I was recently, reading on Anarchists World Wide, an interview with a defender of the city of Serekaniye in the district of Rojava against the second largest army in NATO and its air-power, the fascist Turkish forces and their co-patriots ISIS fighters. An extremely moving report on what it is like to be involved in the defence of a territory that is more than land but an ideal a vision of a better world for all.
One passage stood out in my mind about the importance of creating a solid foundation for that ideal that you wish to fight for and defend.
One passage stood out in my mind about the importance of creating a solid foundation for that ideal that you wish to fight for and defend.
Read the full article HERE:I think one of the most important things I’ve learned here is the value of commitment. The commitment to really decide to fight the rest of your life. To make a decision that is not easy and to dump all your energies and time in building a base, to do it in the long term and with perspective. Not wanting to do things too quickly, but having perspective of what the revolutionary construction of a territory means, including society, people. I am not saying that in Catalonia there is no commitment, I say that there comes a time when, in the face of oppression, there is no possibility or half measures, it is one thing or another. And sometimes we expected to respond, but if we respond without having built the entire base on a social, ideological and structural level, the response to the attacks will be very short. It will not be long because it will not be ideological, it will not be based on common and shared values.
And then, of course…how to say it in Catalan? There is much talk here about bawerî, about faith. I believe that at home we have no faith in our own steps, in our structures, in our commitment, also at the vital level. Because if we do not start with ourselves, if we do not fight against our sexist personality, against the competitiveness that exists in us and the capitalist mentality that we have, if we do not learn to live collectively, how can we consider a real change? This is what I have seen here, that life and struggle are the same, that we have to get people to believe again, get organized again and not be afraid of difference, because the difference is what makes community.
