This is an opinion piece written by an individual member and was not voted on by membership. Opinion pieces from members do not reflect the opinions of other members and are not chapter approved statements.
To my comrades in the arts,
I write to you today, hopeful that I can answer one of the most important questions of our time.
This question sits at the back of my mind, and no doubt, most likely yours. It festers and manifests into either hope or defeat.
It inspires many, but it also leaves us with feelings of conflict. This, combined with the constant attacks from those in power and those who have been brainwashed to believe they will someday join their oppressors on that blood-soaked throne, can even make us feel unworthy and like impostors to the cause.
The question I’m here to ask today, to you, myself, and our allies across the nation and around the world, is this: How, without taking up arms, can I truly call myself a revolutionary?
We watch as the vampiric class takes our pleas for a better society as at best a tantrum, and at worst, an attack on their so-called “free world.”
We watch as the left hand of the establishment monster pats us on the head and sends us on our way, then reaches over to the right to collect its share of the wealth and power. All the while, that same right hand just moments before, with a clenched fist, slammed down and snuffed out the cries of the working class.
It’s by acknowledging that these are the likely outcomes that many of us may be too afraid to march or speak out, with the fear that you can just be abducted, sent to a place you may not even know, or risk losing what little stability you have in an already broken, unjust, and unstable system.
And all this, again, begs the question: How, without risking what little I have, can I truly be a revolutionary?
And throughout countless hours of reflection, sleepless nights, and a painful analysis of the hate rampant on social media, it’s that I’ve recognized what can be one of the most revolutionary acts of our modern times.
And that, my friends, is to create.
For too long, they have told us that our lives as creatives are meaningless. That our pursuit of the arts and knowledge about everything that makes us human is not worth it because it is not profitable.
That to live a fulfilling life, you need to give yourself to a system that does as little as possible to ensure your wellbeing in the name of profit.
Sacrifice what little time you have to pursue your passions to make even more money, and to leave little energy in your reserve so as not to question or step out of line.
To that I say, be relentless in your rebellion.
And by that I mean we must execute the perversion that is this self-hatred and submission to capitalist degradation.
Creativity feeds the human spirit, consequently fueling the desire to learn, and as we’ve seen, education is what tyrants fear most.
Because it’s through education that we can make vital steps toward achieving solidarity and collective class consciousness.
So take everything going on around you
And write a poem,
Draw a picture,
Make a song,
Pen an essay,
Record a video,
Use the arts to fuel the revolution. To create the blueprint for a world that values people over profits.
And if you say to yourself you’re not an artist, I challenge you to prove yourself wrong.
And when you do, you will realize that you are a revolutionary.
