what is to be done?

What is to be done? This is a large question that looms above all people, of every generation. Maybe THE question everyone must ask themselves at some point in their life. What is to be done?

Some feel the question to be too great and out of their hands, so their answer is nothing. Just let things continue as they are, compelled on by whatever omnipresent forces are at play, because 'I'm just a nobody and can't possibly steer the ship of history as well as the rich and powerful who must have some sort of god-given right to be rich and powerful and in control.' 'It is what is' is their motto. Still others actively work to keep things the same because they're the ones benefiting right now and want to stay happy and content, whether they're at the top or in the good graces of those who are. 'Business as usual' is their motto. Some see things as they are and say, 'Things aren't terribly fair and a lot of people are suffering and maybe this could be slightly better. If we adjust things here and there, possibly to the displeasure of the people at the very top, maybe we can prevent things from radically changing too much in order to keep people more or less where they are and the ship sailing in the relatively the same direction while doing some good to improve the conditions on board.' Their motto is 'Yes we can.' And then there are those who see things and say, 'This won't do. A great injustice is taking place. The majority of people toil for little and suffer much, while the few at the top stand upon the backs of the many, who don't realize that they weren't born to be on their hands and knees for others to stand upon, but were born to stand side by side together.' And so they seek to radically change things. To open people's eyes to the lies and myths they have been led to believe as children and really see for the first time that they are more like prisoners on this ship than helpless nobodies. They urge those people to stand up and to take control of the ship and sail it towards a completely different destination, embarking towards a new world that we build together. And their motto is 'Not me, us.'

In this ship metaphor, the ship represents any kind of exploitative socioeconomic system, such as capitalism. The ship owner(s) represents the capitalist, who, because they funded the building of the ship and have ownership rights, have full control over it. The workers who actually build the ship and the crew who sails it represent the majority of working people. The ship captain, who takes general orders and directions from the owner, represents the ruling class, while their first mate represents CEOs and managers. And that's how I see today, and much of human history. The majority of people are put to work and made to toil by those at the top, the ones steering the proverbial ship. Much of the wealth that they accumulate is created by our collective labour. And much of their power is derived from that wealth, and from our unconscious subservience. They metaphorically stand on the backs of the majority of workers, enjoying a life of wealth and privilege that we can only dream about and hope to one day achieve, but which most of us rarely ever do. But we're fed myths and tales and morals that tease of such possibilities and which reinforce beliefs in the moral and intellectual superiority of those who exploit our lives and our labour. And many people simply live their lives as best they can, doing what they have to do to survive, not daring to hope or dream of anything more because they feel alone and powerless and have long since resigned themselves to their fate. Some obviously want things to stay the same because they're the main ones benefiting from it. They have power and privilege and feel entitled to it. Why should they give all of that up? And many others in power enable that, working to tweak things here and there to mitigate the worst of the negative consequences and suffering, just enough to keep things going as they are without falling apart from the weight of its own greedy ambition or torn apart by the desperate mobs who are provoked by sheer privation. And then there are those who want to radically change things. Those who want to open people's eyes and look past all the myths and propaganda and see how things really work and how they're being exploited. They want the majority of people who are put to work and made to toil to join their collective voices and labor together, throw off their yokes, and remake society in a way that provides everyone with a good life. Because not only are the people at the top preventing this, their greed and exploitation of people and resources are doing serious damage to our health and the health of this planet.

This is of course a simplistic depiction of complex historical processes and social relations, but I think it accurately reflects what's going on. And to properly answer the question of what is to be done, we have to see this setup for what it is. They want to divide us. They want us to remain separated into different groups fighting for our own relative privileges and liberations rather than as one united group working concertedly, in cooperation rather than competition, towards liberating every single one of us from subservience to the rich and powerful, from the superficial divisions that we've let ourselves be divided into, and from a world in which we have little-to-no control. Because even if the arc of the moral universe bends toward justice, it doesn't bend that way on its own—it bends with the might of all the hands of the exploited, oppressed, marginalized, and neglected masses and their allies, past, present, and future, pushing it. And it's my goal to help, in whatever small way I can, to add my strength. I am anti-capitalist and anti-establishment not out of hate or naivety, but because these are the systems keeping us from achieving a better world. A few at the very top profit from keeping things as they are. But we'll all ultimately profit by radically changing them.

So what is to be done? What is to be done is to keep fighting. Keep organizing. Keep connecting with other people. Keep questioning and learning and listening and working for a better tomorrow and revolutionize this system.