We all know what a capitalist gets up for. A capitalist gets up to accumulate more capital. They accumulate more capital, because they believe that the more capital that they accumulate, the more that they will be able to enjoy the pleasures of the world.
What we don't know is what a communist gets up for. A communist obviously doesn't get up to accumulate more capital. In a communist society, capital belongs to the collective, so there is nothing, or there is a limit, to what the communist can accumulate, in terms of capital.
But we also know that the communist also surely wants to enjoy the pleasures of the world, because communism is a secular ideology, that doesn't believe in an afterlife.
If there is anything to enjoy, whether you are a capitalist or a communist, you must believe that you will enjoy it in this life itself.
So what pleasures is it that a communist is supposed to wake up and enjoy in this world ?
I think the problem with communism is that it has never really been clear about how it intends for a communist to enjoy themselves in the world.
Capitalism is quite clear about it. The more capital you have, the more adulation, respect, power, beautiful men and women, nice cars and houses, you will be able to enjoy.
But what is it that a communist supposed to enjoy? Selfless service to the collective at large? Who in the world enjoys performing selfless service? What is the point of doing selfless service to the collective when it is most certainly not going to be enjoyable when you don't even believe in an afterlife?
That communism has never really clarified what is that a person will get to enjoy in a communist utopia is probably why capitalism won against communism in the cold war era. It won, simply because people eventually chose capitalism over communism, and the reason they chose capitalism , is because capitalism explained to them clearly how they can enjoy the world, but communism did not.
China might be rising in the world, and in tandem with its rise, communism will also likely rise in the world, but no matter how much communism rises in the world, i doubt that it will be much more than a reactionary movement, unless it explains clearly to the people, how it intends for a person to enjoy the world, in a communist utopia.
If all that communism can do, is talk in a grim sense about struggles and uprising and opressions and revolutions as Viduthalai 2, without ever saying how is it that a communist is supposed to enjoy the pleasures of the world, I doubt that communism is going to be able to make the people choose it over capitalism.
If even a director of the calibre of Vetrimaaran can't explain to us what is the pleasures that a communist can expect to enjoy in this world, I have serious doubt as to whether communism will be able to be idelogy to be reckoned with, even if China rises in the world.
People might use communism, as way to combat the degeneracy of capitalism, but they will never choose communism in and off itself. Why would they? What is there about communism for people to choose it over capitalism ?
P/S : Viduthalai part 2 is now showing in theatres near you
TheRealNehruism is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact Newswav.
