The Deprogram

The internet makes it possible to organize more through online. Consider this instance you're on, or prolewiki. These are online resources. They aren't on their own a replacement for in-person organizing, but they can still help a hell of a lot.

You don't need to be exiled to Siberia to be like Lenin. You don't need to go down in a blaze of glory to prove you're a true revolutionary. Look at what you can do in the context of where you're at, what you can help build, even if from a distance. And if what that amounts to is too far from what you want to be able to do, then shift your focus toward moving some place where you can be closer to the heart of it.

self-hatred is counter-productive!

please don't fall into the liberal-moralist trap of believing a socially produced injury to be your personal defect. you did not choose the material conditions you live under! could the average russian worker be blamed for not having achieved as much as lenin?

i understand that in our ideological drive and conviction, we sometimes ask ourselves the impossible, but ironically, this is capitalist indoctrination talking: it is capitalism that pushes us into thinking that only our productive output matters in life, but one should remember that we are all ultimately just human. there is no shame in taking a break for one's health, and there is no shame in taking part in the society you're forced to exist in. we are not preaching asceticism!

self-hatred is what the enemy wants us to feel, as it causes demoralisation and helplessness and serves to turn structural pressures into a verdict on one's own character. instead, direct your anger appropriately: it is not you who caused the world's problems, but the bourgeoisie.

lastly, i cannot emphasise enough that criticism isn’t the same as self-hatred. you can recognise mistakes and work to change without condemning your whole self.