Ho Chi Minh on Individualism Ever since the beginning of its existence mankind has had to struggle against nature—wild beasts, the weather, etc---in order to survive. To succeed in this struggle each individual must rely on the force of large numbers of people, on the collective, on society. Alone, he cannot get the better of nature and subsist… Alone, the individual cannot produce…More than ever the individual cannot stand apart but must join the collective, join society. Therefore, individualism goes counter to collectivism; collectivism and socialism will certainly prevail while individualism will surely disappear….Born and brought up in the old society, we all carry within ourselves, to varying extent, traces of that society in our thinking and habits. The worst and most dangerous vestige of the old society is individualism. Individualism runs counter to revolutionary morality. The least remaining trace of it will develop at the first opportunity, smother revolutionary virtues and prevent us from wholeheartedly struggling for the revolutionary cause. Individualism is something very deceitful and perfidious; it skillfully induces one to backslide…that is why it is very dangerous. The…enemy is individualism, the petty-bourgeois mentality which still lurks in each of us. It is waiting for an opportunity---either failure or success---to rear its head. It is individualism which has led comrades to do as they please and to go counter to the Party’s organization and discipline. Wittingly or unwittingly, their actions impair the prestige of the Party, hinder its work and impede the advance of the revolution…Each Party member must guard against and resolutely oppose individualism. For having not cleansed themselves of individualism some Party members still boast of “their services to the Party…They want to enjoy favor, honor, rank and privilege. If their desires are not satisfied they bear resentment against the Party…They gradually drift away from the Party; worse still, they sabotage its policies and discipline. There still remain some Party members who, unable to shake off individualism, become arrogant and conceited and keep flaunting their merits. While criticizing others, they do not like being criticized; they avoid self-criticism or practice it without sincerity and seriousness. They are afraid they might lose face and prestige. They pay no attention to the opinion of the masses and make light of non-Party cadres... Individualism is a big obstacle to the building of socialism. Therefore, the success of socialism cannot be separated from that of the struggle for the elimination of individualism. To struggle against individualism is not “to trample on individual interests”. Each person has his own character, his fortes, his private life and that of his family. There is no harm when the interests of the individual do not go counter to those of the collective. But one must realize that only under the socialist regime can each person improve his private life and develop his personality and his strong points. No system equals socialism and communism in showing respect for man, paying due attention to his legitimate individual interests and ensuring that they be satisfied. In a society ruled by the exploiting class only the individual interest of a few people belonging to this class are met, whereas those of the toiling masses are trampled underfoot. But in the socialist and communist systems, of which the laboring people are the masters, each man is a part of the collective, plays a definite role in it and contributes his part to society. That is why the interests of the individual lies within those of the collective and are part of them. Only when the latter are secured can the former be satisfied. The interests of the individual are closely tied to those of the collective. If there is any contradiction between them, revolutionary morality demands that the former yield to the latter. During its many years of underground activity, our Party, although harshly repressed by the colonialists and meeting with numerous difficulties and dangers, developed and grew stronger with every passing day, and then led the revolution and the war of resistance to victory. This is due to its effective use of this sharp weapon: criticism and self-criticism. >From Ho Chi Minh ---selected writings from the chapter “On Revolutionary >Morality” _________________________________________________________________ Your E-mail and More On-the-Go. Get Windows Live Hotmail Free. https://signup.live.com/signup.aspx?id=60969 -- Sending your posting to [email protected] Unsubscribe by sending an email to [email protected] You can also visit http://groups.google.com/group/payco Visit our website at www.mayihlome.wordpress.com
