us to cope both with the attrition of daily life and the likelihood of repression. Unless we can begin to solve problems at this level collectively, we are certainly not fit to create a new society. Contrary to what people are led to think, i.e. united we stand, united we fall, it will be harder to destroy a multitude of collectives than the largest organizations with centralized control.
Size is a key to security. But its real importance lies in the fact that the collective reproduces new social relations-the advantage being that the process can begin now.
The limitation on size raises a difficult problem. What do you say to someone who asks. “Can I join your collective?” This question is ultimately at the root of much hostility (often unconscious) toward the collective form of organization. You can’t separate size from the collective because it must be small in order to exist. The collective has a right to exclude individuals because it offers them the alternative of starting a new collective, i.e. sharing the responsibility for organization. This is the basic answer to the question above.
Of course, people will put down the collective as being exclusive. That is not the point. The size of
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