File spoon-archives/anarchy-list.archive/anarchy-list_1999/anarchy-list.9907, message 90


From: "benabc-AT-" <benabc2-AT-hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: The next best thing...
Date: Sun, 04 Jul 1999 21:46:16 MDT





>Of course Anarchy won't solve the problems we're faced with now but it 
>_will_ empower us to do so. Without the feters of hierachical society and 
>capitalism we would be enabled to find creative and practicle solutions to 
>our problems _and_ be able to implement them.
>Anarchy itself solves nothing but it removes the obstructions faced by 
>those of us trying to solve them- no other ideology does that.
>cheers
>Ben.

Perhaps of more relevance here, is that we will likely never have anarchy.  
Theory often fails to translate into reality, because any theory is based on 
a simplified model of a complex and unpredictable world.  We talk of 
capitalism, communism, state socialism, libertarianism (left, right, pink 
yellow and blue), etc. but none of those system have ever existed.  
Throughout time the current mess has been attributed to one ideology or 
another, but it's never been an accurate reflection of that theory of 
government/politics.  The world's a little too complex for that.

Chomsky talks of anarchy as a process of challenging institutions in our 
daily lives to prove their validity.  I like that.  i like the anarchist 
philosophy.  We are but one of many forces that act upon society though, and 
we are but a small and marginalised force.  At any one time the society we 
live in is moving in one direction or another, as a resultant of the many 
forces that act upon it.  i think anarchism is pushing it in a positive 
direction, and that despite all the inertia we have to overcome, we can 
alter "the big picture".

People talk of things being hopeless.  Well perhaps they are, but that's a 
perception that varies from one person to another.  Whether its an accurate 
perception is something we each have to decide for ourselves.  Just be 
aware, that the perception that something is hopeless, is often an excuse 
for apathy.  Uncle Noam says something similar, but I'm sure Unka Bart could 
put it better.  Either way, you decide that change is possible, that's an 
empowering decision, that should motivate you to action.  And if you're 
doing something, at least you're not feeling hopeless, and at least you 
stand a better chance of changing things.

I said some of what follows once while on more acid than someone on quite a 
lot of acid, but I believe anarchy starts with each of us, and the way we 
choose to interact with one another.  Maybe that's a little vague and 
wishy-washy for some people here, i don't know.  But what we focus on is 
power, and the foolish exercise of power by some people over others.  We can 
first try and eliminate that in our lives, before we try preaching too much 
to other people to do the same.  Each day, every one of us, no matter what 
situation we're in, can make a decision that makes the world a better place. 
  Might be something as simple as talking to the guy that lives next door, 
or giving some homeless guy some food (instead of cash - but that's  another 
pissing point of mine).  And some people are sitting back and saying what 
does this pissy do-gooder philosophy have to do with anything, well if 
helping people around us, even in stupid little pissy ways isn't important, 
that how does such an abstract idea as anarchy gain its merit?

To close poetically.  Anarchism is a fire, that spreads from one person to 
the next.  it is not an order of society from the top down, nor even from 
the bottom up.  It is a massive amorphous network, perhaps not unlike this 
wonderful internet thing.  It's reflected in the choices we makes each day, 
the attitudes we take, and the philosophy we choose to follow.  Faced with 
the cold, calculating, mechanical buearacracy of late 20th century 
capitalism we have the choice to act like human beings instead of robots.  
let's use that.

Ben (from canada).


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