Mike

Dear Alex,

You would say that, communist.

Love,
Mike

And now for my blog entry:

Since the first day that we arrived in Santo Domingo we have had the concept of collectivity hammered into our heads over and over again. On a trip that has a stated purpose of developing grassroots organizing techniques, this is not surprising, but I have had a hard time truly internalizing the concept of collectivity. I have also observed many other members of the group having trouble with this concept as well and I would like to start off this entry by sharing a revelation that I had about developing a collective mindset.
Prior to gathering at John F. Kennedy International Airport we were all assigned certain jobs to perform such as making announcements, coordinating transportation, and managing the finances of the program to establish a context for being responsible for certain aspects of the group (I was assigned to the Health and Safety Team). While in many ways this system has been successful it has also had some unfortunate results as well. This idea of being assigned tasks that we must think in ways that benefit the entire group in order to perform, I feel many people have lost sight of the deepest implications of being part of a collective effort.
What I am referring to is that in order to truly function effectively in a setting where individualism is not the norm or focus, we must realize that this is contrary to most participants' socialization and daily realities. Our lives in the United States are largely structured by/around institutions that are based in the capitalist power structure and thus promote the preoccupation of one with the self, with little to no regard for those around him/her. That is not to say that any of the people on this trip acted with such disregard towards others at home, but only to point out that our thought processes are shaped by these realities, and as such we must be cognizant of those times when push comes to shove and we unconsciously revert back to individualist thinking. The most important thing is that we remember how deeply rooted individualism is in our psyches and to be vigilant about identifying when those tendencies emerge in times when we are faced with a problem or are questioning the idea of collectivity.
In such times it will be easy to want to make sure that you as an individual are satisfied first, but in addressing this thought process I think of our experience at the convite a couple of days ago. If there is one thing that we can take from that trip into the mountains of San Cristobal, it is that in the times of hardest struggle, collectivity means life and selfishness and individualism mean death for everyone. The campesinos there told us of the origins of the convite were in the aftermath of a devastating hurricane that destroyed many homes and all of the crops on that area of the mountain. After quickly realizing that no government help was on its way, the farmers saw that if they worked together not only could they rebuild what had been swept away but do much more work in a much shorter amount of time then they could previously. During the question and answer session with the campesinos, one man remarked that in the mountains, the government does not exist, that the people alone are responsible for their own survival and the relationships that they have built. Out of this grew lasting friendships and a sense of empowerment that is unrivaled in most places. I would encourage everyone on this trip to reflect on this experience and use it as a starting point to start questioning our own dependencies on social and political institutions back in the United States. Perhaps we will all begin to truly realize that the existence of the state is predicated on our dependence on it, and that co-dependence on one another is all that is needed to lead a happy life in which everyone is provided for. We can either keep providing a mechanism for the power-holders to maintain their power through our selfishness, or transform our social relationships and give everyone the equal power that they deserve.