user preferences

New Events

Ireland / Britain

no event posted in the last week

Believe a better world is possible and don't be afraid to dream

category ireland / britain | anarchist movement | opinion / analysis author Saturday October 17, 2015 05:57author by Ferdia O'Brien - WSM Report this post to the editors

Believe a better world is possible. Don't be afraid to dream. We all know this isn't good enough. How could it be? Are we not destined for so much more? Have we not seen glimpses of what we are truly capable of? This could be paradise. It really could be.
thatcherbelieve.jpg

Margaret Thatcher, former UK prime minister, was fond of bragging that 'There Is No Alternative!'. Settle in you plebs, there is no way out, this is it. Capitalism is the only way - and not only capitalism, but capitalism in its most feral neoliberal form.

And not only that but state domination, and the assault on our persons by an arsenal of tyrannies: sexism, racism, queerphobia, ableism, and more.

Indeed this is the best defence of the capitalist system, for what else could be said in favour of such a harbinger of global misery? What other excuse is there for the systemic churning up of Earthly beings, than the 'fact' that life cannot be any other way?

What a load of utter crap. Starvation, torture, rape, toil, incarceration, murder, ignorance, subjugation and command - humanity's final destination? As if. Not only can our society - our lives - be better than this, but the potential is greater than we can actually imagine. Hopelessness is one of the greatest weapons of the powerful, and we whip ourselves with it. For once you stop believing that there is an alternative, there ceases to be one.

So believe a better world is possible, a world of palpable freedom, joy, understanding, co-operation. Imagine living in that world. Know that it's worth fighting for. If we join together we can achieve it, that's why we must be kept apart, and pitted against each other. I will overthrow this system if you will. The line between barbarity and liberty is thinner than you think.

Who wants to work then die? Who wants to be bossed around all their lives? Who wants to bury their hopes again and again, because they don't fit into someone else's scheme? This human being doesn't, and neither do you, and neither does anyone else if they're honest about it.

It could be that we were truly screwed, that humans were basically selfish, grasping creatures who do not care for others. Thank goodness we don't live in that universe. Humans are deeply social animals who seek community and thrive on being altruistic (when given the chance). We have boundless talent, and have rebelled against oppression for as long as history has been recorded. And we have thought long and hard about alternative societies, and even tried to implement them against all odds - for instance the Spanish Revolution of 1936 where millions of people lived under libertarian socialism.

Why do we little people have to be minor players while a few powerful humans dance around the planet shaping our futures according to their whims? The answer is we don't. They walk upon stilts, and we can knock them down.

One computer pioneer's favourite saying was "the best way to predict the future is to invent it." The first step to collectively inventing a brighter future is believing that it is possible. Never, ever, let anyone let you think otherwise.

WORDS: Ferdia O'Brien

Related Link: http://www.wsm.ie/basic-anarchism
author by Lesana - Dreams Demystifiedpublication date Sat May 06, 2023 00:16author email author address author phone Report this post to the editors

How can one believe in this fast and chaotic world..the stock market is literally falling in front of our eyes..the prices are rising..

 
This page can be viewed in
English Italiano Deutsch
© 2005-2024 Anarkismo.net. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all content is free for non-commercial reuse, reprint, and rebroadcast, on the net and elsewhere. Opinions are those of the contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by Anarkismo.net. [ Disclaimer | Privacy ]