Dos and Do Nots for the Liberty Minded
Congratulations! You’ve finally broken out of the mold of merely existing as a corporate drone and have transitioned into living the life of a unique, liberty loving human being! So what’s next? It can be an overwhelming change if you don’t have any support, so we at BinaryGod/Digital Tyrants are here to help. The following is a brief list of DOs and DO NOTs to help guide you in the first steps of your journey. This list is by no means meant to be exhaustive, and you may disagree with some of these. That’s okay! Please feel free to add your two cents in the comments below. Discussion is always welcome. First, to get the negativity out of the way, I present the “do nots.”
DO NOT:
DO NOT make yourself a target. If you decide to confront the state on your own, you will lose. The deck is stacked against you. They’ve got all the guns, all the money, and all the propaganda at their disposal. Christ, they have nuclear weapons. Making yourself a martyr or a target is not only very stupid but very dangerous. Your best bet is simply to withdraw as much as you possibly can, which brings us to…
DO NOT think you can work within the system. This includes voting, raising money for political candidates, and signing petitions for new laws. You cannot change the mafia into the Salvation Army by joining it. Trying to effect change from within a morally bankrupt system will more likely corrupt the person who is trying to change it than cause any positive changes to that system. Positive social change always occurs from the bottom up and the powers that be are always dragged kicking and screaming because they can no longer ignore public opinion. Always remember what the state is and is not. It is a system created by conquest and enforced by violence and threats of violence. What good could you possibly do within such a beast?
DO NOT join the military. For as long as the military has existed, soldiers, sailors, and servicemen have been used as guinea pigs, scapegoats, and cannon fodder. If you join the military, you are literally signing your life away. You eat when they tell you to eat, you sleep when they tell you to sleep, you kill when they tell you to kill, and you die when they tell you to die. Does this sound like the life of a man? Or a slave? The military also destroys families, constantly. The obvious examples are the families murdered by war. The not-so-obvious examples are sexual assault victims and perpetrators (which are plentiful in the military), PTSD patients, and combat wounded veterans. Stay out of the military if you can help it.
DO NOT talk to police. Of course, this one doesn’t count if you have a close family friend or family member on the police force. You absolutely should talk to that policeman! I’m referring to police who do not know you. Remember that no matter how much you trust a cop, he is trained to treat you with suspicion. His job relies on enforcing laws, not helping members of the public. We’re starting to see more and more examples of police brutality and corruption thanks to the internet. (The Pro Libertate website is a great resource.) Just to be safe, your best bet is to treat them like they treat you: as a threat.
Don’t be this guy.
DO NOT isolate yourself. Don’t isolate yourself, for two reasons: First, we all need support and friendship. Some of your friends and family members may think that you’re a radical. Great! Radical thinking is certainly required if the human race is going to continue surviving and progressing. Instead of writing them off, talk to them. It wasn’t so long ago that you held the same opinions, right? Encourage debate and discussion. The exchange of ideas is never a bad thing. Second, by isolating yourself, you feed into the “unabomber” stereotype that the mainstream media loves to perpetrate when discussing libertarians, anarchists, and political activists. Show the world that you’re a hardworking, thoughtful, caring, social person, not a recluse.
DO NOT rely on the state for your income. This one is tough because the state robs us of so much of our earnings. We have been stripped of our ability to provide for ourselves if we fall on hard times or if we need medical attention. This is not absolute, but more of a plea to resist becoming lazy and wholly dependent on the state, because what they give they can easily take away.
DO NOT despair. This is the most important one. It’s easy to become frustrated with all the wiretapping, abuse of rights, wars, debts, and lies we are fed every day. Just remember that we have a tremendous opportunity that no other generation has had, ever, and that is the power of instant communication via the internet. Remember that although it is still a very small minority, libertarianism is the fastest growing sector of political thought in the US, and is gaining traction all over the world. Finally, remember that the world doesn’t become better all at once, or worse all at once. There are many blessings to be thankful for in the 21st Century. You can find several uplifting facts on this website: humanprogress.org.
DO:
DO seek out like-minded people. Any minority needs a support system to survive and thrive. The liberty crowd is probably the most welcoming crowd I’ve ever experienced. At liberty events and rallies, you’ll meet old, young, black, white, Asian, gay, straight, Christian, Muslim, Jew, atheist, male, and female. It really doesn’t matter what you are, as long as you espouse the principles of non-aggression you will be accepted. The liberty movement has the most diverse crowd that I have ever seen, and all are welcome. The message of liberty is appealing to all people from all walks of life, and it brings people together. You need to meet like-minded people for moral support, and to engage your thinking. Learning is a non-stop process, and everyone has something to offer.
DO opt out of the system. Get your money out of the major banks. Remember when the government of Cyprus gave the depositors a “haircut?” It could happen anywhere, at any time. You’re better off just keeping enough money in the banks to pay your bills. Don’t register to vote. If you’re not registered to vote, you’re less likely to be called in for jury duty, and the DHS cannot put you on a watch list for voting for a libertarian, communist, or constitutionalist if you haven’t voted. Don’t buy products from companies that receive government bailouts. Vote with your wallet, not your ballot.
DO talk about freedom and liberty with friends and family. This one is tied to the “do not isolate yourself” item above. Don’t become a recluse! The best way to change people’s hearts and minds is to be a good example. No one will listen to you if they think you are a hermit or shut-in. It’s also embarrassingly obvious, but conversations are how ideas are spread and refined. Don’t keep yours to yourself!
DO acquire supplies. This is a good idea whether you’re preparing for a natural disaster or an economic disaster. In our “nick-of-time” economy, it has become more rare that families and businesses are prepared for hard times. This is insane, as hard times can happen at any time for almost any reason. You don’t have to dig a bomb shelter and buy gas masks to be prepared. Instead, buy a couple of extra cans at the grocery store whenever you go food shopping. Make sure you have potable water in case your supply is cut. Buy flashlights, candles, and batteries. Last but not least, buy a gun. You don’t have to ever use it, but it feels good to thumb your nose at the gun control sociopaths in Washington.
The whole world is connected in the 21st Century. There’s no valid excuse for ignorance. Those who seek knowledge will find it.
DO educate yourself. In the age of the internet, there is no excuse you cannot find more than enough information about any topic you are interested in. A caveat with this one: The current state of the internet’s “anarchy” and (almost) total freedom is a double-edged sword. Due to its unregulated nature, there are no gatekeepers. This is a good thing because powerful government and corporate interests cannot censor information as easily as they could before. However, this is also a potentially bad thing because it means that anyone can post anything they want, and the spread of misinformation and lies is rampant. Make sure you’ve got a strong foundation in ethics, logic, and debate so you can easily identify falsehoods and logical fallacies.
DO start a garden. What’s more important to our survival than sustenance? Diet is the very foundation of the health of your body, and it affects not only your physical well-being but also your mental and emotional health. Unfortunately, if you live in the USA, you may have become aware of the dangers caused by pesticides and genetically modified foods. You may have heard about the grip that Big Agra has on our food supply and how food subsidies change our diet dramatically to promote poor health, obesity, heart disease, and cancer. Growing your own food gives you control over what you ingest. Your fruits and vegetables are guaranteed to be fresh, and if you are an urban farmer, a garden is a good place to socialize.
DO barter. Anything you obtain by bartering is tax free, so you’re doing your part to starve the beast. Bartering also forces you to identify the very specific needs of those you barter with. This helps sharpen your social skills and helps you to view your partners as individuals with their own hopes, dreams, and wants.
DO enhance your skills. We live in a highly specialized society. This is another combination blessing/curse. High specialization is what makes the division of labor work. It has allowed us to create enormous wealth, while each person only has to contribute one or two skills to the pool of labor and still gets to enjoy the material blessings of a post-industrialized first world nation. However, what happens if your society breaks down? Okay… not so fatalist… what happens if you lose your job and can’t find another in your field? It’s important to have a range of skills touching all kinds of subjects, from auto/home repair, to sewing, cooking, writing, accounting, etc. Not only does this open your employment options, it prevents unscrupulous businesses from taking advantage of you if you know a little bit about what they do.
DO be humble. This one is essential. The whole point of the libertarian/anarchist philosophy is that you do not know how other people should live their lives. If you did, you could be a very successful head of state. If someone wants to debate a topic, feel free to do so but keep in mind that you both have the capacity to be wrong. Too often, people within the liberty movement pretend that they have all the answers or that they know things that they do not. It’s okay to say, “I don’t know” if that is the truth.
DO contribute to charity. Government is not going to help the poor. Why would they? If poverty was eradicated, politicians could no longer use them as props to get votes. If you want to make a positive change in fighting world poverty, you have to get involved personally. I’m not going to tell you which charity to support, that’s up to you. Find one that suits your needs and your budget. There are lots to choose from, and many are tax deductible, meaning you are giving money to the poor instead of to the IRS. You’re also showing your friends and neighbors that we can cut out the middle man and help the poor without the interference of politicians.
DO have fun! Enjoy your life. This is the most important “do.” You only live one time, so make the most of it and take advantage of every opportunity. It’s such a cliché to say it, but it’s true. If you’re a happy, fulfilled person, people will become gravitated to you and try to emulate you.
Check out http://www.urbanfarming.org/ for an urban farming community in your region.
A Disclaimer About My Politics
Thanks for reading this post, I hope I challenged you in some way. Agree with me? That’s cool. Disagree? Even better. I’m just a random guy on the internet, voicing his opinion (at the time of writing this blog post – check the date; opinions change as more facts and experience are gathered). But imagine if I had the political power and will to force you to agree with me! That would be terrible, and that’s the point of voluntarism and non-aggression. You should not be forced to agree with me. Please extend me the same courtesy.
“The word ‘politics’ is derived from the word ‘poly’ meaning ‘many’, and the word ‘ticks’ meaning ‘blood sucking parasites’.” -Larry Hardiman
Political Blog Posts
- The Democrats Don’t Deserve Your Vote
- The Republicans Don’t Deserve Your Vote
- The Libertarians Don’t Deserve Your Vote
- Democracy ≠ Freedom
- I Don’t “Feel the Bern.”
- Confessions of a Public Servant
- Leaders vs. Rulers
- Libertarianism is Better Than Progressivism
- Why I Do Not Vote (And Neither Should You)
- The Traffic Court Swindle
- Top Five Reasons I Don’t Argue Politics on Social Media
- Why Meaningful Debate is Impossible
- Dos and Do Nots for the Liberty Minded
- “There ought to be a law…”
- A Defense of Fugitive Slaves
- Conspiracy Theories are Dumb
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