When we come to blows we are, generally, not acting in bad faith or for a love of violence. We are people of very strong convictions and when we make a decision we will stick doggedly to that decision. And, being leftists, Marxists, anarchists, people who analyze and dissect the world, our decisions are often backed with strong analysis. It is easy to back down when one lacks convictions and is a weathervane for whatever is happening around them. Not so when ones convictions are rooted in personal experience, analysis, and theory. It is often the case that neither party is incorrect, and instead they assign importance to different values or different knowledges, or prioritize different goals.

All this is to say; While our conflicts are vicious our intent, often, is not to harm but to aid each other and our comrades. We seek to change the world in ways we firmly believe will make it better, safer, and more supportive of the community. This makes compromise very difficult!

I am, as I have mentioned, very angry. I feel that I and others have been treated with disrespect and our experiences and needs have not been given consideration. However, I know that my comrades have not done this out of hatred, but rather because they are principled people whose beliefs are tempered and strong, and who are not willing to accept something they believe to be harmful simply because they are met with forceful arguments!

I do not know if this breach can be fully healed, or how to do it. But I love my comrades even when we disagree, even if our disagreement is so strong that we cannot remain friends. If we must part I know that each of us will continue to stride through the world armed with hard won knowledge, battering down falsehoods and distortions with whatever weapons we can muster. We may no longer be friends, but we remain comrades.