I wrote this some time ago after an incident that happened to me in school. I am always open to any comments you may have so feel free to shared your opinions on my statements
Stand Your Ground…
I was sipping on an drink while walking to Government in the morning. The drink was purchased by my money that I earned through my labor, therefore it was my property. As I reached the top of the stairs I was met by the authoritarian goon that is often referred to as our vice principal. She stopped me and asked that I hand over my drink, stating that I was not allowed to have it outside of the cafeteria. I am ashamed to say that I yielded to her demands and gave her my drink. Having thought about this incident I have decided to write this piece to redeem myself and as a protest, a protest of Her tyrannical actions and a call for others to Stand Your Ground…
As we grow up we are told to obey the commands of our superiors, that when someone with “authority” gives us a demand that we must comply. We are raised with the belief that moral people obey orders. Kids that rise to the top of their classes don’t necessarily do so basses off intelligence, they are measured in their ability to “listen the first time” or to “listen while the teacher is talking”. This is understandable as young children don’t quite know the ways of the world and require stronger guidance. The issue lies with the lasting effects of this training, when these kids reach a reasonable age to think as autonomous adults they are still hardwired to do as they are told, this is where my situation comes in. I was always a “good kid” always did as I was told and so when I am given a command I immediately obey. This is a problem for me, a problem I wish to rid from my life. I however am not the only one everyday I see dozens of people remove hats, talk, stop talking, stand, sit all without out question. This is toxic, we have given up our self control! We have handed over the functions of our lives to strangers. Why did I hand over that drink, not because I wanted to. No, because my programer wanted me to…
When you work you earn money, if you don’t you’re either volunteering, or you’re a slave. That is an understood rule of life. If you work and earn money that money is yours, you are the only one who in natural law decides where that money goes. If you voluntarily decide to purchase something you are handing over control of that money to someone else, they are handing over control of a good to you, therefore that good is now yours. In short what you buy with your money is yours no one else's. This is a concept that is hard to grasp for our “educational” programers. If you have something that you purchase IT IS YOURS! And so long as you do not harm anyone's life liberty or property with it YOU CHOOSE WHAT HAPPENS WITH IT. If you ever find yourself in a position as I was where you are drinking something YOU BOUGHT and your master demands you hand it over It is your right as a human being to say NO and I highly recommend you do. Once you hand it over, whether it be something as small as a drink, or as important as a firearm, you give that person power over you, they are not giving you anything in return, it is not a voluntary exchange it is your damn property, Stand Your Ground…
Often times when discussing such “radical” ideas like personal property, free speech and your right to own your own damn body, people will often pose this question or something very similar. “Why don’t you just do what you're told? Things would be easier” or “Why don’t you just follow the rules?”. These questions in my opinion deserve respect but they are flawed, they assume that the person in the position of “authority” is always right. Take for instance my situation, I took the easy route and did as I was told, and I let IT steal my drink. Apart from loss of property I also revoked my right of self ownership, I gave up my natural right to say no and walk away. It is important to question the “authority” of others even with something as petty as a drink, because it reinforces our ability to make our own decisions. YOUR BODY, YOUR PROPERTY, YOUR RULES…
Standing Your Ground
When I first tapped into the art if you will of self ownership I hit a major roadblock. As I have previously stated I and obedient to a fault i respond to authority like muscle memory, And I know I'm not the only one. So, I’ve come up with a few simple ways to resist authority and maintain a respectful demeanor. I so often see people with their head in the right place get caught in the trap of attitude and overall mouthiness. This does not help your case in fact it destroys any arguments you may have. This why my first and foremost rule is to maintain a respectful and intelligent composure. This raises the chance that you gain credibility with what you're saying. Even if you are defending your property from some sickly beast when standing your ground in person, Always play the role of a calm composed adult.
My second “rule” ties in very closely with the second and that is word choice, I consider it very important to display a strong diction, assuming you have morality on your side and you are defending yourself you are already doing what any human being should, you just need to communicate this to those seeking to separate you from your rights. The reason it’s important to have a strong command of language is because you need your arguments to be credible, In many situations where you are attempting to prevent “authority” from stealing your stuff or your body the conversation will often turn into and informal debate. Even though this can be very annoying having to debate free will with someone who would much rather just throw you in ISS or jail, it gives you the opportunity to both spread the idea of liberty to your “opponent” and anyone listening, but it also gives you a chance to use logical arguments to defend your position. You are in a way given a moment to to fight, and the ability to ,if all else, appear intelligent is going to allow you to capitalize on that moment.
There is one catch to my second “rule” however and that is unnecessary repetition. Far too often I will hear someone in a heated debate with a respectful and intelligent demeanor repeat the same words and phrases over and over. Even if what you’re you are saying is brilliant if you 1 don’t know what any of it means or 2 you’re just recycling the same dogmatic phrases as every other libertarian, chances are any person with half a brain is going to pick up of it and expose this flaw. So when challenging whatever “authority” you may be threatened, use intellectual language of course but also be creative with it.
I’d say my third rule is choosing your battles, a highly debated subject among libertarian circles, knowing when to fight is just as important as knowing how to fight. I personally think that it is important to analyze the situation at hand. In the case I talked about earlier with the drink, that was a perfect time to resist. There was to present danger, nothing important was happening at the moment and I of course did nothing wrong. Once again it was not outside my basic rights to walk around with my drink. The case could always be made that it just wasn't worth the hassle of getting written up, and to that I say yes it’s always easier to just comply the entire system is set up so it’s guaranteed you will comply. But, if you want to be a purposeless whafe being pushed around by whomever claims authority that is fine. However, do not deter those of us who wish to regain our lives I will fight back and if it isn't convenient for you, tough.Anyways I digress, Make sure that you are prepared to resist if you choose, if not then walk away, their ( whoever fancies themselves your controller) ego will be just fine.
As a brief wrap up I would like to say that you are infinitely more powerful than you are lead to believe. Your potential to create and destroy makes you, you the individual capable of things that no other creature is. You indeed are a force to be reckoned with, you have the power to make a difference in your life, and that is all that matters. The collective function of our society is dependent of the actions of the individual, all it takes is one person with the guts to stand up. You are your master. You decide what YOUR body does, what YOU do with YOUR property, and it doesn't matter if the principle in their fancy suit tell you to hand over what's left of your drink, or some cop putting you in cuffs for having a banned substance, hell it doesn't matter if the President himself comes knocking at your door. If anyone tries to strip you of your free will, you plant you feet, chamber a round, and you stand your ground...