A major superstition maintained by those who believe in government (the state) is that without their laws, criminals will run rampant in the street preying on anybody and everybody who can’t personally defend themselves. Laws that prescribe harsh punishments on criminal behavior, it is believed, will deter most people from engaging in a life of crime. But I don’t believe that’s true. In fact, I believe the opposite is true: laws don’t deter crime, they create crime. How, you ask as you lean forward and rub your chin?
Tag: media
What is Voluntaryism?
I was, in fact, challenged as to “What is a voluntaryist?” I will, from time to time, read a piece, in the SIG for Writers to which I belong, where I will claim to be a “voluntaryist.” Although curiosity will kill the cat, someone decided to query how and why I was using the word, “voluntaryist.”
The Craving for Wholeness That Drives Our Actions
There’s a sense of incompleteness in our lives. We have felt it since adolescence, at least, if not since early childhood — it’s a feeling that something is wrong with us, that something is missing, or that we’re missing out on something in the world. It’s a feeling of disconnection or loneliness from others, a sense that we don’t fit in. A feeling of moving through the world in isolation, unfulfilled, without a sense of intimacy with others, without a sense of purpose in what we’re doing.
Kids Are Selfish People Like The Rest of Us
My kids are out to make themselves satisfied. They will do this by whatever means makes sense to attain their desired goals. They will complain, cry, get angry, cooperate, ask nicely, play on internal feelings of guilt, work for it, lie, negotiate, hit, or sometimes even decide it isn’t worth the costs and move on. Counter to some ideas of peaceful parents, kids aren’t innately kind, good, altruistic or benevolent. They are selfish beings out to get their desires met. This makes them no different from adults.
Putin’s Plan for America
Perhaps we should just ignore the non-threat from a country that is not doing well economically and knows full well that any attack on the US would lead to complete destruction of its own country. We need not worry.
Words Poorly Used #131 — Rich
Apparently, many in the media, referring to Manafort, for instance, as “rich,” confuse lifestyle with net worth. They would likewise have described Madoff as “rich” without recognizing he was spending illicit credit.
An Unschooling Snapshot
“No man has the right to dictate what other men should perceive, create or produce, but all should be encouraged to reveal themselves, their perceptions and emotions, and to build confidence in the creative spirit.” ~ Ansel Adams How does unschooling actually work? What does it really look like? How do children learn without being…
Random Ideas
Can we say yet that neither direct gun control nor background checks have made any difference? Isn’t the definition of madness to keep doing the same things, while expecting different results?
Distortion
Mark Twain once opined, “If you don’t read the newspaper, you are uninformed. If you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed.” One can only imagine what he might have said about cable news. There are vast numbers of the public, however, who form their convictions from headlines and teasers. Those few who stick around long enough to get the proffered stories are regaled with inaccuracies.
10 Life Tweaks I’ve Been Enjoying Lately
I’m skeptical of “simple tricks to get a better life.” If you aren’t working on the core stuff (integrity, productivity, courage, kindness, etc), all the modifications and habits and gear in the world won’t work to improve your core sense of well-being. But when you are working on yourself, there are some real “life tweaks” that can help you down the very, very long path to “the good life”.