From time to time I see various anarchists extolling the virtues of fleeing the U.S.’s evil empire for greener pastures. Others, including myself, have chosen to stick around and see what we can accomplish from inside the belly of the beast. So which is better? Fight or flight?
Right off the bat let me say that I don’t think that, morally speaking, either is superior. If, by analogy, you lived in a rough neighborhood, and had the chance to get out, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with leaving. At the same time, you certainly don’t have any moral obligation to leave. To stay, and try to get rid of the elements making it a rough neighborhood, is just as virtuous (albeit probably more hazardous to your health). So it really comes down to a question of practicality.
This conundrum is a little like the question of when you should tolerate authoritarian garbage for the sake of self-preservation, and when should you resist. On the one hand, keeping your head down and trying not to make waves can reduce the chance of you getting into trouble, at least in the short term. On the other hand, if everyone quietly and passively cooperates with their oppressors, then things invariably get worse. For example...
“And how we burned in the camps later, thinking: What would things have been like if every Security operative, when he went out at night to make an arrest, had been uncertain whether he would return alive and had to say good-bye to his family? Or if, during periods of mass arrests, as for example in Leningrad, when they arrested a quarter of the entire city, people had not simply sat there in their lairs, paling with terror at every bang of the downstairs door and at every step on the staircase, but had understood they had nothing left to lose and had boldly set up in the downstairs hall an ambush of half a dozen people with axes, hammers, pokers, or whatever else was at hand?... The Organs would very quickly have suffered a shortage of officers and transport and, notwithstanding all of Stalin's thirst, the cursed machine would have ground to a halt!” - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
And there is the “catch twenty-two”: if you do resist the leviathan, you quickly make problems for yourself. But if you don’t, and no one else does either, then you slowly make the same problems for yourself. The same could be said of those who flee tyrannical regimes: it’s perfectly moral to do so, and it may very well spare you from a hefty dose of abuse and injustice, but it doesn’t actually make the abuse and injustice go away. In fact, in one sense it rewards and enriches and empowers the thugs to surrender to them whatever wealth or property they acquire via threats and violence. But sometimes that is still the best choice someone has.
And this principle applies regardless of scale. For example, I highly encourage anyone living in the Peoples Republic of New Jersey to abandon that authoritarian cesspool as soon as possible. But of course, if anyone there who still gives a damn about freedom (yes, there are a few) leaves, the cesspool will only get worse. The smallest scale would be if some street gang of violent thugs invaded your home, and you had to decide whether to try to fight them off, or to escape and abandon your home. Again, neither choice is immoral, and if staying and fighting would just get you killed, then staying would be rather silly, unless your goal is righteous martyrdom. However, as with other scales, it’s still true that if everyone just abandons and relinquishes whatever property and territory the violent thugs try to take, and never fights back—well, the end result is violent thugs owning most of the world (which pretty much describes our current situation).
But the scenario of home invaders brings up a fairly obvious idea, which is that, if you have to vacate your home, then you should see if you can go gather enough people to come back with you later to reclaim it, by force if necessary. And that applies to other scales as well. Freedom—whether you’re talking about freedom in a smaller geographic location or freedom for everyone on Earth—is largely a numbers game.
If only a handful of people actually want real freedom, then their options are drastically limited. In short, either they put up with being subjugated and abused, or they try to find some place to hide where they can live as freely as possible, until the control freaks notice them there and come after them. On the other hand, if even a significant minority of the population believes in the concepts of voluntaryism and self-ownership, then there is no force on Earth that will keep them subjugated for long. Generally speaking, the smaller a minority is that wants freedom, the worse an idea it is to fight. And even if fleeing or hiding creates only temporary and relative freedom, and only for some people, it might be long enough that that “temporary” freedom continues for your entire lifetime—a lifetime which may be a lot longer if you're not picking fights with power-happy psychopaths. On the other hand...
“If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.” - Thomas Paine
Either way there are pros and cons, potential risks and benefits. But whatever happens in this or that country, in this or that year, the ultimate solution is entirely about beliefs. When enough minds are freed from the superstition of “authority,” then one way or another, they will find a way for their bodies to be freed as well. The battle that matters far more than any other is the battle of ideas. And thankfully, in this age of information, it’s possible for good people to physical flee and also philosophically fight at the same time. With the internet, one’s physical location is pretty much irrelevant to his ability to try to change the minds of others. It’s not like a slave escaping a plantation, who has to just bid all the other slaves farewell and good luck. Now the “slave” can flee, and continue to talk to the other “slaves” about fleeing, or resisting, or at least starting to question their situation.
It is true that ultimately, unless someone knows some magic trick for removing all malice and violence from human nature, even if (or when) most of the world becomes voluntaryist, humanity will still need good people who are able and willing to use defensive force, to protect against would-be aggressors. Even if, for example, your entire neighborhood is shocked and offended about a few thugs stealing your home, that won’t help you much if none of those shocked, offended people are willing to do anything to reclaim your home for you. Obviously there is nothing wrong about trying to escape and avoid aggressors, but if everyone always runs from danger and conflict, then the world becomes an aggressor’s paradise.
There can be a fine line between someone being brave and righteous, and someone just being stubborn, stupid, pugnacious and bullheaded. As for myself, for now I choose to be stubborn, stupid, pugnacious and bullheaded. I’m not yet ready to abandon the place that has always been my home, to surrender it to the thugs and parasites of the world. At some point that may very well change. But in the end, I’m not finished until either I’m worm food, or until the cult of statism is dead and buried, so that no one has to relinquish their home to tyrants and thieves ever again.
(Those who would like to support what I do can visit my Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=347021), or can make direct donations by PayPal (to “[email protected]") or Bitcoin (12Pk2MCrEmzqxWaT6M4F9anK21nhE7kmkk).)
My hubs writes so well. I love you, babe, you're a beacon of light in what can otherwise sometimes be a dark place.
Truth is light.
Lies are distortion, are the darkness.
I love that you ended by pointing out that in this day and age, we are no longer stuck with the old dichotomy of "stay and help the fellow slaves get free" or "leave, run away, and have no way to do anything to help anyone".
It's not 'either or' anymore. And because of that the whole world is starting to wake up.
Slowly.
But inevitably; surely.
https://steemit.com/trump/@ghyassine/it-is-time-for-donald-trump-to-leave-the-white-house
Great article.
Fight
Opening up as many minds as possible is, indeed, the only solution.
The trouble is that the thugs are also aware 'bullheaded' people like you would use the Internet to spread their ideas. That's why we speak of censorship today, that's why dangerous posts are labeled 'fake news'...
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn writes well, but he neglects to mention that had the populace of Leningrad revolted against their masters, they had better be resolved not only to occupy the civic centers of Leningrad, but also to march onto Moscow and the Kremlin. Any population that wishes to revolt against their masters had better be resolved to continue their little war to the very center of the empire, execute the entire ruling elite, and fight the armed might of an entire Westphalian state. The Hungarians learned this lesson painfully in 1956, when their ill-considered revolt led to Soviet tanks running through the streets of Budapest with 200,000 Hungarians fleeing as refugees to points beyond the known realm. Recently, the Syrians, who never learned the lessons of the Hungarian revolt, are learning that revolutions kill indiscriminately, and those killed are usually their children, not the tyrants. Perhaps, those who seek revolutions may wish to gaze upon the 100,000 severed limbs of Syrian children before prattling about "freedom."
You entirely missed the point. Solzhenitsyn was describing what happens when the common people DON'T revolt. And yes, when a SMALL percentage of the people eventually fight back, while the rest stand idly by, horrible things happen. And this isn't about "revolution" as much as it is about disobedience. "Let's go kill the king ... and put up a new king!" is entirely pointless. But when a big enough percentage of the population refuses to obey, whether they resist passively or forcibly, authoritarian control collapses. In case you didn't notice, the Soviet Union since Stalin FELL OVER. The U.S. empire will follow suit when enough people stop believing in an obligation to obey. (What happens after that depends upon whether people want to appoint a new ruling class or not... which depends on how many people escape the superstition of "authority" between now and then.)
Authority blows. Keep it up, Larken. I'll be spamming more of your stuff on my FB wall.
Definitely fight. Also, where you run is in varying degrees of the same problems.
Fight
That's a great concept..I gain knowledge from content of politics..Carry my friend ..Best of luck...
Fights are not possible to solve all problems.
Loved this quote mate.
Excellent article as always @larkenrose. You write and speak so eloquently on the subject of freedom and voluntaryism. There are many who write and make videos about the sorts of things that you do but somehow they, for the most part, lack authenticity but in my own opinion you are different and I get bthe real sense that the situation we find ourselves in frustrates you just as much as myself.
Feels like you're banging your head against a brick wall at times, most times in fact. Hope seems to be all we have since there doesn't seem to be the will or desire among enough to actually change things rather than talking about changing things. I really hope it isn't false hope.
Have a great day mate and thanks for all of your efforts.
Wow, thanks for sharing
Beautiful post. I believe the main change will come when more awaken to the reality of the situation. I've also consider hiding, but to what end? We can win, it is selfishness that is our enemy. When we see all as our bother/sister and stand together for righteousness we can indeed realize a truly free world. Any oppression should be seen as our own, then we will be free as we take to overcoming the wicked by squashing it out wherever it roams. Only when we see this way do I see us being free.
Thank you for this post, despite its dark content I feel lightness in seeing these words spoken and people listening. May freedom be in our lifetimes.
Love and peace.
(bitcoin) next year will reach 20 thousand dollars News from a reliable source
Not exactly a bold claim, since it's about two inches from being there already.
I deeply support your educational efforts, and the inspiration you provide.
I exemplify the stark reality you here relate.
For many years I was able to resist and counter statist privilege and predation, prospering and raising my sons as free men.
The most impressive thing I have ever done is necessitate that coordination of predatory institutions requisite to my defeat. It required a concerted, multi-decadal effort, involving corrupt local, regional, national, and international organizations, that must have cost $M's, and in the end, when they did finally succeed, they got nothing, as the cost for securing my betrayal was providing the traitor my property.
The only purpose of the attack was my defeat: the defeat of outspoken defiance of their predatory tyranny, from one demonstrably succeeding at prospering while opposing them, in the heartland of our fathers. I believe they were willing to spend ten times that to crush me.
I realized that regardless of how much property and wealth I accumulated, upon my death, none of it would be of any benefit to me, nor anyone I care about. Lawyers, the most vile perversity civilization has spawned, would be my beneficiaries. My experience showed that accumulation of property inevitably necessitated ever more strenuous and informed effort to secure it, preventing me from being able to enjoy the benefits of it.
Furthermore, due to the structure of the institutions which are necessary to the acquisition of property, it is impossible to do so without feeding the system. In my work to oppose that system from within it, I became it. There are means of acquiring property without financially supporting the system directly, but they cannot be undertaken ethically, and criminal support of their criminal mechanisms is perhaps even more emunerative to that system, and devours the soul.
There are no trustworthy allies, so I can only rely on my own skills and work to attain and secure property. Wiser words I cannot share: regardless of claims by others of devotion and fealty, do not potentiate your own vulnerability to betrayal. Trust no one.
My needs are simple, and trivially met. As long as I can wield a hammer, I will continue to meet them. When I no longer can, it will be time to die.
Because of this, I am practically immune to those whose depredations are intended to secure to them the wealth and property of their victims. I am invulnerable to betrayal. I am invulnerable to plunder and theft, since I can walk away at any time from everything I own, without significant loss.
Citi can no longer afford to seize my assets unlawfully, as one of their lawyer prostitutes spending even one minute giving the idea thought would exceed in cost the entire value of my possessions. If the IRS comes after me, they will prove they owe me money. No LEA can do other than fraudulently entice perjury to convict me of any crime.
All I have that is worth possessing is me. That is all I can take with me wherever I go, no matter what predation I suffer, whether I live or die.
I am free.
nice article,
please visit my blog here: https://steemit.com/life/@thankful.andrew/how-do-we-outgrow-our-problems
thank you
Well, the answer is shown in the movie, The Matrix.
...they are not ready to give it up... and they will defend it...
Our only chance is to deprogram ourseleves, and to keep our children away from propaganda. To teach them the truth. And as more children grow up knowing that war is a racket and the see the govern-cement's lies, without the Stockholm syndrome we got from 12 years of govern-cement education. This is the real hope.
Else, right now, if you try to stand on your morals, the "authorities" will make your life difficult if not hell. Even if you are right, and they, knowingly are in the wrong.
A straight on attack is pretty much useless. None of our protests have meant anything to congress. So, that leaves subversion.
Fantastic thoughts, as usual! You left off defunding the government gangs by trading using crypto currency! Fight, flight, or ignore. I guess you could deem defunding as fighting, or flight too, but seems like it should be its own category.
This is such a valuable post, @larkenrose! 100% upvote, followed and Resteemed!! We have to have these important conversations at this crucial time in world history and for America bc the s__t is hitting the fan and we each are responsible for shaping how things go from here. Thank you.
I just REALLY woke up in February of THIS year. I am 47 years old. Have you looked into the No Gas Chambers in the holocaust truth? Honestly, it was the CRAZIEST IDEA I EVER heard in MY LIFE up until this past february, alot of what you say in this article refers "indirectly" to the BASE LIE and Deception that has been perpatrated on us, so I figured I would bring this up to you and allow YOU to investigate it if you have not already.
The Holohoax helped bring the U.S. into the WAR. David Cole and David Irving both bring ENORMOUS amounts of EVIDENCE as to why mathmatically the ovens and gas chambers were impossible, I hope you look vbecause you hold shit ton of influence!
Regarding freedom have you investigated common law?
Digging the setup for "The Mirror" on Patreon.
Good article but I think one of the biggest problems we face is that it seems most people need to be told what to do. They require an authority figure who tells them exactly what to think. Most just accept authority whether they agree with it or not. The rest select which authority they follow based on their own prejudices. Ensuring that almost every revolution that overthrows a tyrannical regime becomes equally tyrannical over time as they take over making the decisions for everyone. It becomes even more complicated when religion is introduced into the political arena. Then twisted further by the irrefutable fact that humans are hierarchical and need to feel better than, and look down on, others with different lifestyles and beliefs. People come together to overthrow an evil regime and then fragment into different mutually hostile groups. The most vicious of these will always fight their way into power. The cycle repeats as it has always done and perhaps always will. Humans, it seems, need to belong to something bigger than themselves but only because they believe it makes them superior to others.
Nice nice nice
Being an expat is pretty tough to do without a lot of money. I wanted to stay in Belize after a visit but the laws prevented me from accepting money or even volunteering. The key is to find a spot with as many woke people as you can and when you can't find that you have to start waking people up.
I just wrote about the control mechanism that keeps so many asleep and under the boot. https://steemit.com/mindcontrol/@jamestrue/a-simple-blueprint-for-mind-control
I felt compelled to respond... so I will.
I was one of those who as a young man and believing much of the propaganda thought the USA was the greatest place on the planet and as such it was my obligation to defend it... so I joined the US Army at 17. I was young and dumb. But I ended up being stationed in what was then West Germany for 2-1/2 years during the late 80s into 1990. I not only got to experience living and interacting with the Germans... I also got to see the wall come down and to witness many East German refugees (up to then "the enemy") who had fled their country.
My girlfriend at the time was German and her family took me in as one of them and I was able to experience being part of their family. It greatly affected my understanding of the differences in our cultures. When I left the Army and returned to the US... I spent the next 6 month readjusting to a culture that even then I felt was cold and distant compared to the Germans. But I'm very grateful to know the difference because since then... it's only gotten much worse. And experiencing the state of the East Germans... victims of a communist regime... I can see much the same in the current USSA.
I left the asylum. I tried once in 2008-09. Traveling to many countries around the world and returned disappointed but I wasn't looking for the right things. In 2013 I headed for Chile to look into the ill fated Galt's Gulch project. It wasn't what I expected but at least I found some like minded people.
In 2015 I attended the first Anarchapulco... and have never left. The community here isn't perfect... but the people are pretty awesome. Being part of it has been an experience I will treasure forever.
Mexico has many benefits but one of the most significant are the people who know full well not to trust government and refer to police as "Banditos". I don't believe anyone really experiences freedom until they have the opportunity to stand face to face with a uniformed authority figure and say "No thank you!" to their face. It's an experience I highly recommend... and it's possible in Mexico. It happens everyday here.
That isn't some mythical freedom... it's real freedom and I invite anyone who has the courage to try it to do so.
Most Americans are descendants of people who looked for something better... who saw opportunity somewhere else and went for it. Who may have saw the threat of psychopaths on the horizon or just headed for opportunity... I see Mexico the same way today. I have a long list of reasons why Mexico is one of those opportunities.
My significant other was skeptical. But now that we've lived here and experienced it, she wouldn't trade anything for the life we have now. She loves it and the community we have here.
On a side note... Much respect for the many articles and understanding Larken. In 2008-9, it was your video "Theft by Deception" that convinced me to stop supporting the criminal system. Once I did that, it became clear to me it was indeed a fight or flight situation.