Page 16 - Issue 22

contains a lesson for the youth movement. The
greater the demand for ideological collectivity the
smaller the expression of intellectual freedom. But
we must submit that even the most democratic
movement must have some semblance of
collectivity if it is to maintain effective solidarity
and cohesiveness. And here I must sweep aside
the cliches about indoctrination. There can be no
education without a central idea. Every individual
throughout his growth and even in maturity, is
subject to basic economic, social and political
pressures. We are in fact counteracting certain
types of pressure which we regard as negative. It
is extend we are influencing and indoctrinating. It
is senseless to hold indoctrination up to cavil as an
absolute negative concept, for it is in fact a
relative term. There is a continuum of collectivity
in thought…. We in Habonim do not require a
“Weltanschauung” text-book that will supply an
answer to every conceivable enigma in the world;
that would take up an uncompromising attitude
with regard to religion, culture and the laws of
human history; all of which is binding upon every
member; We want the individual to be limited only
to a minimum degree by our collectivity. But while
ours is essentially minimal it is a by no means
indefinable. It is the demand that every chaver
develops his own political convictions and acts
upon them. This is the twin concept of conviction
and action. In a youth movement, the first without
the second does not suffice and the second
without the first could never be.