Libertarians, though that term encompasses a very large range of ideas these days, seem to agree on one basic principle; do what you want as long as it does not affect me. That is why one of the core principles of Libertarian ideology is that individuals have the freedom to do what they want with their own bodies. Be it the intake of drugs, or a half hour on a mattress in the red light district, consenting adults should be able to do as they please.
Tag: world
Will it Still Matter 100 Years From Now?
We live in an amazing world. Our ability to communicate across vast distances in real-time is unlike anything that has ever been witnessed in human history. I can know what you had for breakfast today, what my cousin Jimmy did for his birthday last night, which NBA teams are discussing trades, and which countries are angry at each other all in a single glance of my newsfeed on Twitter. There are literally thousands of things to react to in any given minute. So much to react to. So little time.
Inequality and Risk
I don’t think many people realize there is a connection between economic inequality and risk. I didn’t fully grasp it till recently. I’d known for years of course that if one didn’t score in a startup, the other alternative was to get a cozy, tenured research job. But I didn’t understand the equation governing my behavior. Likewise, it’s obvious empirically that a country that doesn’t let people get rich is headed for disaster, whether it’s Diocletian’s Rome or Harold Wilson’s Britain. But I did not till recently understand the role risk played.
Old Ideas
One of the paths that I am wandering now, from this inspiration, is to consider disposable ideas from the view of a voluntaryist. There follow some ideas for which I would suggest early retirement.
Wanting Someone Else to Fulfill Our Lives
I have a friend who is lonely, who has such a good heart and desperately wants to find a partner who appreciates that goodness, to share a life with. We have all felt this, I’m guessing: this desire for a deep connection, this hope that another person will just get us and want an intimate relationship with us, the idea that if we could just find this person and merge with them, we’d be fulfilled. What if we tossed that idea out on its head? What if everything we need for happiness and fulfillment is within us?
Compassionate Connection: Attachment Parenting & Nonviolent Communication
How do we deal with a two-year-old when he grabs every toy his friend plays with? What do we say to a four-year-old who screams in rage when her baby brother cries? How do we talk with a ten-year-old about the chores he has left undone, again? What strategies will keep our teenager open with us – and safe? Nonviolent Communication (NVC), sometimes referred to as Compassionate Communication, offers a powerful approach for extending the values of attachment parenting beyond infancy. A process for connecting deeply with ourselves and others, and for creating social change, NVC has been used worldwide in intimate family settings as well as in organizations, schools, prisons, and war-torn countries.
Freedom is More Important Than Fear
A pit bull biting a child does not mean that pit bulls should be banned. A Tesla automobile getting into an accident does not mean that Teslas should be banned. A person falling off a ski lift does not mean that ski lifts should be banned. An immigrant committing a crime does not mean that immigrants should be banned. A Muslim committing an act of terror does not mean that Muslims should be banned. The list of examples is as long as there are things and people which some authoritarians would like to ban.
How Children Learn Bravery in an Age of Overprotection
I doubt if there has ever been any human culture, anywhere, at any time, that underestimates children’s abilities more than we North Americans do today. Our underestimation becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy, because, by depriving children of freedom, we deprive them of the opportunities they need to learn how to take control of their own behavior and emotions.
Why Anarchy?
In the few years since deciding the label “anarchist” most accurately represented my own political philosophy, I’ve learned of other, powerful, confirmatory and congruent philosophies as well, that have helped to grow my own anarchism further outside the political realm. In other words, I may have started as a political anarchist, but ultimately, my own brand of anarchy has stretched beyond solely politics.
The More Words, The Less Meaning
There are times I can be quite chatty (and possibly obnoxious and overbearing). But I wonder if maybe the reason that I talk so much is that I am trying vigorously to communicate something for which words do not exist. Something that can only be felt in the deepest part of being. Something that goes beyond words and their usefulness.