When I put principle first, I’m better able to judge the compatibility of parties, people, and the past with what I believe in. And when my understanding of those things change, it’s easier to move on. I’m also less likely to be fooled and subsequently betrayed.
Tag: peace
From “Come and Take It” to “Go and Make It”
What if we stopped attacking people for a cause and started attracting people to a cause? What if we became creators instead of mere critics and conquerors? Rather than waging war—either figuratively (in arguing) or literally — what if we channeled all of our passion and energy into disruptive acts of creation?
Political Action Exacerbates the Problem of Hate
Politics is your neighbor and his like-minded friends rallying together to lobby for government to shift their policies in their favor. If your neighbor and his friends hate intrusive government, those policy shifts may be a good thing for those who value peace and prosperity. But if your neighbor and his friends hate people wealthier than them, or people with a different skin color, those policy shifts are sure to bring about an exacerbated level of conflict, and thus a reduction in prosperity.
Tribalism and Economic Nationalism – Cut from the Same Cloth
Why would anyone underestimate the benefits of interacting with foreigners? It might be because they are, well, foreign. Combine this bias with an ignorance of Adam Smith’s “invisible hand” (spontaneous order) and a suspicion that exchange is zero-sum rather than positive-sum, and you have the making of an economic nationalist.
Cognitive Dissonance
Today I saw a pickup truck that had a front plate that messaged “Don’t Tread on Me!” Then, when he passed I noticed the driver had an American flag decal on his back window. I wondered just who he thought was treading on him, if not the government that has usurped that flag as its avatar.
Episode 077 – Jordan’s Journey (1h11m)
Episode 077 welcomes Jordan Vaughn Neal to the podcast to chat with Skyler about his journey to voluntaryism. Topics include: golf, the anarchy in cooperative games, Facebook discussions/debates, being Canadian and dual citizenship, public school in Canada, his parents’ careers, moving to the United States, complete disinterest in high school, LDS mission to East Germany and the libertarian seeds that were planted, his passion for computer science and programming, a Society Security law firm job he held, Stefan Molyneux’ influence on his libertarianism and peaceful parenting, the War on Drugs, overcoming biases, subjective theory of value and economic thinking, and his wife and his commitment to radical unschooling.
Let’s Try to Understand Before Casting Aside
I’m a firm believer in giving people enough rope to hang themselves, but I also try not to make judgments based on one or two often out-of-context comments.
How an Airborne Ranger Became a Voluntaryist
Government directives to do evil (whether by commission or omission) do not override our conscience and our understanding of right and wrong. I favor agoristic obviation of government institutions. I support voluntary alternatives to government services as much as I can and continue to encourage government institutions to reduce and eliminate their restrictions on our freedoms.
Charlottesville
The Charlottesville demonstrations got out-of-hand; they were non-peaceable. But is anybody surprised? Part of the baggage of a free republic is that it gets out-of-hand sometimes.
My Ongoing Battle with Leviathan
In January of this year (2017) I was notified that my 2015 tax return was going to be audited. 2015 was the first tax year that I wasn’t completely a W2 employee. Half the year was W2, the other 1099. Surprise, surprise, I was one of the lucky ones chosen to be told I owe more money. I responded to the audit request with a request of my own: give me the information you used to determine your code and constitution apply to me, and I’m happy to cooperate.