User:Peter1c/Let everyone remain in the situation in which you were called
Let everyone remain in the situation in which you were called.[edit]
- You made your rulers mighty, gave them guards.
- So now you groan 'neath slavery's heavy rod.
- Solon of Athens
- And because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.
- Acts 18:3
By working for the owner class, I make them stronger. My work makes the rich richer. My work gives corporations more power to bribe legislators. My work increases the power of the class that oppresses, deceives and exploits the working class for fun and profit. My work aids and abets tyrants in their plan to enslave and oppress everyone they can.
To work I must motivate myself to work. The easiest way is to pretend my work benefits humanity, even though I know in my heart my work only makes the rich richer, doesn't help the poor at all, and, in the end, actually hurts the poor as an expanding economy destroys ecosystems, invades helpless nations in search of oil and minerals, gives corporations more and more power to bribe legislators, destroys the planet, and undermines democracy at every turn.
The driver who delivers our bread is also destroying the planet. Is she really helping humanity? It's a hard question. But work is so much easier if I can pretend my work is helping humanity! Work is so much easier if I can pretend there's no conflict between economy and ecology, between rich and poor.
Why is the working class in denial? Maybe it's because environmental consciousness and class consciousness seem like luxuries we just can't afford. Consciousness of injustice might fuck up my motivation to work. Environmental consciousness would make me depressed. I would lose my motivation to arrive at my nine AM meeting with a smile on my face.
Sometimes I think about quitting my job and becoming a full-time revolutionary. But there’s a huge disadvantage: a full-time revolutionary doesn't have to cope with the impossible situation facing the working class. A full-time revolutionary is in danger of losing touch with the working class she aspires to liberate.
And there's another problem with becoming a full-time revolutionary. I will be even more tempted to sell out to the owner class I claim to be criticizing. Remember how Marx ran to Engels for support? What if there's no Engels around? At university I found revolutionaries taming their message so they would be supported by capital. They weren’t really revolutionary at all. No. A revolutionary must remain in the working class she claims to be liberating. Or on disability. Or in the trenches of the vanguard. Too often aspiring revolutionaries renounce their working class status only to find themselves feeding at the troth of capital, selling the revolution.
I mean, if your job is violently supporting the enemy class, politician, soldier, cop, then for God’s sake quit. But if you’re polluting the planet driving a truck to bring people their bread, I say keep on truckin. Each person should remain in the situation in which they were called. Supporting a revolutionary is a revolutionary activity. You are a revolutionary!
The revolutionary is very annoying to the working class. She reminds us, working diligently for slavemasters won't end slavery. She reminds us, working for an unjust system won't achieve justice.
Our work helps the rich and ignores the poor. But the revolutionary loves the poor capitalism ignores. The revolutionary loves the victims of ecocide, war, racism, imperialism and injustice.
Working for tyrants doesn't help people tyrants hate and ignore. Something more than work is necessary to fulfill our obligation to our neighbors.