I just had a call with one of the party organizers in a city near me and basically the conclusion we came to is that I should wait to join as a membership due to my age as I’m in a very transitory phase in my life, end of high-school -> college/workforce age. My mental state is also not very good but a major motivator for me to get better and stay sober was so that I could be the best comrade I can be. Now it looks like I won’t be able to join until I am moved out and independent (which will likely be another year and a few months just because money exists)
It’s really disheartening because I basically live for and am obsessed with aiding in systemic change and the fall of capitalism and I just want to help so bad. I feel like such a useless parasite right now, like I’m aware of how bad things are and yet I’m still just not able to do anything.
I know it would do wonders for me mentally too, having a purpose, to work towards something with people I love and am like-minded with. Just joining this community and shooting shit online with comrades has made me feel better, I can’t imagine what serious organizing would do for me which would in turn make me a better and more dedicated member of the party. I really want to be a good person and a good comrade.
I’ve always struggled with my age restricting me from things I feel like I can handle because I’ve always been kind of a nerdy, “mature for my age” type. Not saying I’m special or trying to be arrogant it’s just I’ve always had different outlooks/thought processes and different priorities than my peers. I have connected far more meaningfully with the adult world my entire life, in part because I can learn so much from them, and also in part because I was raised by them and had no siblings, cousins, anything like that.
The organizer is very nice, I admire them a lot and it’s just an unfortunate situation. I don’t want to wait to help. I want to get out there.
Sorry for the rant, just feeling useless
There is always volunteer work that you can do. In the meantime focus on your education and on developing skills that will be useful to your community, to the party and to the revolution. These can be as varied as gardening, mechanical or electrical repair, plumbing, learning self-defense, graphic design (we want to be able to make effective propaganda), honing your writing skills or even leaning to code (so we can build more of our own online spaces like lemmygrad so we don’t have to use corporate platforms that are controlled and censored by the class enemy).
And of course read, read, read! This is something that all the great communists emphasized.
Yes this is a great idea. Just want to add engineering, offensive conflict skills as well not only defensive, and I know you touched on mechanical repair but I want to specify vehicle repair especially large trucks which can transport a lot of people (army vehicles, trucks used by the natgard, and commerial pickups and SUVs) as these are likely to be used in a revolutionary condition. We are not in a revolutionary moment right now but if everyone trains on propaganda and comms then we’ll have no technicians when the time comes so I like throwing this in once and a while.
For conflict skills try to study materials and train with vets instead of enlisting. You won’t be as experienced but you won’t be brainwashed by the empire either. Engineering shelters, clinics, bridges and pontoons especially but buildings in general.
And of course, follow your natural inclinations. These are just suggestions, one must fulfill one’s natural role in society, simply orientate one’s studies and aims towards the revolution and proletarian class interests instead of just ‘going with the flow’.