I caught sight of an odd national flag today. All national flags are odd but this one was odd in the sense that I don’t usually see them. My first instinct was to imagine ripping it down. But then, I thought, no one would understand.
My intention is to end the oppression that is caused by governments. However, so many people have their self-identities wrapped up in government flags that likely no one would receive anything like the point I was trying to communicate.
In other words, as an activism op in furtherance of peaceful evolution, it would be a complete FAIL. People would take it as an attack on them instead of an act of solidarity and mutual defense.
It’s too early for acts of destruction. First we need to build the new societies, the new consciousness, the new identities and the new culture. Only then does it make sense to destroy the old – and perhaps we should simply recycle it instead.
Until we have these new things in place, until we can show in real life that these things are better, more peaceful, more prosperous, more convenient and more congruent with life, destruction just confuses people. It scares them. It plays to the government’s strengths, instead of its weaknesses. It’s just not smart.
How can we build the keystones of a new world? Here are some ideas:
- Start counter-economic businesses.
- Patronize existing counter-economic business.
- Build (and help others build) identities that don’t depend on governments. One can do this with martial arts, vocations, organizations, professions, hobbies, belief systems and much more.
- Construct a culture that is outside the realm of the state. Write, paint, animate, draw, make films, tell stories, create (or adopt) myths and religions. Base it on our libertarian, anarchist and other compatible voluntary society values.
- Focus on the voluntaryist precept of constant self-improvement. Learn new knowledge, wisdom and skills. Work on integrating mind, body and spirit with such tools as aikido, zen (or other) meditation, yoga, etc. Become an expert at this and teach others.
We’re in the building phase, not the destruction phase. Let us stop destroying and start building. How are you building the new societies? Please share with the other readers in the comments below.
2 replies on “The Destruction Phase Comes Last”
Agreed. For example, a fair few people like anti-police rhetoric. But if someone disparages the police, many listeners think you stand for nothing since they see no security alternative other than the police. ‘Nothing’ is scary, unpredictable, etc; not good.
So whats needed firstly is construction of alternative security options, rather than the attempted (verbal) deconstruction of police. If security alternatives existed, then we could more easily inspire debate around the merits of Police VS AltSecurity. That’s a context where disparagement is better received; more sensible.
Literally speaking, the deconstruction of police will go much more smoothly if security alternatives are ready to take the reigns (by existing beforehand), including dealing with any problems police create as their ship sinks.
Also, speaking positively of alternatives is often psychologically more attractive than harping on the negatives of a currently existing system. Some who have been clearly and directly hurt by the state really seek to avoid the state’s negatives, but for most people who either haven’t directly been hurt by the state or don’t understand how the state hurts them, they are more inspired with the notion of ‘profiting’ by switching to an alternative, than ‘avoid loss’ by ‘escape the unjust state’. The latter requires people believe ‘things are currently bad’, which not all believe or feel, while the former only requires people believe ‘things could be better’, which most people agree with in theory.
I don’t think there is a destruction phase. The last phase is the government collapse phase. But we don’t need to destroy the government. It will fall apart on its own as soon as we persuade enough people to stop supporting it.
“Resolve to serve no more, and you are at once freed. I do not ask that
you place hands upon the tyrant to topple him over, but simply that you
support him no longer; then you will behold him, like a great Colossus
whose pedestal has been pulled away, fall of his own weight and break
into pieces.” – Etienne de La Boetie ( https://mises.org/rothbard/boetie.pdf )
“It is necessary to recognize that the ultimate
power of every government—whether of kings or caretakers—rests solely on
opinion and not on physical force. The agents of government are never more than
a small proportion of the total population under their control. This implies
that no government can possibly enforce its will upon the entire population
unless it finds widespread support and voluntary cooperation within the
nongovernmental public. It implies likewise that every government can be
brought down by a mere change in public opinion, i.e., by the withdrawal of the
public’s consent and cooperation.” – Hans-Hermann Hoppe, On the Impossibility
of Limited Government ( http://mises.org/daily/2874 )
http://peacerequiresanarchy.wordpress.com/quotes/