Is this to be our lot?

In these days, as we seem to be approaching world catastrophe, a few words of personal experience of army warfare life, may not go ignored. So please let me set my pen to paper, and try to convey to you, the great feeling of patriotism one gets, whilst attempting to claw one’s way underground, on some far distant shore, as all the modern forces of human death and destruction are thrown in your direction.

Let me remind you of the days when the sergeant used to follow you across the battle course shrieking, “You’re a killer.” “You’ve got a bayonet.” “Use it’.” Marvellous words in these days of advanced civilisation, aren’t they? Now we wonder why the murder rate is up? Why there’s more rapes going on.

I’m not a pacifist, but what a contradiction; one moment we’re to be killers, the next ordinary people, and then back to killers again. I just can’t understand why the worker accepts this in his matter of fact attitude, “You can’t do anything about it.” Oh! how often have I heard these words.

Remember the times you stepped out into the darkness of night, with your faces black, looking like some hideous form of prehistoric cannibal, but although you looked big and frightening, in your heart you knew a stark terror of what was waiting. Remember the almost hysterical relief after the words, “Jerry’s gone, he has moved out.”

Having mixed with you, I know that down in your innermost self, there’s not one of you that wants another go, but you think there is no way out, and I must agree with you that whilst capitalism lasts there isn’t.

This is the point of importance that capitalism, with its aggravating situations over trade routes, markets, etc., armament manufacturers, boosting scares to boost sales, this is the cause of war, this the cause of young boys being taught, nay forced by society to be killers, robbers, etc. Then we say abolish the cause, that is the solution, not reforms of the effects.

Destruction of the system of society based on private ownership, and construction of a system of society based on common ownership and democratic control. This is a World-wide system of society where man will work with man for the benefit of society.

Where society will work to beautify, instead of horrify as it does at present.
F.L.