Who wishes to no longer be a slave?

Without anarchy, societies end up self destructing, it's the same lesson that societies through the ages have failed to learn. Anarchy works, it is the foundations of evolution, if you are to view the evolution of the planet and humanity from a deep ecological perspective. For a system to evolve, it's "components" must have absolute freedom within the context of their own existence, otherwise the self-regulating structure that is the system will become cancerous and die. This is what we are seeing in contemporary "civilisation" today.

What is at the heart of the worlds problems is a crisis of perception, and it is being driven by one of our most primitive instincts... fear. The current state we are in is not the ideal situation, but it is also the part of the natural evolution of society. Society is like an organism that sometimes gets ill and then either heals itself and becomes stronger, or dies.

Like organisms, society is not governed from the top down, it is a self regulating network. This model of the universe is very deeply embedded in our psyche at the moment, and follows directly from the past few hundred years where materialism and the fragmented, mechanist paradigm have reigned. The body is not ruled by the brain, which is often compared to the central processing unit of a computer, in fact mind is everywhere. The body is not a set of independent organs all functioning under the control of the brain, they are all interconnected and function with the context of the whole system. When the system begins to break down, it is normally because one or more of it's components becomes restricted from "communicating" with the rest of the system.

Both anarchy and totalitarianism are part of the same evolutionary path, anarchy being directly analogous to the healthy, spiritual phase of societal evolution, and totalitarianism the direct consequence of when society starts to break down. Neither can exist independently.

But to deny that anarchy is possible whilst society is out of balance with itself is just as futile as resisting the conquerors who will inevitable come along and seize control of your village. We may as well just roll over and accept our demise if that is what we are going to do.

Thankfully the world still has plenty of open minded people whose minds are prepared to evolve and integrate new ideas and concepts. But while the continual struggle we are in may end up in the demise of society, what is important to remember here is that is not anarchy that will cause it, it is man fighting for his freedom against the oppressor. This is why peace can be the only solution, no matter how ugly things get.

However bad things get, I always remind me myself that it is still anarchy that is keeping us alive. No matter what names people invent for their system of "control", underneath it is anarchy, it always has been and always will be.

 

I don't think I'll be reading this thread through.

 

To the OP: You will feel more empowered as an anarchist when you lose your intense fixation and obsession over what you're allowed and not allowed to do, who owns who etc. Really, cultural enlightenment, new tolerances and the ability to control currency means that we're probably the most free civilization in human history. I think that outside of the powers that work against that freedom, there is enormous scope to do whatever the hell you like, especially living your own life in a way that furthers your anarchist ideals. Feeling oppressed and owned is the habit of whiny emo teens. I think that in order to be a good anarchist you have to be one in your own head, and after that your actions will reflect your cool disregard for all things oppressive, ideas, laws etc. People are too comfortable to want freedom, and trying preach anarchism to comfortable people is useless. A person who ACTS like an anarchist is able to shock and awe and send little ripples of excitement and discontent through everyone they meet.

I'm pretty sure that will all go straight over your head but it is worth a try.

 

I feel oppressed and owned, and I'm no emo.

In order to have food and shelter, I must subscribe to a life working for large corporate organisations that are owned by wealthy shareholders, who do fuck all themselves to contribute to society. I must do what the company they own dictates, and I must work when they say, and by and large all this makes me depressed and ill.

Then, when I have earned my crust, a huge lump of it is taken from me by the government, who then turn round and further dictate to me how to live my life.

I barely earn enough to pay rent to some asshole who owns more houses than he should, let alone buy my own house. In order to do that I will probably have to work full time for the next 20 years of my life, by which time the best years of my life will be behind me.

At least in the old days, when we all lived at the mercy of who may come knocking at our doors, we had the freedom to live where we wanted, and could sustain ourselves without having to submit ourselves to the chains of global oppression.

 

The way the system is set up now once you acquire enough wealth you can just use it to acquire more and no longer have to contribute to society.

I know traders on wallstreet that make $100,000+ a day by simply shifting their money around while the minimum wage worker gets like $70 for a full days work. Something is wrong with this picture.

I long for the day when people are simply paid for what they contribute. I'm not really sure how this could be done though.

 

You all might be slaves, this putz might BELIEVE you are slaves, but folks, I'm here to tell you, I am no slave.

I'm a free man and I wear the torc to prove it.

 

is this thread worth reading?

 

no, no its not

 

thanks. you saved me from wasting my time then.

 

Nah. Talk without action is just masturbation.

 

We live within a unique system of slavery where the slave himself (or herself) has some freedom to choose the master.

We are destined to be constrained by one form of slavery or another. In the absence of an economic system, we would be enslaved by our need to eat and stay warm. Bring on anarchy and our need to protect ourselves from an unruly mob would bind us. Choose a long term goal, and you agree to be bound by its terms. Slavery is a frame of mind- and it isn't the green pieces of wallet stuffing that are the chains but the notion in your head endowing then with the value of chains that enslaves you cranky... as well your need to convince us that we are slaves that constrains YOU from creating something more worthwhile.

I'd go into more detail but time is short and I have many errands to run before I have to punch in at my job Monday... a job that I'm free to leave any time I feel comfortable freezing and starving to death.

 

The african slaves were free to refuse to work for their masters too, but the consequences of that were also pretty grim.

I am free to live outside the system, but sadly I am not free to go and live off the land where and how I please. Not quite as harrowing a scenario as with the slave trade, but at least then if I managed to break free of the chains I could get away with living my life according to my own rules so long as they didn't catch me.

How much freedom do we really have to choose our masters? Most jobs I have obtained in my life have been through luck, and largely because the company wanted me to work for them as well. I am free to ask any company I like for a job, but that is as far as it goes, it is by and large down to the company choosing you.

 

So you're an "anarchist" who believes the official story that Emma Goldman killed Pres. McKinley and her boyfriend killed Fricks. :toetap05:

pwn3d

 

I think the key thing to note, if we are going to try to determine whether or not modern society is a form of slavery, is whether or not coercion is being used to get the masses to conform. I'd say that by and large it is, consider this.

If I decided to chuck in my dead end 9-5 minimum wage job, and venture out into the country and build myself a house from wood, and grow my own food, and heat my house from forest wood, pretty soon I might find a group of property owners coming along and telling me to get of their land. If was was to refuse to do so, I would very soon be taken by force and I may end up in prison.

 

Well duh. If I went into your house and took your computer to sell but got caught, I would also be in trouble.

 

no, I don't want to control or be controlled by anyone.
you aren't paying attention and again, you come off as ridiculously naive. if you think anarchy is attainable then you seriously overestimate people.

 

What other form of society would you endorse? I have a desire to live off the land so I'm buying 5 acres. That's enough to partially live off of. It will be paid off in 8 years and then the property taxes are like $130/mo. Not really too bad.

 

I'm not stealing from anyone by trying to live off the land freely.

 

I don't mind paying my dues to society so long as it's commensurate and I'm free to live as I choose.

 

I wasn't implying that didn't. I'm just curious to know if there are any alternatives which would allow people to live off the land freely.