Reforge The Blade - また刃を鍛えて

This song discusses the concept of the “internal revolution.” This idea has been delineated by a number of revolutionary thinkers, but this song was specifically inspired by Safiya Bukhari’s book “The War Before.” It is necessary for revolutionaries to not just create revolution in larger society, but also within themselves. We are all inundated with liberal, capitalist, imperialist, colonial, patriarchal ideas from our very birth, and they are something we have to consciously and continuously try to unlearn. This means we must submit ourselves to constant critique and self-critique in order to identify and rectify these tendencies within ourselves and others. If we do not, internal contradictions will form within our organizations that can be exploited by hostile outside forces and eventually become antagonistic enough to destroy us. This song likens the process of the internal revolution to reforging a blade, in which the blade’s imperfections are hammered out over time and it is completely transformed into a sharper, stronger weapon. If the blade is not reforged, it will eventually chip and break, much like our movements will without continuous internal transformation.

http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm46528108