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For Commitment to Survive

Participatory Action Research (PAR) has the best chance of surviving the test of time only if it tells the people that it can betray them, and that only an aware and ever-vigilant people is not betrayed.

(M A Rahman in Fals-Borda O & Rahman MA [1991] Action & Knowledge; IT/The Apex Press)

 

  • the agent of change may assume him or herself to have a "superior consciousness" and thus be prone to thinking "be reasonable, do it my way". When such a person meets with resistance there is the tendency to go on the psychological defensive and this can readily turn to dictatorship.

 

  • when new, revolutionaries have "commitment" but this can burn out through time and/or can be bought off by fame or fortune1.

 

  • as the movement grows and becomes successful it attracts members for reasons other than those which attracted the originators. With a diversity of characters jumping on the bandwagon there tends to be a dilution in the heart of the movement.

 

  • also, as the movement becomes successful, it will tend to form alliances of convenience with other movements with slightly, or perhaps markedly, different agendas2: in this case the "purpose" of the movement can slip out of focus.

 

  • the movement will have been set up to "dictate over the people with commitment" but, when they have been formally institutionalized, such movements are readily taken over by self seekers who lack commitment.

 

  • it is notoriously difficult to transfer commitment to the next generation of people who did not "live through the struggle".

 

1 To the tune of The International "The working class can kiss my ar*e, I've got the foreman's job at last."

2 there is also the possibility of subversive infiltration by political enemies

 

 

 

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