Hardial Bains Library Opened in Winnipeg

The MRC of CPC(M-L) officially opened the Hardial Bains Library in Winnipeg on the evening of April 9. The library is to serve as a reading room and research facility for the communist and revolutionary movement in the region. The opening was attended by an enthusiastic group of political activists, the majority of whom were youth. People were very impressed by the attractiveness of the library, with its oak shelves lined with the writings of communist revolutionaries from every corner of the world.

In a speech dedicating the library to Hardial Bains and to the revolutionary youth, a spokesperson for the MRC pointed out:

"Hardial Bains was a communist, an organizer, a philosopher and an educator. His philosophy on education was summed up in the following words in the 1967 pamphlet Necessity for Change!: "Understanding requires an act of conscious participation of the individual, an act of finding out." This concept of learning does not negate the necessity for books and book learning, but puts it in its proper place, as secondary to action and in service of action. What it says is that one does not gain an understanding of Marxism by reading some books by or about Marx. And that is not the purpose of this library, to serve as a repository of knowledge written by some great people from the past. Hardial Bains' conception of learning was that if you want to become a Marxist, to gain an understanding of what Marx said, then the first thing you must do is to take action to change the world around you. Then, as you grapple with the problems of organizing, you should read Marx as a guide to action, to assist you in overcoming the problems in your path."

The speaker went on to contrast this materialist view of action with analysis to the two dominant theories of learning which exist in Canadian society, which can be summed up as: analysis without action; and action without analysis. The dedication concluded with the following call:

"In closing, I just want to comment on the natural thirst for knowledge which exists amongst youth and the young at heart. This is one of the most important aspects of what it means to be human. It is what drives society forward and guarantees the inevitability of revolutionary change. We, too were young once and in many ways we have refused to grow old. We came out of the great upsurge in the youth and student movement of the 1960s and one of the things which we absolutely rejected was being preached to by experts, by the so-called Marxists and revolutionaries of the older generation. We insisted on charting our own course through the wilderness of capitalist society and in learning from our own experience and we have stuck stubbornly to that principle ever since. We may have made mistakes along the way, mistakes which we may have avoided if we had listened to those who were "older and wiser" than us, but we learned from our mistakes and grew because of them. Without those experiences we could never have learned to think for ourselves. We would have been forever at the mercy of the "teachers" and "leaders", never able to figure out whether what they presented as knowledge was useful or not. So our only advice to you today is to challenge everything, be critical in your thinking, have confidence in your own work and your own experience and never, ever let anyone do your thinking for you. This is what it means to be a revolutionary.

This library, as well as various human resources, will be here to assist you in your journey, to provide you with the experience and thinking of others who have grappled with the same problems which confront you. But nothing can ever substitute for your own work, your own analysis, your own "act of finding out". Have confidence in that and you will make a contribution towards our common goal of overthrowing capitalism and creating a new, human society."

The evening was very moving and inspiring for all the participants. Many youth expressed their excitement about the library and remained for hours, talking about the problems and opportunities facing the movement. In addition, a number of people, including some from other communist organizations and revolutionary youth organizations, donated books and other materials to the library.