I loved the Space Program. In elementary school, I wrote odes to the astronauts. Marshalled resources, united action and common commitment allowed us to put a man on the moon. This is the power and possibility of government and I was a believer. I was supported in this view by my parents who as children had seen similar efforts pull us out of depression, and onto the battlefield and victory against the fascists.
The question was what would be the nature and content of the government projects. This lead me to left politics. In left activism, I saw the power of the underdog. There were freedom fighters in SouthEast Asia and Africa holding on against the military might of Europe and the US. There were new healthcare and education systems prioritizing care for the entire citizenry developing throughout the world.
In 1971, at the age of 19, in the middle of The Cultural Revolution, I was given a trip to China. In that year, Chou En Lai proclaimed the Nanjiing Yangtze River Bridge and the Red Flag Canal miracles of modern China. The bridge was one of the first successful all Chinese Engineering Projects. The Canal was a miracle of people power. I do not really remember the Bridge but the Canal was an inspiration. It remains one for many. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42532-019-00037-z
Using hand chisels and other manual instruments they chipped their way through a mountain to bring a river onto their land to irrigate their fields. They hoped to complete in a year, but it took many more. They lost people to tunnel collapse but they persisted. When I was there they had been irrigating their fields while engineering the water as a power source. Creative, brave, resilient-Chileans sang- “the people united can never be defeated” and Chinese peasants proved them correct. The government and party slogan “Serve the People” united belief in government as a vehicle for transformational change and the potential for the people to transform their world with the support of the government. I had been dubious that I was a good choice for this trip but the organizers assured me that it was a good investment in the future because I would not give up the dream once I saw it on its way to fulfillment and they were correct. It powered me for years.
50 years later, the dream is stalled or destroyed. The people united are often defeated.
Now what? The Naked Ape, 1967, presented man as a resourceful and imaginative animal but an animal, first and last. At 15, I found this offensive. At 69, I find this useful; we are pack animals. The culture of the pack is vitally important. A dog eat dog culture produces a lot of dogs. A culture that promotes care, compassion, democracy will produce many really nice people and groups. However, this kind culture can be undermined by those few who aspire to be top dog, head of the pack. Capitalism promotes the alpha dog and gives them an ideology to camouflage their narcissism. Socialism promotes us not me and gives an ideology that promotes cooperation and community. Pack animals can undermine this system also but we need a system that says yes to government as a vehicle for positive structural change, yes to full democracy, yes to policies that give life and freedom to pursue happiness to the many. Socialism is the only reasonable option today.
I have been looking at this since January 16, 2021. It is time to post. Maybe some discussion will develop and flesh out some more ideas.
Violets in the Grass 