Lessons from Communism

There are lessons that stand to be learned from just about everything. I am=
 now focusing on lessons that should come from the world=E2=80=99s experien=
ce of Communism.

The main lesson from Communism is that you don=E2=80=99t get to keep people=
=E2=80=99s loyalty for long if you insist on treating your workers like dir=
t. When a section of a population is being mistreated, it is only a matter =
of time before someone comes along and caters to that. With Communism, the =
hardest lessons were learned by places like Russia and China, where abuses =
were the worst, and the least hard lessons were learned by places like Amer=
ica, where the abuses were the least.

We have some in conservatism claiming that anyone who=E2=80=99s had anythin=
g to do with Communism is evil. In fact most people who supported Communism=
 came from the right place. They didn=E2=80=99t like seeing workers being m=
istreated. They didn=E2=80=99t like seeing women being mistreated. They did=
n=E2=80=99t like seeing people of other races being mistreated. Many of the=
se people were ethical and compassionate. Much more so than people who want=
 them lynched.

While Marxism itself is wrong =E2=80=93 and I have written about all the wa=
ys in which Marxism is wrong =E2=80=93 it doesn=E2=80=99t take an evil pers=
on to want to improve the conditions for workers, women and other races. Al=
l this does not require a revolution and can be done within the framework o=
f capitalism and democracy. When I worked in the computer industry I did no=
t feel exploited. I was being paid right and I was being treated right. The=
se people in business have learned their lesson from Communism, and they ma=
de correct changes in their practices.

It is in no way valid to advocate for slaughter of propertied class. It is =
however valid to work to improve conditions for workers, women and other ra=
ces. Once again, this does not require a revolution; it can be done within =
the framework of the system that we have now.

There are many valid arguments in favor of business being good to the worke=
rs. There is an argument toward compassion =E2=80=93 that the worker has a =
family to support. There is an argument toward reason =E2=80=93 that the wo=
rker is working hard and should be correctly compensated. There is an argum=
ent toward the Golden Rule. One does not have to be a Commie to care about =
such things. Both rationality and Christianity favor this approach. And a p=
erson claiming to practice either has it demanded of himself that he treat =
people in general =E2=80=93 and his workers in particular - well.

There are also many valid arguments in favor of better treatment of the env=
ironment. What we have here is timeless treasures that man has not created =
and cannot recreate. These should be protected, even as the world goes on w=
ith scientific and technological progress.

This being done, the more idealistically minded people will work within the=
 system instead of advocating for a revolution. They will find home in the =
capitalist system in fields that they can believe in. And the same people w=
ho are now troublemakers will becomes significant contributors, applying wh=
at is in many cases extraordinary creative intelligence to come up with and=
 implement real solutions to the problems of the world.