Why I Am Basically An Anarchist:

(I know this is a tl;dr post but I was impelled to write it somewhere for feedback )

I constantly find my viewpoints about life and politics almost diametrically opposite to others views. Maybe it’s because I’m crazy. Maybe it’s because I’m wrong. Maybe its because I’m an idealist. Maybe, and I certainly hope this is the case, it’s because I have a better perspective and deeper understanding of the world than most other people. Basically, I’m in between libertarian and anarchist. I still contemplate the merits of any sort of government and laws.

I think it is very clear there are consequences to your actions. These consequences have some order. That is to say, it isn’t like this one time I rob someone that the consequences are that no one in the world would ever rob another soul for eternity. More concretely, if you don’t plant the seeds of corn in a field, corn won’t grow. These consequences are logical. Your actions create predictable consequences, therefore you can learn what actions are necessary to create the consequences (outcomes) you desire. Therefore, consequences create a learning experience. You learn what action you must take to achieve your desired outcomes.

Government changes this rule. Government creates an environment where peoples action and values do not create the logical outcome. The collection of societies actions do not yield the consequences natural to their actions, and they do not learn the actions to take to create the outcome. Also, peoples decisions naturally create the perfect reflections of their actions and values. Governments think they need to create the “right” reflections, but are really just stopping people from ultimately getting what they want (I’m not talking about what they “say” they want).

Let me use an example to illustrate this. The Anacostia River in Washington DC is very polluted. Its filled with bags and litter. Its filled with bags and litter ultimately because individuals want it to be polluted. They may say they do not want it polluted, but the fact that it is polluted is a testament to the fact that they do. Until people take the necessary actions, until they truly want the river to be clean, it won’t be clean. I don’t care if polluting the river is bad or not, I’m not saying the people who are littering are right or wrong, I’m just saying that the collective actions and enaction of the values of everyone in DC is creating a polluted river.

Now what the DC government does is they implement a 5 cent bag tax to stop the Anacostia River from being littered with bags. The idea is if people have to pay for bags they will not use the bags as much. There are two problems I have with this. One, the DC government is not doing what is in peoples self-decided best interests. The People of DC (collectively) have decided not to value a clean river. Yet, we are forcing them to value it. Second, you are not solving the issue you have deemed a problem in the most optimal way. You are trying to rid an unwanted consequence without changing the underlying values and actions. It’s like cutting a branch of a tree. Ultimately, that branch will grow back in some form, nearly exactly the same as the old branch. So you stop people from littering with bags, which would normally come at the knowledge and values that saving the environment and having a clean river is good for you and society. But they haven’t valued a clean river yet, they haven’t gained the knowledge to create the outcome they desire, they are not acting in accord with these values which they don’t have. So they still throw cigarette buts, paper cups, and various other things in the river. Problem not solved. Now teach people what the clear consequences of their actions are. Teach them why it is important. Try to influence their values. Make people more intelligent (if the outcome desired is an intelligent one). More specifically: Spend time around the river. Talk to people who litter in it. Pick up a bag or cup in the river. Problem solved, more optimally and without government intervention.

I think of Laws in the same way. I’m betting if you took a survey about why someone does not steal their groceries from a grocery store, they would say because they don’t want to go to jail. I think that is a terrible reason not to steal groceries. Way back when there was a law implemented not to steal because of XY and Z. People valued not stealing and therefore they didn’t do it. Now people never learn why not to steal, and that creates numerable other consequences.

I was watching a show one time where the host was making fun of a group of people who lived in trees to prevent them from being cut down. Most people who watched this show with me laughed and thought the people who lived in the trees were crazy. And maybe they were… but they were damn good at one thing that it seems like almost no one in the world is good at: Living and acting in accord to the values and outcomes they say they desire. To me, doing that is more important than living by the “right” values.

A spiritual guru once said no one is responsible for giving any difficulty or any pleasure to anyone. Problems or successes, they all are the results of our own actions. What upsets me about people who do not share my viewpoint is they don’t seem to agree with the guru. Many complain about the salary of the CEO of Bounty while simultaneously buying a 12 pack of Bounty paper towels. Many complain about the state of the world they are essentially creating with their own actions. I think its ignorant to say that the state of the world today is any different than the world people want. I think its probably different than the world they say they want… but what’s that saying again? Actions speak louder than words. The society clearly isn’t how Marx saw it to me. Everyone has so much power to get what they want in the world, they just have to live in accord with what they want.

I think its funny that people worry about global warming when really it seems like the thing people should be worrying about is everyone becoming total drones. When we have a government that tells us to pay taxes to support x, y and z causes, to not litter bags, to not steal, and we do it, does it make a difference if we are a human or a robot? I don’t think this matters to many, but it matters a hell of a lot to me.

I would appreciate comments on this post and what the holes are in my argument, as well as what you liked or disliked about it.