Libertarians generally find themselves puzzled at how to bring about the free society they envision. It seems almost impossible to bring down the State to its "minimalist state" form, and even harder to abolish it altogether and secure a state of anarchy. How do we do it? What should our strategy be? Where should we start in our campaign to de-program, de-brainwash, enlighten, and empower the masses?
Have you ever been asking yourself these questions of "how" over and over, only to find doubt and disillusionment? I know I have. The extent of saving the world is overwhelming, if at all possible. Perhaps there is something wrong with the fundamental libertarian idea - the non-aggression principle - since it fails to attract people and liberate them from the chains of ignorance? No, there is not. The problem is all in your head - in your choice of mission.
You are so pigheadedly staying with this vision of yours that you fail to realize you are utterly mistaken. The reason you cannot seem to find the way forward, is that you have taken one step too many in the wrong direction. As a matter of fact, you are suffering from the Savior Complex. Why attempt to save the world if you can't even save yourself?
Let's see to the facts: there is no Holy Grail. Another way to put it is to say there is no such thing as "the world" or "society." There are only people; only individuals choosing to interact or associate with other individuals in couples, families, teams, fraternities, labor unions, religious cults and churches, and so on...
This is a matter of course to libertarians. We are, at least, familiar with the wording, but most libertarians fail to realize the meaning of these words. What does it mean, there are only individuals? Well, it means people are fundamentally not the same. They can share values, possessions, and neighborhoods, but they are not the same. It means they can have different values, different possessions, and live in different neighborhoods. We realize this, but we do not generally realize this also means there can be no single argument making all other arguments worthless. It is not possible to convince all people of the greatness of the libertarian principles; there are always people willing to sacrifice freedom for something else.
Let's see if we understand the implication of all this correctly through stating the same thing, but from another angle: It is not possible to make the world libertarian. One cannot force freedom on others; it would not be freedom but force. One cannot strengthen or empower others through forcing them to make choices; it would be to subject them to your will (that they must choose) rather than someone else's. One cannot abolish or lessen power through claiming it for oneself; politics is not a means to achieve freedom from politics.
So you see the devil is not in the details, but in the aim itself...
iTunesTodd Rundgren - Public Servant
01-13-08 - Ibn Rushd: The Great Muslim Philosopher
01-06-08 - Voltaire: The Incomparable Infidel
12-30-07 - Chuang Tzu / This Human World
12-17-07 - Hinduism: Philosophy of Idol Worship
12-09-07 - Mysteries of Ground Radio
12-03-07 - Ralph Waldo Emerson: Nature
11-25-07 - The Christian Nation Myth
11-18-07 - The Golden Verses of Pythagoras
11-12-07 - The Visible and Invisible Worlds
11-05-07 - On The Nature of Things
10-28-07 - Strings on the Winds
10-21-07 - Heaven & Hell - Chapter 57
10-14-07 - The Most Holy Trinosophia
10-08-07 - Breaking the Authority of the Bastard Curse
09-30-07 - Silent Teachings and Sat-sang
09-24-07 - The Right to Ignore the State
09-16-07 - Edgar Cayce Akashic Records
09-03-07 - Life and Teachings of Hermes Trismegistus
08-26-07 - Science Fiction, Wars & a Meaning to Life
08-19-07 - Plato's Science of Maieutic Psychagogy
08-12-07 - The Lightning and the Sun
08-05-07 - The Uses of Disaster:...
07-30-07 - Those loving bonobos...
07-22-07 - The Days of Noah
07-15-07 - Terror Attacks & Protecting Infrastructure
07-08-07 - Science the Destroyer
07-01-07 - Protocols of the Wise Men of Zion
06-24-07 - Nihilism: The Question of Truth
06-17-07 - Earthly Lesson of Jesus' Crucifixion
06-10-07 - Lyrics: Shrunken Heads
06-03-07 - Eugene Debs 1918 Anti-war speech
05-28-07 - Freedom from Experiences
02-10-07 - Arcana Coelestia n. 9407
02-04-07 - The Crowd, by Gustave le Bon
01-27-07 - War of Assumption
01-21-07 - New Types of Weapons
01-14-07 - Chaos and Terror
01-09-07 - Helen Keller as Mystic