(en) wsm.ie: Believe a better world is possible and don't be
afraid to dream
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. ---- 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
Subject: Basic socialism, Basic Anarchism, Alternatives
Topics: The Left
Geography: International
Source: Opinion
Type: Analysis
Author: Ferdia O'Brien
http://www.wsm.ie/c/believe-better-world-possible-dream
