Due to the existence of private property, many are able to develop a certain degree of Individualism, albeit quite limited. They are either freed from the need to work for their own sustenance, or in a position to choose a sphere of activity that truly aligns with their nature and brings them satisfaction.
These are the poets, the philosophers, the men of science, the men of culture - in a word, the true individuals, those who have truly realized their individuality, and in whom all humanity attains a share of that truth.
On the other hand, there are many who, lacking any private property and constantly on the brink of complete starvation, are compelled to toil like beasts of burden, engaging in work completely incompatible with their nature, forced upon them by the compulsory, absurd, and degrading yoke of deprivation.
These are the poor, and among them there is no elegance in manner or charm in speech, no civilization, culture, refinement in pleasures, or joy of living.
From their collective strength, humanity gains much in material prosperity. But what it gains is merely material product, and the poor man has no importance in himself. He is merely the infinitesimal atom of a force that, far from considering him, crushes him. Indeed, it prefers him crushed, since in that case he is much more obedient.
Disobedience is, in the eyes of any student of history, the original virtue of man. It is through disobedience that progress is made, through disobedience and rebellion.
They made a secret pact with the enemy and sold their innate rights for a measly plate of food. They must also be very foolish. I can understand a man accepting laws that protect private property and admit its accumulation, provided that in such circumstances he himself is capable of attaining some form of harmonious and intellectual existence.
But it's not very difficult to find the explanation for this. It simply lies in the fact that the miseries of poverty are degrading to the extreme and have such a paralyzing effect on human nature that no class is conscious of its own suffering. It falls to others to give them that consciousness, which they are almost always discredited for. It is the plain truth that employers of labor criticize in agitators. They are a group of people who infiltrate and interfere in a particular social class that is perfectly content, in order to sow the seeds of dissatisfaction therein. That's why agitators are so necessary. Without them, in our imperfect state, there would be no progress toward civilization.It is regrettable that part of our social community lives practically enslaved, but it is naive to propose solving the problem by subjecting the entire community to slavery. Every man has the right to be entirely free to choose his own work. He should not suffer any form of coercion. If there is any, his work will not be good for him, nor for others. And by work, I simply mean activity of any kind.
“The soul of a man under socialism”
Oscar Wilde