and workers.
There is less anti-communism now. Many people all over respond positively to communist ideas of destroying capitalism and its wage slavery and producing only for human need, not for profit.
A danger is that people will support China as the lesser of two evils instead of fighting to get rid of capitalism.
She didn’t think anyone would support China. I disagreed. Many people worldwide think China is the lesser of two evils. They don’t necessarily see that China aims to replace the US as the number one imperialist exploiter.
I explained the only answer is to mobilize the masses to turn the imperialist war into revolutions for communism. Communism: collectivity instead of competition and exploitation.
In times like these people are open to radical change. We have to be active with them presenting the communist solution now when they seek answers.
During World War I, the Russian workers and soldiers overthrew the capitalist government. After World War II the Chinese working class and soldiers did the same.
Today, the world is more interconnected than ever as capitalism viciously attacks our class worldwide. A victory in one country could be multiplied many times over. The masses will fight for communism—when they understand it.
This discussion will continue.
—Experienced comrade