I’d like to say something that I’ve been thinking about for a while. Reflecting back on my decades-long political life with its many ups and downs, I realize that I’ve sometimes thought and acted in ways that have been dogmatic, judgmental, sectarian, controlling, co-dependent, and arrogant (I have other flaws too but let’s leave them for another day).
Of course we must all make judgements and choices about who and what to give our time and energy to, based on what we know at the time. But I’ve often just assumed that I fully understood situations and people. I believed I knew what other people should do or say, and even how they should do or say it, better than they did themselves.
All of us try to know as much as we can, and we inevitably form opinions, but as limited individual beings we can only understand so much. We can’t grasp the entire complexity of situations or see into the future. We can only read so much of what’s in another’s heart, or guess where the movement of history might take their lives and thoughts, what they might do, and what their myriad effects on others might be.
It’s so easy to judge another and dismiss them while feeling self-righteous. For all the times I’ve done that to anyone in the broadly-conceived anti-capitalist camp or among the masses exploited and/or oppressed by capitalism, I sincerely apologize. I struggle not to do it any more.
To be clear, this reflection is not a descent into agnosticism – I still have utter certainty about fundamental things (capitalism is killing us, and only the working class can lead humanity out of it) – and I know what side I’m on in the epic class struggle that defines our era, the outcome of which determines our collective future. And I still have my opinions about the process.
I just wanted to apologize to those generally on the same side who I may have treated or thought of with insufficient regard, kindness, or respect (even if I believe you’re wrong about something). I would rather assume that we are each doing the best we can, and I appreciate all of you who are struggling to survive under capitalism and for a way forward out of it.