Finding Peace with Each Other Could End the Need for the State

Wars, threats of wars, protests, shootings, mass surveillance, bombings, terrorist threats, global financial collapse, widespread viral infections and world wide civil and political unrest are in our face almost daily. Maybe more so than anytime in human history are we seeing such widespread unrest and violence. Whether or not this is true the fact is that we see it much more. It is in our face daily with instant news, information and communication at our finger tips. For the first time in human history we are able to see things as they happen all over the globe. We not only can receive a news report from some news agency that may have edited the report before airing, we can also view video footage of the actual event posted by just a regular Joe like ourselves only minutes after the incident. With this age of instant communication and information at our finger tips gone are the days where we just accept the story we are told to believe by the media because its the only story there is.

Today many people find the truth in this world by simply seeing the pictures and reading the articles from those directly experiencing the situation. Because of the available information as it happens it makes it very difficult to now spin a story for propaganda purposes and make it believable. More and more people are realizing that something must change. Words like revolution and secession are being used daily and are almost acceptable. Many see this public outcry and dissolution as an opportunity to restore our government to the way it was or maybe build a new one that is even better but I want to challenge that thought today. Today I want to make you think and question if that would be the right direction for us.

Many times because of habit, conditioning and superstitions people only see things through a very narrow view. We as a people only see how things are and what they could be, based on what we think we know, this is known as our perceived reality. Many times though there is another reality, there is the truth, but because many are closed minded they fail to see things outside of the box, they fail to challenge themselves intellectually. Their fear of the unknown becomes greater than their desire for truth.

This is what is happening today in regards to government, not just ours but all government. If people were to be honest with themselves most would admit to having a disdain for their government. No sane person loves government, we just all tolerate it. It has been called a necessary evil for a reason and not because it is so necessary but because it it so evil. So the question is, is government really that necessary?

Its funny how we argue so fervently for a system we hate so much. It is much like an addiction. We know its bad for us but we can't help that we want to need the system. We fear the unknown without it. We have become so dependent on government that it has literally enslaved us. No matter how you slice it government is simply someone who rules over you. For someone to rule over you something has to be sacrificed, what you give up is more than your earnings and property, you are giving up your freedom, essentially part of your life. This is a form of slavery. Governments, no matter how small, will always continue to take, it is in their best interest to keep you a slave. Worst of all governments use force and the threat of force to do this. Government is simply evil. Many are finally starting to realize this, that no matter how small or good a government can be or for what purpose their plunder is used for, the use of force against a sovereign individual for personal or public gain is inherently wrong. This is in fact the basis for the Non-Aggression Principle which is rooted firmly in the abolition of force and violence unless for personal defense.

The Voluntaryist Creed: Being the Herbert Spencer Lecture Delivered at (Google Affiliate Ad)

When you finally realize that government by its very nature is evil it begs the question of why do we tolerate this system? When you use violent force against another it matters not how good the outcome is for when the means for which you came to that outcome is evil you will only end up with evil. We try to reform it, shrink it, control it and we have been trying this for nearly as long as government has been around but with no success.  Isn't it time to throw away the propaganda we have been spoon fed, shake off our prejudices and start thinking outside of the box? Isn't is time to begin entertaining the idea that people can live in peace together without the force and violence of government?

To begin to seriously think about living in a world without this system of control I believe there are a couple of questions we must ask and seek answers to. Why we created government in the first place and can we be moral enough without government? I make no claims to have the answers to these questions, I only offer my opinion of what I think the answers could be but I do hope that this can begin the discussion.

First lets look at the question of why did people create government in the first place? We know there must have been a time when it did not exist and that people instituted the first system whether voluntarily or by force. The question is though, what compelled us to voluntarily give up certain rights or freedom to another or what compels someone to think they have a greater claim over your life than you do? Although we could never be sure of the answer to this question we can look around us to what we know of governments past and present and get a pretty good idea of why someone would create such a thing.

Here is my idea. All governments lay claim to being a protector and mediator of people. It is possible that government first came into existence to settle the differences between people or to say it differently, people could not work out their differences and government was a way to sort them out.

We know that for as long as we have had a recorded history, people have been labeling and dividing each other, it has become human nature to see the differences in each other than to see the similarities. With all the knowledge and awareness we now share though we continue to divide ourselves by our differences. White, black, brown, Jew, Christian, Muslim, conservative, liberal, American, Mexican, gay, lesbian, straight, etc. Is this behavior embedded in our DNA? Have we become so conditioned that we can only see each other this way? Maybe we still have some evolving to do before we can see past these differences?

I believe this is an issue that needs to be addressed to make ending statism a possibility. We must stop labeling and dividing each other before we can truly see an end to this system built to mediate those differences. If we could stop seeing differences in people and just start seeing that we are all really the same. See that we are all made the same, think the same, fear the same, dream the same and hope for the same things. Stop pointing out the superficial and circumstantial differences and begin to look inward and see our similarities. When we begin to do this we begin the process to end the need of government in our lives, for without these differences to mediate over there is no need for a mediator.

My second question is: Can we be moral enough without government and what is the basis for that morality?

When we realize that government can in the end be nothing but evil, that it takes away more than it could ever give and that the reasons man created government in the first place can be made invalid, we will then realize why it has no real value in our society. Once we realize as a society the lie that in keeping government we are in some way protecting our moral code, we will instead see that the basis for our morality is simply found in our humanity. If we understand that we are all equally the same and equally think similar thoughts and equally fear the same fears and equally dream the same dreams then we must conclude that all men should be treated equally the same and if my neighbor is essentially the same as I then why would I want to do harm to him or her. So instead of doing what we are told is right or wrong we will now know what is right and wrong. Obedience to law is not done because of moral principle it is obeyed because we fear punishment. We do not need to be told what is right or wrong we only need to open our eyes and see what is right and wrong. So instead of seeing our differences, dividing ourselves by those differences and placing different values on people based on those differences we should see each other equally with love and respect. See that every individual holds the same human rights that you do and not because of their skin color, religion, geographic location, gender or sexual orientation but simply because we are all human. Once we see each other through equality, love and respect we will no longer have the same desires and reasons to initiate harm against each other. We will then realize that these institutions we have built to define and regulate morality are no longer necessary.
 

Now I know right about now many of you are chuckling to yourself and thinking I've probably lost my mind if I believe all this. You are probably thinking that even if what I say is possible there just aren't enough people in the world to live this way to make this happen. Call me a dreamer, I wear that title proudly, but I believe what I speak of is possible.

Through out the history of mankind we have been met with seemingly insurmountable tasks and have accomplished them. We have changed our thinking and society many times just because people started to see things differently. We have nearly ended bigotry and hatred toward the difference in skin color because we as a people finally realized the inherent wrong in doing that and now just a few decades later most people look beyond skin color and now just see a person. In even less time we have made great leaps and bounds towards society fully accepting gays and lesbians. Yes there is still work to be done in this area but over the last 3 or 4 decades many people, if not most, now see only a person and not a gay person.

In both of these examples changes were not made because of some edict from a government, this kind of real change cannot be force upon a people. These awakenings in society have happened because people finally opened their eyes to see the truth and once the truth has been realized a revolution of the mind will begin to happen.

I believe again is the time for people to open their eyes and see the truth, the truth that people are capable of living in a peaceful society with voluntary association with each other. The truth is that government holds a monopoly on the use of force and violence and uses fear tactics to gain control of the people which in the end is a form of slavery.

I believe all of this is possible but only if we begin to open our eyes and make changes in our lives, in our families lives and then to in our communities. We must see government for what it truly is, a powerless slave-master. We must see it as an idea that we created and can just as easily do away with. You and I are sovereign people, not because a person or group of persons say we are. We are sovereign simply because we are human.

We must begin to find peace within ourselves and teach it to our children. Learn to respect everyone regardless of who they are. Find ways to depend less upon the system and more upon yourself, your family, your neighbors and friends. Question what you are told to believe and teach your children to question everything. Most importantly is to pass these ideas on to our children for they truly are humanities future. The greatest way to change the world is to change the way we raise our children. Teach them that violence only begets violence and that violence against another is wrong even if its cloaked in an American flag. Teach them to not accept violence in their lives, in their families and in their communities. Teach them to be individuals and not slaves. Teach them to think for themselves and teach them to see the similarities in each other instead of the differences.

If people do these things one day someone will finally wake up and realize that there is no longer a need for these institutions of force and violence mankind created. One day someone will wake up and be truly free and once and for all the slavery of mankind will be something only told in a history book.

Teach your children love and respect instead of hate and differences. Teach them to be free and that violence is wrong. Share these ideas with everyone you know and live them in your life. Once you do the revolution will have begun, the revolution of your heart and mind which must always happen first. Don't beg for freedom just simply be free.