Communism, communitarian, and social cooperatives

Aprofessor of mine in college discussed with us the difference between these three economic systems. The discussions flowed from our arguments on the validity of joining a rebel community.

To answer this question, one has to really go back to the root of the philosophies and understand the principles. We had a discussion about the justifiability on being a communist.

A colleague of mine equated being a communist as being communitarian.

Another contemporary discussed that in order to be active in social cooperative, one has to embrace communism.

So, allow me today to clarify these key concepts in communism. I read somewhere about pinpointing to people as activists and as terrorists. You might be using the wrong word or term, these are people who adhere to an ideology that seeks for change or revolutionize the status quo.

So, let us start with communism. It is nothing but an ideological manifestation of the philosophy of dialectics. It is the economic system whereby all means of production are owned and operated by the State.

There is no private-ownership and private commerce, only totalitarian rule. There is no autocratic leadership, but only a communal settlement. Each will be given according to each one’s need and not according to his wants. A communist is one who adheres to the principles of communism. One believes that in a communistic community, there is no title or class but one could freely do what he wants each day. Communitarianism is a belief where no one owns anything but everything is owned by everyone. There is no private ownership but by the community. This is different from communism, where there is a concept of ownership.

In this case, there is no individual ownership. This is manifested in many religious orders. The very manifestation of such is clearly found in the Acts of the Apostles.

All properties were taken in common and distributed according to each one’s needs. There is equitability in this system. Salary or compensation is based on the needs of the community and not according to ones’ professional cost.

Social cooperatives are cooperatives that have been created to help each community.

These cooperatives have the sole purpose of lending goods for members to live a humane life. The community will help one another. I agree that most who are into the cooperatives are socialists or moderate communists. They are these people who are ready to give up everything in the name of the organization.

Lastly, what I cannot accept today is that there are those intellectuals and intelligent war freaks who always misunderstand the communism and gets confused with the idea of terrorism.

Commmunist are not terrorists, they are simply activists, like those environmentalists, who want to revolutionize or change the status quo. A terrorist is not an activist and a communist but those who sow the idea of confusing communism with terrorism are simple cowards in today’s society. Both were given in 2015. At present, she is an editor at the UP Press.

Bulong hopes the DEAL through its founder Dr. Clarito de Francia, a former Baguio professor now based in in California would continue supporting the writers in the country.

The annual DEAL Awards is also presented through the help of Fil-Americans’ Jesusa and Rockwell Ocab, NP Elvira Dela Pena, and the Filipino Seniors of Santa Maria Valley headed by their president Thelma Alafriz Cabanas, Fil-Am Association of Santa Maria Valley president Charles Lara and board of director Atty. Imelda Picar-Fernandez.

The DEAL Awards and TMIF efforts in promoting and supporting Filipino writers around the globe is laudable and timely as we celebrate the National Literature Month this April. May there be more groups who will support our writers and help preserve our literature.

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