Ok people, so here's where I vent some steam that's been held back in dealing with statists; and in the process, risk losing half the audience amidst cries of "Now he's gone too far!".
As true freedom advocates (and yes, there is such a distinction to be made, unlike with Scotsmen), we often feel obliged to comfort the statist in order to elicit his assent; appeasing him in his concerns about how we might still have roads, telecommunication, air travel, and various other conveniences of modern living in a free society. Some of us will (rightly) deny him a precise account of how these things may come to pass; assuring him briefly that they can be accomplished by the same people who do them now, via the free market; and noting that these concerns pale in importance when juxtaposed with the imperative moral issues at play. That's all well and good, but I want to take it even a step further...
Here's an answer for you - maybe there won't be no goddam roads! How about that? Maybe there won't be 100-story buildings, satellite communication, multi-billion dollar corporations, mega-cities, planes, trains OR automobiles. And what's more - maybe there shouldn't be. I’m not asserting that there shouldn’t be, I’m saying that it cannot be assumed that there should. For anyone who thinks enlightenment begins and ends with getting rid of government, you're the hare sleeping on the side of the road, halfway through the race. It goes WAY further than that, as many of you understand.
First of all, if something cannot be funded voluntarily, it has no rightful claim to existence - it is an abomination; a thing that should not be. If natural demand is insufficient, then mankind is not ready for it. In addition, just because demand does exist, does not necessarily mean it's a good idea. The demand must be enlightened demand. Some obvious examples arise in discussions surrounding environmental and sustainability issues.
But what if true freedom meant not having roads and cars? Are you willing to make that "sacrifice"? What if it meant you could no longer shoot down to Disneyland for a week and be back in time for work on Monday? What if it meant you'd never see Paris, never have a home with a guest bedroom, never see another TV show for the rest of your life? You good with that?
I don’t merely mean willing to abide that undesirable outcome for a greater good; I mean honestly embracing it AS desirable, understanding that it’s not appropriate or beneficial if it does not arise naturally from living in accord with true principles. In other words, more than just asserting that the moral imperative of anarchy demands any sacrifice, no matter how great, I’m challenging our notions of “normality” and "progress" – our fundamental conception of what life should be. I'm talking about our expectations.
Never forget that we come into the world with a clean slate, and that ALL we now think has been influenced by our culture; based upon the choices we’ve made (or failed to make) in evaluating the ideas presented to us, both explicitly and implicitly. Nearly everything we see around us has been touched by the icy claw of psychological manipulators who want our money, our compliance, and most of all, our attention. All must be made subject for careful review – especially those ideas so thoroughly assumed as to be nearly invisible.
The unbounded accumulation of wealth, promised to continue by the prevailing conception of anarcho-capitalism should not be rendered immune to investigation. Some of you have heard me challenge the very concept of money, the profit motive, the imperative of even-exchange, and even commonly held-beliefs concerning obligatory monogamy, cultural holiday practices, and the psychological implications of our inclination toward violent entertainment.
There is a 99% chance that YOU are insane - right now, even though you’re light years ahead of the popular majority. I consider myself to be somewhere about 14% sane, and I think this exceeds the worldwide average by a solid 8-10% (just to put some numbers to this thing).
My point is to remain ever-vigilant, ever-growing, and never to believe that the NAP is end-game, or that a society without government – or even physical violence – equates to true freedom. Freedom, to be full, but be a state of absolute, unimpeded authentic expression. This does not mean that challenge will cease, as this would mean expansion and growth would also cease – a state of things that can never be. But it does mean that who we are at the most fundamental level can flow freely into the physical universe as we explore and create.
Each new advance in consciousness provides a vantage point from which to view new horizons; and striving toward those horizons is the basis for further expansion. At no point should you feel as though you’ve finally “arrived”, as you never truly will. We must continue to apply rigorous critical examination to every idea or convention in order to sustain our forward advancement. All life is in motion, and if you’re not moving forward, you’re falling behind.
There is much work yet to do, both within and without. Enjoy the journey as best you can, but keep pioneering into new territory via education, introspection, and contributing to the uplift of all. Thank you for indulging my exhortations; I feel honored to keep such earnest company, and I have faith in our ability to champion this movement into man’s next stage of evolution.
Thanks for checking in!
Brian Blackwell
Relevant articles supporting a deeper understanding of the ideas presented above may be found here:
