Giving Priority to Ideological Remoulding

The principle of placing the main stress on ideology clarified by the Juche idea has two contents; one is to give priority to ideological remoulding, the other is to give precedence to political work.

These two works are to place the main stress on ideology.

Giving priority to ideological remoulding is to transform the people into powerful beings with high sense of ideological consciousness whereas giving precedence to political work is to transform nature and society by enhancing role of people.

Originally, remoulding means to make or change something better. In this sense, ideological remoulding is to change the thinking of people better. In other words, it is to remove old ideological remnants from the minds of the people and imbue them with independent ideology, thus making fundamental change in the sector of ideological consciousness.

Why, then, is it necessary to give priority to ideological remoulding?

That is firstly because ideological remoulding is primary work in the development of society.

In order to develop society, it is necessary to develop productive forces, reorganize social relations as well as remould man to comprehensively developed being. Here what is primary is remoulding of man. That is because man is the master of society.

Society is formed by man and maintained by his activities. Society is inconceivable apart from man, and the development of society is inconceivable apart from remoulding of man. Therefore, if a society is to develop, man, the master of society should be remoulded.

In order to remould people into comprehensively developed beings, it is necessary to equip them with independent ideological consciousness and advanced scientific and technical knowledge and make them have high sense of culture and good health.

What is the most important here is to equip them with independent ideological consciousness, namely, to remould ideology. That is because ideology decides man’s value and quality.

Man, social being needs knowledge and good health. But knowledge and health are useful when possessed by people with good ideology.

“Medical art is human art” means that if a doctor does not love and serve the people, however rich clinical experience and knowledge he has, such people is useless. Like this, ideology is the major for man and it is important to remould it. Herein lies the reason why is it necessary to give priority to ideological remoulding.

Another reason is that giving priority to ideological remoulding is more difficult work than the transformation of conditions of material life and the development of cultural and technical level.

Ideological consciousness is restricted by socio-economic status and conditions of material life. But the change of the status and conditions does not automatically lead to the remoulding of ideological consciousness.

Old ideological remnants are very conservative and persistent. These remnants linger long even after the disappearance of socio-economic basis that produced the remnants. The old ideological remnants persistently survive just like plants growing even in a small gap in asphalt.

Sometimes we witness those people who have good socio-class background and fought well against exploitation and oppression in the past gradually lose their revolutionariness and seek comforts when they become masters of society and enjoy better life. What does this tell?

The change of material conditions of social life does not automatically lead to the change of ideology, and it is not easy to remove old ideas.

The remoulding of ideology is invisible, unlike the change of material conditions of social life.

Production of things is visible. But it is impossible to see ideology and to calculate how much of ideology is remoulded. The degree of development of ideological consciousness is different from people to people, and each man has different ideological contents.

The quality and quantity of ideology are expressed only by one’s behavior. Therefore, the remoulding of ideology is more difficult, complicated and time-consuming than the change of material life conditions and the development of cultural and technical level.

In order to score success in the revolution and construction, it is therefore necessary to give priority to the ideological remoulding than any other works, pushing ahead with it energetically and patiently.

The other reason for giving priority to ideological remoulding is that it is serious revolution.

The ideological remoulding is a work to eliminate ideological remnants handed over from the old society and to arm the people with new progressive ideas. In other words, it is a struggle between the old and the new in ideological field. Accordingly, ideological remoulding is a revolution. In this sense, giving priority to ideological remoulding is giving priority to ideological revolution.

But ideological revolution is fundamentally different from the revolution against exploiting class. This revolution is to fight against old ideological remnants in the minds of the people. This struggle is therefore a main form of class struggle taking place in a society where there is no exploiting class, the socialist society.

One should be made clear in understanding the importance of giving priority to ideological remoulding.

That is the consistent ideological and cultural infiltration by the imperialists.

One of bourgeois statesmen once narrated “4 jobs done by Western leaders” for the fall of the former Soviet Union, among them the first is the vociferation of the Western “freedom” and “prosperity.”

This tells that imperialists persistently try to paralyze sound ideological consciousness of the people and that when the ideological remoulding is strengthened, it is possible to check ideological and cultural infiltration of the imperialists and make well the revolution and construction.

In order to remould people’s ideology, it is necessary to do revolutionary education, class education, socialist and patriotic education, moral education, etc. but what is the major here is to establish revolutionary world outlook, the outlook on the revolution.

Leader Kim Jong Il said:

The main thing in ideological remoulding is the establishment of a revolutionary world outlook, the outlook on the revolution.

In one word, the outlook on the revolution is the view, attitude and standpoint towards the revolutionary struggle for the independence of the people. Ideological remoulding is after all the work to arm the people with correct outlook on the revolution.

Only those who have correct outlook on the revolution can analyze and judge all problems in the stand of the people and fight ardently for the interests of the people. Only such people can never yield but fight for freedom and liberation of the people in any adversities.

The Juche outlook on the revolution is the most correct attitude and standpoint that enable one to approach the world centering on the people and is the revolutionary spirit that enable to fight for the people. The Juche outlook on the revolution gives the people awareness that they are masters of the revolution and conviction – that revolution is arduous but surely wins, thus encouraging them to the revolution.

What is most important in the outlook on the revolution is the loyalty to the leader.

The loyalty to the leader is the core in the Juche outlook on the revolution. The position and role of the leader in the struggle for independence of the people are mentioned before. The loyalty to the leader is the core in the Juche outlook on the leader. This is related with the position and role of the leader in the revolutionary struggle.

The cause of revolution for independence of the people is shaped and consummated victoriously only by the leader. In order to be loyal to the revolution, it is therefore necessary to be loyal to the leader. Loyalty to the leader decides whether or not one is genuine revolutionary who has outlook on the leader. Apart from the loyalty to the leader, it is inconceivable to talk of the loyalty to the revolution. The loyalty to the leader is the criterion for deciding whether one is genuine revolutionary or not and is the core of Juche outlook on the revolution.

In order to establish the outlook on the revolution, it is necessary to arm oneself with revolutionary ideology and theory, boundless devotional spirit to sacrifice all for country and people, strong hatred for the enemy, indomitable revolutionary spirit to keep revolutionary principle in any adversities without vacillation, the revolutionary spirit of self-reliance to solve all problems by oneself against difficulties, the spirit of organizationality and discipline to value revolutionary organization and keep the organizational discipline. Only then, can one be a revolutionary who has strong Juche outlook on the revolution.

What, then, is necessary to be genuine revolutionary who has Juche outlook on the revolution?

For this end, one should train oneself in a revolutionary way. Although father is a revolutionary, son does not automatically become revolutionary, and those who made revolution in the past may not be revolutionary eternally. That is why they say that there is no inborn revolutionary nor perfect revolutionary.

What is necessary to train oneself in a revolutionary way?

First of all, one should strengthen revolutionary study.

Through study, one can understand principle of revolution, revolutionary ideology and theory. In order to be a revolutionary, one should think it as the first duty to study.

One should study for the whole life.

Though we study, we cannot know everything.

This saying means the reality constantly changes and develops. Therefore, in order to be a revolutionary, one should continuously learn.

Secondly, one should lead revolutionary organizational life.

Without revolutionary organization, it is impossible to conduct revolutionary struggle. People’s might is in unity, and the united might is displayed only in the revolutionary organization. Therefore, revolutionaries are involved in a certain revolutionary organization.

The revolutionary organization, the weapon of revolutionary struggle, is the school of revolutionary education for revolutionaries. While leading organizational life, people learn revolutionary ideology and theory and train while fulfilling the assignment of the organization. The organizational life is therefore called the furnace to train ideology.

Apart from organizational life, one cannot possess Juche outlook on the revolution nor political integrity. Therefore, organizational life is very important.

To be a good revolutionary, one should also be trained in revolutionary practices.

The flowers that grew in a green house cannot stand the wind but the plants that grew in the field can stand even storms.

So is the case with man. Through the practice of revolutionary struggle, people are trained ideologically and acquire revolutionary traits.

Through the practice, they become aware that they are masters of revolution, be prepared to fight against the enemies of revolution to the last and acquire revolutionary methods. Therefore, revolutionary practice is very important for a man to be a true revolutionary.