It's my last week of my summer internship so there are a few projects that i have to finish up before i leave. i have to modify and order some cables, order a tool kit for the group, help someone finish making about 20 simulators, and maybe finish up a drawing.
A personal goal i set for myself was to finish reading Quotations from Chairman Mao Tsetung at work. i finished it this morning, with plenty of time to spare, having read it in its entirety at work "on the clock." i am now moving on to read Abolition Democracy, by Angela Davis; however, as small as this book is, it fits nowhere near as nicely in the cell phone pocket of my Dickies.
i really enjoyed Mao's book. Mao was pretty deep and a lot of what he talked about is relevant to a lot of different situations and aspects of life. His thoughts on Communism, war and revolution were extremely interesting, but it was his overall attitude towards what he wanted to accomplish that really struck a chord with me.
Other revolutionaries such as Malcolm X and Assata Shakur, whose autobiographies are two of my absolute favorite books, stress devotion to their respective causes, but perhaps not to the same extent as Mao, as evidenced by his repeated emphasis of criticism and self-criticism and the idea that one should be constantly aware of and live according to what one is trying to accomplish.
Mao's cause was Communist Revolution and he, according to what he wrote (history may tell a different story), lived and breathed it. Of course, he may have written about being devoted to the cause which he headed to support a quest for power and prestige; regardless, his words have meaning and really make a lot of sense.
If i take nothing else from Mao's Little Red Book, it has really strengthened my convictions that people should live according to what they believe in.
It is a constant struggle for me to deal with always hearing about "giving back to the community" or the philanthropic work of billionaires. i hate the fact that non-profit organizations have to constantly hit up people for monetary contributions. At school this past semester, i was a part of UNICEF@USC and we organized a big concert to raise money for Angolan children, and i couldn't get past the fact that some 25-30 college kids had to put in hours of their time for a few months to organize an event that would not even raise what was equivalent to one of these student's year's tuition. It all just doesn't seem right.
Although i digress, the point i am trying to make is that, if people believe in doing good, how about living your life completely devoted to the idea of doing good. Most people would probably pass this off as Utopian and idealistic, just as people label socialism, but i think it's possible if people are able to let go of some of their selfish tendencies (namely consumerism and the constant competition against the fellow man, which is perpetuated by capitalism).
Regardless of whether this idea is applicable to everyone, i personally hope to devote my life to learning and thinking about, and acting upon what i believe in. For me, this "what i believe in" will probably constantly be changing. The important thing is that i stay true to what i believe in and work hard to accomplish everything i want to accomplish.
i would like to challenge everyone around me to do the same, but even i realize how idealistic and unrealistic that is. This is something with which i continue to struggle. i think the best solution to this personal struggle is to apply this set of standards to myself and be an example of how one can live according to these standards. Maybe when i'm completely convinced that i'm able to live up to them, then i can start to slowly apply these standards to others, especially those who are close to me.
Until then, it's just on me, and i got a LONG way to go.
1 comment:
Interesting to know.
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