There are a lot of people who will tell you a lot of different things about nonaggression, voluntaryism, and anarchy.  Pop culture will have us believe that such things are dangerous and inhumane.  Government supporters will have us believe that such ideas are terroristic in nature.  But I will tell you that they are ideas that are hidden from us because they crumble the coercive foundations of government and pop culture.

 

Pop culture, like government, is based on coercion.  'Might makes right' and 'majority rules' are the mantras of most western societies; and really any society or culture that promotes a collective presence as more important than the individual.  Culturally in the United States, where I reside, peer pressure is still a big deal, even in the adult world.

 

As a child and high school student I remember the constant ridicule I received.  People encouraged one another to participate in making fun of others.  Class systems were crafted based on how tough your emotional shield to the world was.  The same thing carried over into adulthood for far too many.

 

Today, just as with my parents' and grandparents' generations and their parents' and grandparents' generations we are faced with the same peer pressure.  We grow up teaching our children what we were taught, even if we think that what we are teaching is wrong.  I know this is true for so many out there because of the contradictions that are taught and in plain sight for all to see.  i.e. Government.

 

My father taught me to do many things which included keeping government limited, but not to speak out too loudly against it lest I am ridiculed and persecuted.  If I am not to speak out too loudly then why speak out at all against any injustice?

 

It's a dangerous world out there to be sure!  I know that now nearing two decades out of my parents' care.  Now I am my own man and I seek to help others understand what my parents didn't understand or couldn't explain to me; for I strive to do all that is befitting a free man, beginning with thinking for myself.

 

 

So what is nonaggression?

 

In a nut shell nonaggression is about not acting in any aggressive manner without first being subjected to aggressive actions by others which are not done in any manner of self defense that wasn't justified.  Said different, it is about defending your property-beginning with your self-and extending to the material objects that you have peacefully and honestly acquired to maintain and improve the quality of your life.

 

Basically, do no harm by means of aggressive actions, violence, deception, coercion, or other to gain personal benefit at the expense of another without their voluntary consent.

 

People like to rebut this by suggesting that such an idea is subjective to various criteria; thus it won't work.  Well, actually, it works just fine.  We make mistakes all the time as human beings.  We discuss these mistakes and accidental transgressions all the time and find common ground to plead our cases with one another.

 

For fear of engaging with a less reasonable individual we teach ourselves to be mindful of our surroundings.  We teach ourselves to courteous and polite; and we typically set a social standard for what is acceptable behavior and language to help encourage a reasonable frame of mind for people to engage with one another in.

 

It's why we don't typically blast our music to the highest volumes after a certain time at night in a crowded apartment building.  It's why we don't immediately shoot someone for stepping on our lawn or throw a grenade at some ignorant driver on the highway.  People make mistakes and so many are often innocent.

 

The problem lay with the ability to handle these mistakes.  Do we immediately start shooting or do we try to take in a little more information to be certain of what the situation is?  There is no blanket answer for everything.  Each interaction is going to be different and it is up to us to be mindful and clear headed as often as possible.

 

But sometimes that just doesn’t work out.  It is to our benefit to do so but it doesn’t always happen and that is why people think that the Nonaggression principle doesn't work.  Well, I'm going to tell you that government doesn't work very well either.  In fact government works less well than the Nonaggression Principle.  Additionally government violates the nonaggression principle because government is not voluntary.  Government blatantly rejects the consent of all it claims jurisdiction over to govern.  Noncompliance is often met with violent and deadly force.  How is that a good thing?

 

Certainly there are bad people in the world but why punish the good because the bad might get them?  Let people work things out for themselves.  Let people band together for collective defenses…VOLUNTARILY.  Let people choose when to be a part of a group and when not to be.  Let people choose when to purchase services and from whom instead of making laws that limit who or what people can purchase from, when, and how.

 

Nonaggression works just fine when people are not bullied into perpetuating ideals that they don't believe in.  Regardless of the government, religion, or anything else- Nonaggression transcends the laws of all collectives because it doesn’t justify unwarranted acts that violate the consent of the individual.  Nonaggression, when tested, can be easily shown to disprove the legitimacy of so many so called 'peaceful' entities.  And at the end of the day, when there is no government around to solve your dispute with another, nonaggression becomes the default rule of law in order to preserve the lives of all involved in any interaction.

Voluntaryism

 

So when interactions become voluntary we have an idea that is pretty special.  Basically the idea of nonaggression leads to what is known as voluntaryism.  Voluntaryism is an idea that all interactions between individuals should be free of unwarranted acts of aggression and that consent should be respected at all times.  The only acts of aggression, violence, deception, and so on allowed are those done in defense of the individual and the individual's property.

 

Voluntaryism is about respecting others and what they may potentially do to aid humanity at their own individual choosing, or to not; but never to attempt to do any harm.  It's really very simple.  So long as an individual's actions don't violate the consent of another then there is no problem at all. 

Anarchy
 

And combining those two ideas is what anarchy is all about.  It really is a very simple idea.  People working together will produce so much and more in time.  Yes, people will try to take from the ungoverned against their wills but the ungoverned will not be limited to defending themselves by rules imposed over them by another bully government or collective.  People working together will come together to create what is necessary to maintain, improve and defend their lives.

 

Defense agencies that replace militaries will likely be the norm.  Private police departments too will become more prevalent.  Entities such as the CDC, fire departments, and the Army Core of Engineers will be replaced by privatized versions that offer services for a price.  Anything and everything that governments "provide" through involuntary taxation will probably be provided in some capacity that satisfies what the people want; and will be done for a profit that sustains the business without justifying coercion and taxation.  In other words, the services provided will have to live up to their names because people will be able to stop paying for them and choose another or none at all, unlike with taxation where they simply are kidnapped and thrown into a cage for noncompliance.  The best part is that without government regulations, laws, and coercion... The competition to defend us will be fierce and plentiful! 

 

-JLD

 

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