As born and grown in USSR, I have a good knowledge of what communism was, as in original works of Marx&Engels. We just study them in school. Really it is a highly boring political and philosophical bullshit, written by a people who hardly believe in it.
However, there was one thing that got my attention and still make me think about it, and I think that it is the most important thing that all that communist philosophy bring to the existence ever. And every single politician and propagandist carefully hide that thing from public attention. Whatever side he is.
For a second keep all that ideology apart, and try to take that communist thing with open mind.
Marx once wrote that "most valuable thing for the individual is free time". And this is not about the time for the rest for the next working day or something similar. He told about time that an individual could use solely for self-improvement, creation, thinking, inventing and all that stuff, completely free from any personal or social necessity.
This thing about "free time" was really ostracized in USSR, and I don't remember even any discussions on that topic during school time.
OK, may be that communist thing about "free time" was implemented in socialist society? But no. All the socialist system was build with intention to keep citizens from acquiring that "free time". In real life you had only time to rest, for following work, nothing more. All the system was build to keep the masses from that "free time".
And transition of my country from socialism to capitalism changed absolutely nothing. Just the way of keeping people from "free time" become different. Now you have to spend all your time to keep yourself alive making money. And every time, when the peoples wealth rised to the level when the appearance of that "free time" become possible, there inevitably next crisis ensued, dropping wealth below that level. Again you have to run for your life in endless chase.
You would not believe me, but do you know, where I saw the first true depiction of communism, as I imagine it? Not in soviet propaganda movies or books, not in lectures or documents of USSR Communist party. That was American sci-fi series Star Trek!
There was depicted a society full of "free time". People literally use it for things they was interested in to create, explore and develop themselves.
What the hell is this? Why that "free time" thing is hidden everywhere, and why any system keep the people apart from it?
Currently, the level of scientific and technical progress allow every individual on earth to work no more that two-three days a week, to keep all basic needs at more than sufficient level. And there will be enough that "free time", when you don't need to even think about your earth needs.
It is interesting, that everything in the world works in the way, when the sane people who could get maximum of their "free time" are constantly put in conditions where that "free time" is stolen from them. Welfare parasites have a tons of "free time", but they just trash it to dumb pleasures and doing nothing. Rich persons throw it away on making more money, or dumb amusement. And ones who could really utilise that "free time" for creation and development are deprived of it.
I think that there is definitely something about it, connected with 70-s and energy yoke, but still can't connect the dots in the clear and obvious way.
We are already productive enough to cover all personal and society needs working no more than two or three days a week. For decades. This is a technology gift, stolen by TPTB. So, excess productive labor is not a salvation at all, it is literally feeding and powering TPTB.
I think a big problem with the absence of free time in western liberal states is inflationary monetary policy. In order to fund the war machine and welfare state with reasonably low taxes, deficit spending is required or new money must be injected into the economy. This undermines the value of labor and drives up cost of living (which isn't reflected in official inflation metrics). Decades of doing this means more work for fewer goods that one needs to survive (e.g. housing, energy, and food). Increasing the number of goods in the economy hides the nominal increase in inflation in other goods and people don't realize their savings are being eroded. When new products enter a market with no inflation prices of old goods should go down. Instead we see differential increases in price for all goods.
This idea is a big part of why the cultural revolution eviscerated all the monkhoods and monasteries that were everywhere in old china. By dedicating their life to the monkhood people were able to live with a far greater amount of “free time” leading to some miracles of inner development like those I’ve post about before. The locals would supply some leftover food to the monasteries to supplement what they could grow. The monks could then dedicate a large part of their time to assisting the locals in whatever ways needed, teaching, healing, protection, etc.
Mao wiped out true communism to put in {communism} imo
Mao was true communism
There can't be any "true communism". Marx&Engels philosophical exercise is so complex and tangled that you can build any nightmare where, say, individual has no right to own a means of production and name it communism, and nobody will be able to figure out is it a communism for real, or not.
In USSR simplified communism description was: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs". However, this omit a lot of other things, enclosed in that ideology, like ban of private property, ban of owning a means of production and a heap of other stuff. In reality, only that omitted restrictions was truly implemented, but never that nice slogan. Also interesting that Marx&Engels told absolutely nothing about free speech or freedom of movement, but somehow the limitations of both always become part of every communism implementation.
True communism is a few people on top doing very well.so mao is true communism