By reading theory, organizing and realizing that many of the comrades that went before me were just as scared, but they did it anyway. I have nothing to lose but my chains and I won't go out before beating some fuckers with them when they break.

Fucked up? Yes. Powerful? Not really.

While the state have a significant military and economic force, there are intensifying contradictions between the working class and the bourge. We just have to promote class consciousness and redirect that outrage towards revolution.

There are a few things to consider:

Mao's paper tiger

The average lifespan of an empire is 250 years

That the situation has always been desperate and hopeless, perhaps moreso in periods of history than it is today. We can look to the battle of Stalingrad or the Long March or the period around the October Revolution as examples of just how desperate things have been and how we have been able to prevail against all odds. Heck, Lenin didn't expect to see the revolution in his lifetime and then in a few short years he ended up leading it.

I'm not going to go into depth on this because I don't have the focus rn but ultimately this is a question of having a world to win and daring to invent the future. We have two propositions:

• We are in a hopeless situation with no potential for achieving revolution
• We are in a situation which has potential for achieving a revolution

The importance of revolutionary optimism cannot be overstated. (There are some good video essays out there on this topic.)

Ultimately, the choice is between an attitude of defeatism or revolutionary optimism. If we choose defeatism then we foreclose on the potential for revolution because, if an opportunity for revolution exists, we will not be in a position to seize it.

If we choose revolutionary optimism, on the other hand, we have the ability to seize the opportunity.

We cannot allow ourselves to foreclose on the opportunity for revolution because we will only ever know if something is possible by striving for it and, in achieving it, proving that it is in fact possible retrospectively.

I'm not too concerned about the West as they are already crumbling and it is inevitable that they will fall.

What I am worried about, though, is the climate crisis that they are largely responsible for.

The west is like 20% of the world. Fuck it. Focus on the east and south.

Personally, I just remind myself the West is a fraction - not even half - of the world's population, and that even within the Imperial Core people are recognizing we need to change. I look towards BRICS with hope, and like to think it will force the West to finally change its ways. Sure, there's a lot of what ifs with that, but it helps.

Rome once seemed invincible too and yet look what now remains.

The challenges are great. The blood spilled will be enormous in the thrashing dying of the beast. But it will fall. Look at how Russia stands against them and realize it is the blossoming of hope. That eyes of billions look at Russia and see in their stand hope for their own shackles to Europe and their American masters. Their order is weaker now than it has been at any time since they ascended at the end of the second world war. It is crumbling. And while it is not a foregone conclusion they've made serious blunders and we are now deep in the game.

Let fear be for the enemy. Don't let the confident demeanor fool you. The arch imperialists and bourgeoisie of the west are terrified and it gets worse every day. It expresses itself in petty outbursts. Some of their actions are slow because of control and plotting yes, others however are now slow because of uncertainty, their hands faltering above the chess-board, trembling because they're no longer certain their old move-set will work this time and it's all they have.

A lot of us are radicalized first by learning about the present injustices of capitalism/colonialism, then learning about the past roots and trajectories of these injustices. But the possibility of a radical future comes from recognizing that the struggle to elucidate and narrate History is an ongoing dialectic. Our inability to know the whole, "objective" width or breadth of History is daunting but also the root of radical possibilities; for if even Humanity's past is not set in stone, then surely it can reject the Historical finale that the bourgeoisie have written for us, and write a better one.

tl;dr: positivism + causalism = determinism, and determinism --> either accelerationism or defeatism.

(positivism = the belief that a complete, objective understanding of all social facts is possible; causalism = the belief that the past causes the future).

Oh, I forgot to mention something in my previous comment so please excuse the double-tap.

There's absolutely no reason why you have to focus your learning on the ongoing dark history of the US. It's still going to be there waiting for you whenever you're ready to come back to it.

If you feel like you're getting doompilled by staring long into that particular abyss then it is no longer serving you or the greater struggle. So abandon it, at least temporarily.

There are a ton of inspiring things from the past and the present moment that you can focus on so seek out those things and give yourself permission to put investigation into the stuff that brings you down on hold. Also, when you return to this stuff, remember that you need to be doing this with a sense of purpose. Mindless consumption of the doom doesn't work towards anything but if you are learning about this stuff to develop your thoughts about how to intervene in it and defend the revolution (e.g. learning about Salvador Allende's presidency and the coup in order to take lessons to heart which will inform your politics and how you would guard against subversions and coups) then it gives much more meaning to the difficult subject matter and it makes it less likely to sap your revolutionary spirit.

You might want to consider reducing your intake or disconnecting entirely from the news cycle as well. Of all the things I am exposed to, I find this brings me down like nothing else.

Try to find time for developing your aspirations and hopes as well as for your own leisure. I'm not of the opinion that self-care is a revolutionary act but it sure as hell is a radical act and it's of critical importance because you're not going to be of much use to communism, your community, your circle of loved ones, or yourself if you end up in a pit of endless despair.

You are far too important for that.

Hey we 3rd worldies are powerful too .

It passes and you'll be a better person for it after. For me the tough part is leaving behind friends who want to wallow in their hate that status quo propaganda gives them.

Let me tell my story: I came from quite right wing family and environment. But their arguments are insult for a healthy mind. So is the neoliberal ideology, but I ashamedly admit, I was infected by it for some time. A year ago, I read socdem and anarchist things. I was badly in depressed mood, overworked and phantasing about suicide. I was a typical doomer, maybe some anarkiddy. But I was disgusted with neoliberals in supposedly left media, so I came to Lemmygrad. And I think ML gave me strength. It gave me moral objectives. It gave me purpose. It gave me confidence and faith. It gave me noble aspirations. Cheer up! Eat well. Sleep well. Excercise - go to gym and try martial arts. Read a lot. It sounds banal, but this phisical condition has tremendous effect on your mood. Think that there are whole countries which are communistic and more will come. Not long ago, when I felt bad, I posted a similar thoughts on Lemmygrad and comrades cheered me up. You are not alone! It was harder to unionize century ago, with no internet, but people managed it.

When I feel depressed, I like to listen and read the lirics of Budionny March: https://youtu.be/G4kvVbEEtMY?si=ee7A3qnLq0nVhwO1

Do not bow your head but look forward!