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I think a lot of radicals are very pessimistic because they keep comparing us to 1917, when we are closer to the mid-to-late 1800s in terms of revolutionary development. They keep expecting a harvest when we have not tilled and remediated the soil, let alone planted the seeds. We are in a period of catalysis, not of revolutionary overthrow. And that is very distressing, as the problems that face us now are worse than ever.

We must take a solemn view, knowing that, even if the road ahead is long and full of horrors, we only make our way by walking. Optimism cannot carry us forward in place of pessimism. We can consult no crystal balls to assure us of our ultimate success or inevitable failure. There is only action. There is only concerted effort toward a goal. There is only necessity in the face of oblivion.