Initiation and initiative : an exploration of the life and ideas of Dimitrije Mitrinović

INTRODUCTION 5

In truth there is much in Mitrinovic’s work, especially his published writing, which is obscure and seemingly totally divorced from the realities of the world. Anyone who attempts to read, for example, his series of articles from The New Age or some of his contributions to New Britain will find his idiosyncratic and eccentric language and style almost incomprehensible; whilst the ideas that he sought to convey by such means often appear so utterly fantastic, so far beyond the normally taken for granted ways of approaching the problems of the world, as to invite dismissal as the bizarre ramblings of a somewhat deranged dreamer. This indeed was the response of many, including the present writer, on first encountering Mitrinovi¢’s published writings. Others however came to realise that it was this very ability to move beyond the conventionally taken-for-granted modes of thought and practice which was an integral part of the man’s significance. Rowland Kenney, the first editor of the Daily Herald observed that:

Mr. Mitrinovié transcended ordinary language as he transcended ordinary thought. He was speaking and writing from levels which we were not using. We were too much under the influence of logical sequence and what Ouspensky called the formatory mind. We were not used to writing, thinking and speaking from our feeling centre, which Mitrinovié did. Mitrinovic was therefore preparing many of us for an understanding of things in a new light and I think that is one of the contributions he has made to our modern world. He has taught those of us who were so wrapped up in common-sense, in reason, in the scientific outlook, in logical, sequential thought, that there is something much deeper and of much more value.?

There is indeed much in Mitrinovic’s work and in his ideas which is of contemporary interest. The demand for workers’ control in industry is still on the political agenda. The frustrations felt by those excluded from exerting an effective influence over decisions that affect their lives grows apace with the centralisation of political and economic power. The owners of capital and the controllers of finance continue to exercise a determining influence over our lives in their search for profit. The spectre of international conflict on an hitherto unimaginable scale hangs over us. Despite continued technological progress, the problems of poverty and unemployment remain with us. I would never claim that Mitrinovi¢ had all the answers to such issues of world concern, but throughout most of his life he was trying to confront these problems in an original and creative manner. A colleague recalled after Mitrinovic’s death that “he had the wonderful gift of being able to say to individuals and to our generation what future experience would make clear to them.”? Perhaps the world needs its practical planners,