by Angus McFarland
Maine
Some years ago, my father died, and a few years after that, my son was born. As a carpenter, I couldn’t afford to take much time off for either event, so I worked, using methods taught to me by my father to support the life of my little son. His birth made me think a lot about what kind of a world we brought him into and what his life would be like in it. As a “pandemic baby,” he was born into a world where millions were dying of a disease because they couldn’t afford the care they needed or were forced into workplaces where they were placed at risk of contagion. A world where the economic cycle of boom and bust can take away a lifetime’s gain in the blink of an eye. A world where alienation and hopelessness drive people mad, so they gun down children in schools for mad reasons or no reason at all.
I want him and a future partner to have the power to choose when and if they want to bring their own children into the world. I want him to be able to live by work that is meaningful to him and benefits his community, not waste his precious days struggling to survive. And crucially, I want his world to be a livable environment, not a polluted nightmare driven by greed into climate disaster. So about a year ago, I went looking for more people who hoped for a better world and were willing to organize and fight for it.
The people I met in the Independent Socialist Group were just that. Not careerists or political entrepreneurs telling me to shut up, go home and vote for them, but regular working people just like me who truly want to create a better world for my son and all future generations. As a group, we are eager to teach ourselves, each other, and the working class to which we belong the rich history and theory of socialism. We are also willing to organize and stand up to the thieving capitalist class that has caused so much misery to us, our parents, and the generations behind us. We have faith that one day, our children will thank us for it.
Independent Socialist Group 