Dear revcom.us,

We who recognize the need for revolution are in a race against time. We need to literally bring forward thousands of people right now as fighters for this revolution, conscious emancipators of humanity. These thousands in turn will be key to bringing forward the millions who would make this revolution possible when the chance emerges—which could come very soon.

I've been part of fighting for this, and wanted to share some of my thinking about what we're up against—and especially, the impact and potential of Bob Avakian's leadership in helping to change what we're up against.

Here's a problem: There are lots of people right now who are agonized about the dire future before humanity. This is important. But they are on their own not confronting the system that's at the root of the problems we face or the need and potential for revolution to overthrow this system—in this time. A lot of these kinds of people appreciate what we're saying in any particular discussion, but their heads are still mainly left someplace else in terms of what they are actually thinking and doing about the world.

A related problem: We can’t just be having some good discussions which end up with people (individuals, let alone groups of people, even large groups of people) not transforming in some basic way how they are engaging revolution and the leadership of BA. The time is too short. We need to figure out an approach which puts it on them—makes them feel the need, and even compulsion on their own to engage the question of changing the world in radical ways as an immediate and serious question. 

I think this means much more frontally—straight up—challenging people and making clear to them what they should immediately be reading/engaging/doing. If we do not make this type of breakthrough, and things stay with general appreciation, but no transformation, then I'm afraid all of our interventions and discussions will be frittered away. Because the weight of “how things are” right now really powerfully cuts against the break that people need to be making in their thinking. 

With this big problem in mind, I re-listened to the social media dispatches from BA, #1–#11, now titled Real Revolution, In This Time: What the Powers-That-Be Don't Want You to Know. This is what all these people need to be immediately and deeply engaging! 

Before you read further, take the time now and listen. Or if you've already listened, go back and listen to these again, all together.

Taken together, these are the most powerful distillation of what people need to hear, understand, and themselves be part of fighting for! In simple and living ways, BA brings alive the most essential core message of why we need a revolution and how revolution is actually possible.

They are also an important and crisp companion to The BA Interviews, which take you deeply into who this leader is, and what this revolution is all about.

These provide a certain core around which the job and the fight of making revolution right now needs to pivot. And I think the central argument we need to have with masses of people should be for the immediate and deep engagement with this social media playlist and The BA Interviews. 

This also means spreading these in a big way throughout society—getting posters up on walls, flyers out to people on the trains, supermarkets and mass protests. Really making the case all over that this is what people need to get into, and why that is.

To be clear, I'm not suggesting these replace all the agitation and struggle that the revcoms need to be waging—having a big impact and really reaching throughout society. They obviously don't replace the full strategic approach laid out in REVOLUTION: Building Up the Basis to Go for the Whole Thing, With a Real Chance to Win, and they don't replace other important works by BA. 

But right now, if we aren’t able to get people to seriously engage these works, I just think that all of our other work will get “lost.” It will end up dissipating into how people are going along with things (and being told to go along with things), even if they are otherwise concerned about the future. 

This means that we're going to have to struggle ferociously with people to see the immediacy of altering their lives and not just “checking out” these works. NO—we have to lay this out to them as if the future of humanity rides on doing this. Because it does! 

Everyone reading this—and everyone you can reach—should be part of taking responsibility to make this happen.

Send your ideas and experience on this to getorganizedforrevolutiontour@gmail.com so we can all learn from each other. Use this new flyer—widely. Argue with your friends, family... and wherever you can reach people gathered.

Stay tuned for revcom.us for more materials, and please write with your reflections and ideas on this.