Yes, governing others is wrong. It is totally messed up. So I don’t do it. I don’t support it, contribute to it, or participate in it. I won’t attack others, nor take their stuff, not even through politics. I can’t make the whole world stop doing wrong, but I can try to make sure I’m not part of the problem.
Tag: politics
Want Power?, Obey Parents?, Contentious Politics, & Self-Defense (28m) – Editor’s Break 084
Editor’s Break 084 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following topics: why does anybody desire power?; why should you or should you not obey your parents?; why politics is always contentious; whether defending yourself from an attack by a police officer is justified and wise; and more.
The Deviousness of “Have To”
“Have to” is one of those phrases that I only began thinking critically about when we travelled further along our unschooling journey. A major theme in radical unschooling is the removal of rules and obligations, and replaced with principles and choices. “Have to” often implies unchosen obligations, and can be, but is not always, incompatible with respecting your children’s autonomy and preferences.
All Bad Guys are Politicians, and Vice Versa
There are only two ways of interacting with others: the economic means, where both of you come out ahead, and the political means, where one “wins” at the expense of the other. The political means is acting through archation rather than respecting the rights of those with whom you are interacting. Politics is cheating.
Bullies, Outrageous Laws, Libertarian Unpopularity and Failures (29m) – Editor’s Break 081
Editor’s Break 081 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following topics: bullying our children into standing up for themselves toward bullies; when laws become totally outrageous and we’re no longer willing to support them; why libertarianism is unpopular; how libertarianism fails and why that’s really a bad question to begin with; and more.
Sharing and Prehistoric Humans
I’ve said before that I’m not opposed to groups trying socialism or communism as long as it is completely voluntary and anyone can opt out at any time. Sharing is nice. Forced “sharing” isn’t sharing. And sharing what isn’t yours to share, under threat of violence, is just evil. That’s why political socialism and political communism are such utter evil failures, and always will be. Politics ruins everything.
Standing Up for Liberty Isn’t Political
You have no obligation to tolerate those trying to stop you from doing what you have a right to do. You have no obligation to play politics in self-defense. Why march or v*te for your rights? Just exercise them.
A Mantra for Dealing with Life’s Annoyances
When you’re in a state of stress or tiredness, it can also be easy to get annoyed at little things — the dog barking or construction noises outside, people making rude comments or being late (yet again), tech problems and the state of national politics. Yep, all of these and much more can be super annoying. But being constantly annoyed isn’t good for us. We not only become less happy, we are less pleasant to our loved ones, less open to the world, less devoted to what we care most about, less focused on the important work we’re doing in the world.
The Power of Disassociation
If someone treats you poorly in a free market, the best option is to disassociate and share the information you acquired with other people (if you wish). However, our emotional ecosystem still wants to use mechanisms from evolution where disassociation isn’t an option … tit for tat, anger, retribution, “Justice”, revenge, etc. Emotionally, we are the same as our historical relatives and it is difficult to adapt to a radically new incentive structure.
How to Compromise on the Government Question
The libertarian philosophy posits absolute liberty among consenting individuals. Don’t want the government? You shouldn’t be forced to pay for it or live by its rules. Want the government? You should voluntarily pay for it and voluntarily live by its rules.