| |
A SOCIETY UNDER ANARCHISM is voluntary and free. Despite this fundamental characteristic of post-state society many anarchist thinkers forward their idea of how the free society is constituted; from anarcho-communist Bakunin’s "union of unions of unions" to anarcho-capitalist Rothbard’s free market society. Such structured views of anarchy serve as inspirations for how to organize one’s neighborhood, but cannot be taken as mandatory blueprints to be enforced under anarchy.
Anarchists forward the idea of a society where man can shape his own life without being subject to force by his equals. Equality is thus an important part of anarchism and freedom, since every man and woman naturally is a free being; they are equally free though limited to their own ability and subject to the laws of physics and nature. But within this framework of rules, such as bodily strength, gravity and the earth’s revolving around the sun, only our minds set the limits for our achievements. Man is therefore the king of nature’s creations,the very top creation of evolution.
This creativity and richness possible is today limited by the evils of force-based society. The history of man is a history of aggression. In old times tribes used violence to conquer the richness of other tribes, simply because it was possible and seemed easier than to produce such richness using one’s own energy and effort. City states, kingdoms and imperial powers followed in the same method of conduct: stealing the richness of others through the use of force and aggression.
Thousands of years of human history, i.e. human lives, have been wasted to the pointless struggle man against man to steal the fruits of the others’ labor. The result of this darkness is striking: a society where any action creates both winners and losers is a losing society on any level. A society where creation is punished by the use of force of the non-creating is a barbarian society with only limitations. The possibilities are constantly overshadowed by the limits of one man to stand tall against the aggression of the multitude. Force feeds force in an ever increasing circle of pain, oppression, exploitation, and poverty.
The abandonment of such oppressive conduct is the solution for mankind to break the evil circle of force. It includes the abandonment of all force-based structures of contemporary society in order to break the chains of man. This is anarchism: breaking the man-made chains that hold our faces down in the mud; breaking down the castles of our oppressors; freeing our fellow men to the life they have earned and will build for themselves through hard work and fellowships; defeating the political class to establish the force-free society where men will live peacefully beside men--where force is only a last resort and a means of defense.
The goal is obvious to the anarchist and anyone wishing to knock down the aggression of our age: the source of force, oppression,exploitation, aggression, and usury must be abandoned and crushed. The state must go.
Despite this correct identification of what must be, many anarchists tend to make fixed plans for the structures of post-state society. Such plans or blueprints of post-state society are the virus eating the anarchist movement from the inside. Anarchists forwarding such "free" blueprint societies as truths or must-be’s are as dangerous adversaries as the state itself.
Anarchism, the force-free society, does not allow for a model or blueprint to be realized or enforced. There can be no compulsory structure of post-state society under anarchism unless a new state, new government, is instituted. Under anarchism one man cannot force his will upon others, and a multitude cannot force the one individual. The very essence of anarchism is voluntary conduct--the use of voluntary means to reach agreements of societal change.
Voluntary conduct and equality go hand in hand, if one is not respected so is the other restricted. There can only be equality if everyman is respected for what he is, wants and chooses. There is only voluntary conduct if every man’s actions and choices are equally respected and unhampered. From this follows the core of anarchist thought: every man (i.e. man, woman, and child) is free to choose whatever he sees fit as long as it does not involuntarily limit the choices of another.
Contrary to this is the forceful blueprint society of today and throughout history. The future under anarchy cannot be planned or controlled. The meaning of anarchy is the absence of forceful structures through which one or many individuals can control others’ choices. There cannot be a mandatory blueprint for anarchist society, since all individual choices have to be equally respected. There can only be hopes, dreams, and plans to create one’s own Shangri-la, to create the future one wishes for oneself and companions. In freedom and equality there can be no king, no minister, no master, and no god.
With no gods or masters, i.e. in anarchy, who will stop the hard-working, the intelligent, the lucky? If there is a structure to stop them, it will not be anarchy. Effort, intelligence, and luck may upset equality through the choices of the achieving, intelligent and lucky. Such "inequalities" are bound to come about in freedom, since people are differentand choose differently. Any restrictions put on the hardworking, intelligent or lucky will mean the end of anarchy and freedom and the birth of force, coercion, and through these oppression, exploitation, and usury. Forceful societal structures are not compatible with anarchy, even if the results of voluntary choices and agreements by free men under anarchy to us are seemingly unjust or inappropriate.
If such inequalities effected by anarchists voluntarily working alone or cooperating with equals are stopped "spontaneously" by the actions of other free men and women cooperating only to subdue the successful, anarchy will inescapably lead to the formation of government. The very people seeking to strengthen freedom and equality are the very end of freedom themselves. Turning to force to uphold freedom can only further restrict what freedom is left. Force, aggression and coercion are incompatible with anarchy.
The turning to violence as means of conduct will start the circle of force yet again. If aggression and violence is used under anarchy, people will eventually realize that "crime pays" and hence plunge into the use of violence for an easy profit. Thus, they elevate themselves over others through the use of force against their fellow men--only to forfeit the products of free men’s labor. Such a mafia society is not anarchy; it is chaos and fascism. Such a society is even worse than the oppressive monopoly structures of the state. It is mob rule. And it is no doubt the end of freedom and anarchy.
Anarchy offers many promises and opportunities, of which all can be realized in a not too distant future. Such state of freedom or anarchy can serve as the means and basis to fulfill our personal hopes and dreams, but a free society cannot be shaped, steered, governed or ruled without losing what freedom there is. Creating a blueprint for anarchist society, or demanding certain behavior of our fellow men, is a creation of government. An anarchist making a blueprint for all people in anarchist society does not seek anarchy, but seeks the powers of the state: to shape the wills and actions of free men and the structures of society.
Under anarchy, a society under freedom and equality, one has only the right to oneself and answers only to oneself. It is not a society without masters, but a society with only masters. Under anarchy your plans are realizable in accordance to your efforts and skill, and cannot be limited or restricted by other men. Your blueprint for anarchy is thus as true as any other: it is applicable to your future only.
Welcome to anarchy, where you are the master of your ability and labor and where no restrictions apply. Any limitations are only in your own mind, yours to overcome.
All content on Anarchism.net is carefully chosen and professionally edited by the editors of Anarchism.net to ensure the quality of the site. All contributions are highly appreciated, but the editors cannot guarantee your essay will be published unedited.
The founder and editor bears overall responsibility for choosing and publishing, as well as editing, all essays for publication. The authors are ultimately personally responsible for the content of signed essays. Unsigned essays are written and edited by the Anarchism.net editors.
 
|
|
|
|
Anarchism.net editors and authors.
