Perpetual Youth
Nobody asked but …
I have written recently that my father, who lived nearly to 94, said that he never stopped feeling like a boy — in effect a second-class citizen. I felt that way too up until about 15 years ago, when I began to study voluntaryism. Now I make no distinction between men and boys. In fact I make little distinction between women, men, girls, and boys. When I realized that with freedom comes responsibility, I quit gauging my own success in terms of what other people thought. As a voluntaryist whatever I become, I have made the choices, usually voluntarily, that got me there. It’s a liberating idea. I no longer have to blame others for problems I see in my life. I no longer have to congratulate the uninvolved for my wins. Although, a little diplomacy softens the passage. The best benefit is that I no longer live in an authoritarian world. The second best benefit is that the opportunity is there for everyone.
— Kilgore Forelle