💾 Archived View for library.inu.red › file › alexander-berkman-the-awakening-starvelings.gmi captured on 2023-01-29 at 06:31:45. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
➡️ Next capture (2024-06-20)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Title: The Awakening Starvelings Author: Alexander Berkman Date: c. 1930? Language: en Topics: revolution Source: Online source http://www.revoltlib.com/?id=1244, retrieved on November 17, 2020.
Ideas are true liberators. Ideas as distinguished from so-called reason.
For in our work-a-day world there is much reason and too little thought.
It is given only to the seer and poet to conceive liberating ideas —
impractical, wild thoughts that ultimately light the way of practical,
blind man to better and higher endeavor.
To “practical” minds the regeneration of the world is an empty dream. To
transform the cold winter of our age into the warmth of a beautiful
summer day, to change our valley of tears and misery into a luxurious
garden of joy is a vain fantasy lacking reason and sanity. But a William
Morris sees in his mind’s eye a world of comradeship and brotherhood
rejoicing in the plenitude of earth’s bounty, and he challenges
“practical reason” to justify the existence of poverty and antagonism in
a society over-rich in all the physical and aesthetic joys of a full
human life.
The incisive genius of a Leonid Andreyev, with a bitter scorn born of
intense love, lashes the exasperating helplessness of the great giant of
labor, strong enough to support the whole world, yet too weak in spirit
and thought to tear to pieces the flimsy network woven about him by the
pygmies vampiring on his great body.
How pathetic the helplessness of the giant, mighty in everything save
liberating thought!
---
Ah, indeed, thoughts are not vain fantasies, ideas not an empty dream.
Look about you. On every side is being enacted the terrible tragedy of
Andreyev’s “King Hunger”. Labor feeds and clothes the world, while
himself, poor Starveling, goes cold and hungry. The Masters of Life
tremble in their palaces at the first rumor of their disaffected slaves.
Their anxious ear catches the low murmur beneath their feet, the ominous
rumbling down in the cellar of life; their faces blanch, and laughter is
hushed in the mansions; the temples of Bachanalian joy are deserted, and
the bright chandeliers turned low, for fear the starvelings might see
the light ... and find their way to the palaces.
And the Starvelings? They meekly crawl before the trembling masters, the
powerful judges by grace of King Hunger, and plead mercy for stealing a
five-pound loaf of bread. But the mighty judges know no mercy. The
Starvelings are doomed to death. In despair they call to King Hunger,
“Help us! Tell us what to do!”
“Revolt” replies Hunger. “Take what is yours”.
But how? In the council of the assembled Starvelings,
conspiring plans of revolt, there is even greater poverty of thought and
liberating ideas than of worldly goods. Ah, the helplessness of the
stomach, conscious only of its hunger!
Meek in spirit, poor in thought, the Starvelings again appeal to King
Hunger for advice. But he is perfidious, serving with equal impartiality
master and slave, ultimately deceiving both. For the despair of Hunger
may flame forth in bloody revolt, but it needs the inspiration of the
liberating idea to become conscious, triumphant revolution.
---
Revolts of hunger, inevitable as they often are, are failures in the
larger social sense. But revolutions inspired by a liberating idea have
always been successful to the degree of their inspiration. And the world
progresses. Modern labor is learning the lessons of its past struggles.
It is no longer satisfied with the crumbs thrown at it from the masters’
heavy-laden tables. It voices its demand, ever more loudly and
determinedly, for its full share of life. Over geographical boundaries
marches the uprising of the Starvelings. It breaks down national lines,
barriers of religion and caste, and sweeps the world with the revolt of
the international proletariat. In far China, India and Egypt the coolie
is awakening to the new spirit and defying the traditions of centuries.
The industrial serfs are challenging their hereditary lords to combat.
Throughout the world is to be sensed the coming storm. It is no more the
revolt of the Starvelings, blindly following Kind Hunger. It is
Revolution, conscious of brotherhood and solidaric unity.