One of the greatest thinkers of the 19th century, Karl Marx, envisioned the future of humanity as the free creative work of free people. There will be no politics, there will be no states, authorities, money, etc. People will not have to sell their labor to the owners, thus alienating the results of their work. You can hunt in the morning, fish in the afternoon, tend to livestock in the evening, and write critical articles after dinner. It is a wonderful prospect; I would not refuse to live in such an environment. But, unfortunately, it is a utopia. Such a thing is not possible. The states, the armies, the owners, and the hired employees are left.
Why didn’t that beautiful dream come true? I will allow myself to give a non-standard answer, which, I suppose, many will not agree with. People are lazy by nature. Most of them do not want to go fishing or raise livestock. People want to lie on the couch, spit on the ceiling (or now, scroll through Facebook), and wait for someone to bring them some fresh pastries. The states, in their turn (especially the big ones) also do not want to dissolve themselves. On the contrary, they dream of new “achievements.” Two of them, for example, “got their noses” in Vietnam and Afghanistan in the 20th century, but it was not disciplined at all, and in the 21st century, these countries continue to poke their noses in this or that area, often interfering with each other.
Marx also naively believed that power would disappear after the political and economic revolution. But the authorities not only did not disappear, but they maintained their permanent nature. Including the authorities that call themselves “revolutionary.” It all starts with beating their chests, “giving life” to the people, going to work via bicycles and subways, and ends with summer houses, maids, servants, bodyguards, and personal doctors. If it was only the peculiarity of this government or only Armenia, I would consider it an accidental deviation that can be corrected sooner or later. But this is the scenario of the transformation of all revolutionary authorities over the centuries of human history.
In 1845, one could dream that states and authorities would disappear. That dream will never come true. Although specifically, our state may disappear. But it will not be humanity, but the implementation of our two neighbors’ dreams.
Aram Abrahamyan
