When I was a communist I felt one with millions of oppressed people, the underclass, the left out, idealist students fighting for justice around the world. I knew my fight was noble out of compassion, to help those who could not help themselves. I knew most of the Communist Manifesto by heart (at least the first and last paragraph...) which made me feel so proud to repeat. I called the rich names, insults because I knew they could only be rich at the expense of their workers and people like me. I would not listen to the naysayers, surely they were pigs, selfish, shortsighted, stupid, materialistic and superficial people. To each according to their needs was the mantra. Giving to each to satisfy (what we believed to be) their needs. I made fun of the brainwashed people who had swallowed Capitalistic propaganda. I knew history was on our side. Eventually the whole world would turn Communist as the people united would never be defeated and the truth would eventually prevail. I was comforted by the company of the brightest intellectuals, authors, composers and so many artists that shared my passion. I admit that the closed borders of Cuba, USSR, China and other places where my ideology had materialized, limiting peoples ability to migrate out of them... was uncomfortable to know, but maybe a price to pay for fairness across the (eventually) the world. The rumor about the lack of freedom to leave the Communist Paradise kept growing louder. The lack of personal responsibility, even decency evident in the personal lives of my comrades (willing distribute everything they did not have), my own pride on the results of my own work (which I wanted to claim and protect as mine), made my doubts even greater. The shouting claims of mobs demonstrating, demanding for them what others have built; the exposure to people who appeared moral and decent but thoroughly rejected Socialism, added the last nails in the coffin. A visit to Cuba buried that coffin many feet underground and prompted me to denounce Communism with even stronger passion as I had in my youth to promote it. The compassion for the suffering of people is the same. I know now through direct experience that making people dependent, removing their need to overcome obstacles, also destroys their ability to grow, to be independent, to be free. Helping people avoid mistakes is not helping them at all but robbing them of their opportunity to learn and become better. Giving to people so they dont need to procure it themselves, but for extreme charitable events, destroys more than builds. As a US President once said when you give something to somebody who did not earned it, you are destroying their soul. It is true. America is built on these premises, making it the most noble, wise, decent and free society that ever existed. It is also fragile, just one generation away from tyranny. Our freedom is not to be taken from granted, as we have been warn by the Founders. May we be up to the task of protecting and preserving this Land for our posterity and as a beacon for the oppressed people the world over!
Posted on: Sun, 28 Sep 2014 20:13:15 +0000
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