SELFISHNESS AND FEAR

If we define the petit bourgeoisie in two words it would be selfishness and fear, in that order. From selfishness comes out fear.

The petit bourgeoisie excessively summarizes the values ​​of the dominant class, fueled by desperation to rise towards the status that is denied to it: become bourgeois. They are condemned to be a caricature of the dominant class to copy –exaggerated- the brushstrokes that define the bourgeois picture. This is how the symbols of power show off, imitating the originals, and that makes them feel more frustration than pleasure. Their bourgeois disguise is never enough.

Being so, it is a very fearful class; its main fear is the inability to imitate the bourgeoisie, the failure to flaunt its costumes, buying the symbols that imitate power; the symbols dictated by the propaganda that manipulates them. They are frightened to live very close to “barrios”, and not being able to maintain its distance from the "rabble." So they try to isolate themselves with check points, smoked crystals, electric fences, satellite surveillance systems, life insurances, car insurances, but not the insurances that guarantee they will not fall into the social scale, those does not exist.

They think they make their living on their own, without relationship with anyone, they face life alone. Hence, a profound selfishness and its immense fear emerge. We could paraphrase Marti’s words by saying, "The petty vain bourgeois believes that his neighborhood, his condo is the world, and as long as he enters it, passing the fragile check point that covers its entrance he feels satisfied, he ignores stars and comets”.

The fear that dwells them makes them vulnerable. Above them floats the economic meltdown, dismissal, the closure of their income source, they do not require more services; the fast technological obsolescence ruins little companies. However, all this anxiety coming from the economic weakness which submitted by the bourgeois, all that fear is redirected to the humble and who tries to redeem it. The petit bourgeois, paradoxically, does not hate the bourgeois who depletes it; but the humble, who is as victim as him, does not aim his hatred at the candidates of capitalism but against candidates who try to redeem humanity, including them.

Thus, the hate of the petit bourgeois is irrational, insane, so it is cruel, very dangerous. It is able of anything carried by his existential anguish, capable of accepting any cruelty, of killing to which he considers, mistakenly, the source of his uneasiness.

When madness comes out, it explodes, there is no reasoning or thinking that is worth it, they act commanding us through fear, and terror dilutes their ethical ties. This explains fascism.

We are not talking about Europe; we saw madness near here, who murdered García Lorca, Victor Jara, who disappeared thousands in the Southern Cone. In Chuao, in the siege of the glorious Embassy of Cuba we saw acting the crazy mob and its leaders.

With Chavez forever!

TWO CYCLES

Our peaceful Revolution has two cycles: the electoral cycle and the prosperity cycle. We must understand them in order to design the tactics and strategies. Let's see.

The electoral cycle is the period of bourgeois elections and a non-elections period.

In the non-election period, Revolution can develop its own logic, its physiology. It is a favorable period to establish the material and spiritual basis of Socialism. Revolution is ahead, it has the initiative, and the battle is taken in a clear field. In this stage of the cycle, we must take the most of it to gain awareness, organization, and training in order to sharp the revolutionary force.

On the contrary, in the bourgeois-electoral period, the oligarchy fights within its field. This is supported by almost century of customs and conditionings. We have already said that the bourgeois elections are made to perpetuate the bourgeois system and elevate its spiritual essence: selfishness. This election is a tournament where the mass is immersed in what is trivial; the glitter of marketing superimposes to the substance, what is immediate covers what is strategic, and the manipulation of advertising guides the decisions. The promise, the material gift refuses any argument. From them, that is the custom, a fragmented mass, depoliticized, childish.

Therefore, it is a period where the revolutionary consciousness, the organization, the information gained during the non-electoral stage is tested. If accumulation is deficient; then Revolution has to make concessions to the bourgeois-electoral logic; and subordinate it to itself the advance, granting that awareness and training decreases. Now, if the accumulation is successful, Revolution can give other content to the elections.

The prosperity cycle, at the same time, consists of a period of "normality" and a turbulence period.

The period of "normality" is characterized by a good economic situation, of high oil prices, retracted oligarchy, without initiative, working in the underground of infamy, preparing assassinations, coups, screaming from Miami or Peru, but without raising too many waves. In this period, Revolution has the opportunity to move forward, to break with the culture of rent and laying the ethical and spiritual foundations, which strengthen Revolution.

The period of turbulence is characterized by economic difficulties, low oil prices and the pressure of the recognition of the mass. During this period, as in the election period but even dramatic, the strength gained in the period of "normality is tested".

There are two cycles and four periods. Success will depend on the tight assessment of each one. These cycles represent a high risk of loss, in the propitious stages for the accumulation there is the temptation to forget that the wind ahead of us is temporary, and neglecting the strengthening for the turbulence periods. These periods of prosperity are favorable for the theory spin, reformists and restorer. The class that swings between the bourgeoisie and the workers, which the classical writers call petit bourgeoisie -a term that offends some- has a fertile field for the testing of their mistake.

With Chavez!

ESTUDY, AN INSTRUMENT OF VICTOR

The Bolivarian Revolution, since its beginning, has as main foundation to transfer power to the people. This concept cannot be understood only in terms of philanthropic management, which is important but not enough. The power of the people lies in two fundamental pillars: organization and the knowledge that sustain consciousness. Without these two pillars everything will crumble.

The Liberator said in its aftermath: "Moral and Education are our primary needs". "An ignorant people are the blind instrument of its own destruction". Bolivar lived the sadness of seeing manipulated the people he loved, abused in its credulity by its enemies, became into its own executioner. Ignorance transformed into conceit, virtue, put the people against its Liberator.

Today’s Revolution, continuing the Bolivarian quest, must feed on the experience of Independence. It has defeated countless battles: April's, the oil sabotage, elections.

However, as the process advances the qualities that circumstances demand to the mass and to its leaders, are bigger. Neither the feeling nor intuition are enough, the challenges require knowledge, study, constant training. Improvisation and lack of rigor are flaws increasingly dangerous, it does not have place in the beautiful march towrads the construction of Socialism. Marti, within his wisdom, said: "be educated to be free".

Today, we are required to study the Second Socialist Plan that will be the script for the nation over the next six years. Commander Chavez submits it to the people for its study, complementation and analysis. It is an unprecedented gesture as well as a challenge. There is no place for improvisation, for spontaneity; in these circumstances it is irresponsible. It is necessary seriousness, rigor, study, the concepts as the basis of opinions.

The consultation of the Socialist Plan is the initiative of transferring power to the people more important than Revolution has ever done: it is ask to the people to rise and build its course, to know this Plan and to know the reason for every action, detached from the local to achieve national and international dimensions. This fact increases the demands. Now, it is necessary to refine the organization and the study that feeds reflection.

It is in this environment that the school “El Arado y El Mar” put its educational materials at everybody’s disposal, its classes and textbooks that are the basic segment of the study of the Revolutionary theory. There are presented concepts to understand and judge the reality we live in, we are sure that this will be useful in the task of enriching and understanding the Second Socialist Plan.

Materials can be found on the Web elaradoyelmar.com and elaradoyelmar.tv, a radio that transmits the audios from that School. You can also obtain information on the South Awareness program delivered from Monday to Friday through RNV-91.1 FM at six pm at “El Clásico” channel, also you can write to elaradoyelmar@gmail.com

With Chavez we will study and we will win!

SOCIALISM OR LAST PERIOD

The thinking species has so much power to create and destroy that is the only one to commit suicide, to end life and destroy the planet. His intelligence is so high that he created war; he manufactured bombs that can destroy the planet several times, he created a flying unmanned aircraft, nuclear submarines, and a long and impressive etcetera. But the height of human distortion is the worship of Mammon, money, capital, wealth. Let's see.

We are used to have a relationship of accumulation of material things, who has the most is powerful, we summarize material goods into money, who has more money, who is able to get things and possess more, will be the most powerful of all. This division between holders and dispossessed seems natural. We think this is normal and we will always think so for the rest of times.

Accumulation is possible because the means of production -at some point- became non-social property, and means of exploitation; there is where man appropriates the work of other men. Who stole the land, the factory, could put conditions to the dispossessed; necessity forced them to work for the owner of the means of production.

We live in a world, in which it is possible for men to steal other men’s work, and the product of this massive theft becomes in merchandise, and this merchandise turns into money within the market, which is accumulated labor. This relationship between men has consequences.

This creates a spirituality that justifies, reproduces and perpetuates that relationship that makes possible the massive theft of labor. The essence of this spirituality is selfishness and competition. We all transform into merchandise, worshipers of Mammon, of capital, it governs life, humanity, and everything turns around profit, around accumulation. What benefits capital, to Mammon, is good, and what hurts it, is bad. Man switches his place with money, now he is just a slave of an evil religion that some people call capitalism.

This perverse idolatry, capitalism, has transformed us into a non-society, into a combination of selfishness, it has transformed us into selfish islands, and we are like puppets moved by the strings of consumption and production. The eager for profit, transformed into collective madness, leads us towards unhappiness. We suffer from a disease called capitalism, which alter our natural needs and override our limits of satiety. So, we live the restlessness of discontent, we are "always dissatisfied".

It is necessary to defeat fetishism, the religion of capital, founding the love for humanity, and urgently, it is necessary to establish a new way of relating with each others, rescuing relationships. This is only possible within Socialism, a society where the human is the center, and nature regains its status as sanctuary of life, and everyone lives according to their capacity and receives according to his needs, where nobody accumulates material things and every one lives for the good of all.

Chavez is Socialism!

OPPOSITE PROJECTS

Last Sunday and Monday were registered two options for the elections, two projects of opposite civilization, as opposite as water and oil.

One of them is the old path of capitalism, failed in the world that crunches under its leadership; Europe is a single cry, China cannot hide its crisis, and gringos that cannot find who else to exploit; yes, capitalism is exhausted, and therefore it is more dangerous than ever, the dying monsters lose any scruple, in its desperation to survive, it wipes out all life.

Capitalism, in the middle of a terminal crisis, has reserved for the periphery countries the role of supporting its wasteful system, being its captive markets, being its suppliers of raw materials, and providing cannon fodder for its colonizing battles.

In this pathetic picture, Venezuela would lead the main role, the large reserves of energy, water, and mineral wealth make us target of the imperial voracity. They need oil and plenty of gas -but given, they do not care if the people suffer the consequences of dispossession. That is the environment in which capriles’ campaing will move, with him there is no choice but to be a subjugated piece in the support of the imperial waste, a lifeline of its terminal crisis. The future he offers -beyond his lies- is misery.

World capitalism has a terrible future reserved, it will unleash the horsemen of the apocalypse, and the northern crisis will hit us with horrors. The North -that despises us- requires exploiting the South, it has no choice. The capitalist candidate has to follow the script, selling our motherland. We have to suspect of who considers capitalism.

The other possibility that appears to the electoral battle is the one that points the way to overcome capitalism, it seeks ways of organization to enhance social force, and integrate us as a society.

It is not a mere electoral proposal -it is known that the country's future, of this generation and those following- to overcome capitalism, and it is known that Socialism is the only way to do it, it is the continuation of a struggle for the emancipation of the human that takes millennia.

The task of building paths to escape from the fate of capitalism is fraught with difficulties, the dominant classes know the soul of the enslaved, they manipulate it, they deceive it, and so they have get to plunder mankind since the beginnings of history.

Liberation was always a goal to achieve a better life, end exploitation and slavery. Now, the struggle to free ourselves from capitalism is a battle where the fate of humanity is decided, a battle of life. Capitalism leads mankind to the abyss of extinction. In its excessive eagerness for profit; in its voracity it has injured in such way the balance of life that led it to the limits of existence. We are approaching a point where the gap is such, that there will be no return.

The choice of the Commander is the guarantee of the continuity of life.

Chavez is guarantee!

HOW TO WIN THE MIDDLE CLASS?

The Bolivarian Revolution -since its beginnings- has looked for an answer, implementing every type of incentives to captivate the petty bourgeoisie, the middle class... the result is modest, the middle class is still working irrationally against us and it erodes our natural social base. Let’s review

The intention of winning the love of this social stratum with material praising has failed. The polls affirm it. If it is a class that is not hit in its economy, in its daily live: Why it is working against us? If it is still consuming, it is still vacationing: why does it prefer to wash cars in Miami?

The answer lies in the psyche, in the spiritual; there is where the combat takes place. Oligarch’s leaders have the intelligence to create fictitious tyrants, false loss of liberties, false shortages, fragmenting society, proposing individual selfish solutions, terrorizing and then presenting absurd to relieve the panic.

That is how a candidate for municipality mayor proposes to make his municipality a "safety island", isolating it from the rest of humanity, and so the neighbors can breathe peacefully. It is likely that this absurd egoism raised the most, wins elections.

This candidate has what the instruments of deformation sow in the soul of society: egoism. That is the center of the battle: selfishness against the sense of society, against love.

Within Revolution, we have made the mistake of avoiding this battle field, we merely flatter the middle class, fighting only in the material, and we ignore the battle for the spirit of the middle class.

We must demonstrate two important points:

First, we must show the impossibility of continue living how capitalism imposes us. We cannot live a wasting while others live in misery, and everyone damaging nature. It is clear that if the capitalist aggression against nature continues, the minimum conditions for life will disappear and its extinction will come, but before that the war of “all against all” will reach the unheard.

Second, we have to show the benefits of Socialism as the only way to get a peaceful and happy atmosphere for this generation and future generations. Only the integrated societies that function as one self will be able to deal successfully the potential difficulties ahead.

The dilemma is clear: if we continue flattering the middle class with material privileges, the results will be minimal, and during the attempt we will lose “chavista” social base. Now, if we take the path of conviction, a call of conscience, then we will have the opportunity to break the though shell of rejection in the middle class.

The revolutionary system of the media of ideas must be understood as the instruments of a war that has been staged in the soul of society. We cannot keep battling with the same methods, the same spots that were used at the beginning of last century, it is necessary to understand advertising as a matter for specialists and not as a whim. Let’s spread Socialism with the passion of the cast away.

Chavez is Peace!

FRATERNITY AND CLASS STRUGGLE

Insistently Revolution and Commander Chavez are accused of being promoters of hatred between brothers, of disintegration of society, of being sowers of discord and promoters of class struggle. Is this true? Let's see.

Society, as we know it, is divided into classes, and this division is not a whim, nor will of humans, it is a product of economic relations, it happens beyond wishes. However, the divided society lives in a constant class struggle. The excluded classes, deprived, exploited, express their disagreement, their discomfort, their rebellion, in different ways, from crime, the struggle for wages, popular demonstrations, songs, to art, philosophy, etc...

When that class struggle rises to a struggle for the seizing of power, from there it develops different projects of society and nation; then, the class struggle makes politics. If as a product of that political struggle, there is a displacement of the ruling classes that used to appropriate of the social wealth, then a period where there are possibilities to develop a project of a different country opens up, we are speaking -in this case- of a revolutionary period.

In Venezuela, with the arrival to power of Commander Chavez, a revolutionary period makes its way. It is understood that the class struggle has always existed, but only now is expressing politically, with the possibility of imposing a project of society different to the exploitative capitalist project. Let’s consider the struggling projects.

On one hand, there is the globalization capitalist project promoted by the empire, its best example is the trade agreement with Mexico, creator of such levels of poverty that is necessary the construction of a modern Chinese wall that isolates the United States of the miserable whose system has created.

On the other hand, there is the project of the Bolivarian and Christian Socialism advocated by Commander Chavez. A project whose object is to integrate society, rebuild the social relationships based on love, build a society where nobody takes ownership of the wealth that belongs to all, that nobody lives within the opulence at the expense of appropriating the social wealth, that nobody is excluded, in short, that man stop being the wolf’s man.

It is clear that the revolutionary project is a project of true peace, peace with justice. It is a project of inclusion, that does not discriminate, where everyone have room for all who want to collaborate in the building of a world where the individual stop being an orphan in a desert of selfishness.

Motherland is socialism!

With Chavez we build the Society of Love!