Something I've been thinking about a lot lately, with everything that's going on...
It feels like being a socialist is to be both cynical and optimistic.
You're cynical in the institutions and platitudes you've been taught to respect your whole life. Cynical of liberalism and its inability to affect real change while co-opting progressive ideas, cynical to the fact that the powerful and wealthy protect their own interests above all else, cynical in how easily people succumb to fascism, cynical in the ability to reform the system when the wealthy can buy their way out of reforms, cynical to how often people will vote against their own interests or not care about the plights of others... you get the idea.
But you also have to be optimistic. Optimistic that people, when shown the light, are fundamentally good, and can change - and that includes us as well as socialists. That when shit hits the fan, they will fight the good fight. Without them, our revolution, whether physical or cultural, cannot happen. And that's the sucky part. Walking around feeling like these millions of people who, intentionally or otherwise, stand in the way of progress, also have to be turned to our cause somehow. That we can't just give up on most people. It isn't really an option. We have to believe people can be good when stripped of the need to submit themselves to the hierarchies that control their lives. That we, all of us, can be better than we are now.
I'll admit sometimes I get caught up in looking down my noses at others because of their blindness to what's going on. We can all learn to be more humble. Socialism should be by the people, for the people, as trite as it is to say. It's good to remember that we're fighting for the people, not the perfect ideal of the people that exists in our head.
Anyway happy Monday.