Unity through struggle

We will never win if we don’t understand that our greatest source of power is our unity. In a perfect world, each person would occupy their own position across a vast mosaic of revolution, fitting together alongside comrades worldwide. In our current world, particularly on the American left, we are splintered, contentious, and unorganized. We don’t have the time or competency to find everyone’s special unique spot.

We will never solve that problem if we can’t acknowledge it exists. This isn’t a criticism of any mass organization. I’m speaking to you, the reader, as an individual. If you hope to build a world founded on collective freedom, your job is to join a mass organization and get to know real people in your real life: people you can depend on, who you help, who know your face and your phone number.

And if a particular organization isn’t right for you, that’s fine—but find one that is.

Your job is to hold two things in tension: first, you have to take on the responsibility of linking up with people to change the world for the better; second, you have to learn when to shut up and follow instructions.

Throughout our history as Marxists, the most successful organizations have been committed to democratic centralism. We debate before the organization has made a decision (combat liberalism, always) but once that debate is done, you move as a unit. You hold the line. You don’t show weakness publicly. You develop internal organizational trust by literally standing together. The American left not only has few mass parties, but as individuals, we lack organizational discipline. Myself included.

As individuals, we have to feel empowered to advocate for our positions. We must be confident in our analysis, but we must also recognize that the movement is nothing without unity. So we learn to shut up and hold the line once the organization has made a decision. Hold the line, win the world.

We all know trust is hard to build. It develops piece by piece, over time, as our expectations for support are confirmed by reality. We don’t receive trust, we participate in it instead. So do your part. Engage in principled struggle, study, organization, and propaganda. Decide what you’re willing to speak about externally and what must be worked out internally. Build trust with your comrades. And know that it runs both ways. We follow instructions we believe in, leadership listens when membership is committed and invested. We need to be heard while simultaneously doing what we’re told.

God-willing, our organizations will grow and change. But as new people join, the character of what we are trying to accomplish will shift, whether we want it to or not. Leadership must stay ahead of that curve, and rank and file must trust and implement the direction being set.

We earn the right to criticize through organizational participation. Leadership develops trust by synthesizing membership observations; membership develops trust with leadership by executing. We will only win if we are unified, through inevitable struggle. We must harness momentum because nothing successful can escape change.

We need unity now more than ever, because our enemy is militant and resourced. They can afford to fake commitment—paying people to show up, to perform strength in front of perceived weakness. But they will never sacrifice for a victory they don’t see as inevitable. That is our greatest strength. We fight because we have to. We’ll win because we have to. The fate of the world depends on it.

We serve the people. Dare to struggle, dare to win.