The revolutionary mind

It strikes me that what drives those on the radical left most is a desire for transformation. An interesting comparison to make is with the conservative movement in America, who also strive for transformation. That is, however, a moot point. This post is more concerned with socialism.

Socialists take a look around them and see a miserable world. They see poverty, crime and racism, and deduce that these social ills are the product of socio-economic organisation. They are, in general, uncompromisingly principled, which is hugely to their credit, in a world where matieralism and consumerism appear prevalent, and such evils as racism still rear their ugly head.

I share completely the desire to create a kinder world, one free from exploitation, slavery and unabashed materialism. I also believe, however, that the best way of doing this is through radical individual thought. This involves a deep degree of individual spirituality, searching for and finding the God who is Love who is the only real force that can effect change in each one of our lives.

Deep change is nurtured through spirituality, but this is done on an individual basis and not through radical attempts to change society. Such a view is in many ways an appealing one, but it is is all too easy to believe such collective prescriptions could work. It seems to be implied that once social and economic conditions have been transformed (once revolution has kicked in) that members of society will be transformed in their attitudes and shake off the chains of their oppression. But this can never be so, surely. Changing hearts can only be done on an individual basis, not through wholesale collectivism with state-sanctioned ideologies. This is where I believe socialism errs - even if a revolutionary group were to take power, and even with sizeable support, they would still have to pull people up to fit the standard of the new socialist man. For merely be getting rid of private capital and the profit mechanism would not rid the world of greed, selfish ambition and jealously. Those are the traits that need to be countered, and not material conditions per se. What so impressed me about some pockets of the anarchist movement in Spain during the 1930s was that anarchism was to many, a way of life, a system of values, in short - a way of thinking - as well as a social ideology for the future. It is this present change from within that I think needs to be nurtured, and the view that hopefully one day society will improve subsequently dropped.