A friend of mine introduced me to Ron Paul, after looking more and more into it I liked his message. This year I dove into his book “End the Fed” and through it discovered Mises.org. Since the summer I’ve been reading the dailies, Austrian Economics books, youtube videos of Keynesianism vs Austrian Economics and observing how the world operates around me in light of all this new information.
I got sucked into the world of Anarcho-Capitalism. I have never been so drawn in to something as logical and persuasive as the message of freedom. I’m a young CTO of a startup and helped turn our company into a multi-million dollar business. I never accepted help from anyone other than my own drive to produce and create my own wealth. People regard Anarchy as chaos, in my mind, the inverse is true.
This world of oppressive religion, control, war, coercion and death is what is chaotic, not the idea of people living within their means and respecting one another as individuals in anarchy. Yet everywhere around me people are sucked into believing in the State and centralized religion. It’s mind-numbing and I feel so alone, people usually agree with me when I explain it to them in terms presented here, yet it still feels like 95% of the world still believes in religion and the State.
It’s hard to go day-by-day seeing all the control around me, I feel like I am awake and everyone is sleeping around me not knowing or caring for the truth and I want to snap them out of it. I will continue to do my best to spread the message of freedom and perhaps one day get into office somewhere to spread the word like Ron Paul. It seems like such a daunting task but I will never give into the State. What are some of the way you guys deal with it? It’s nice to find a bastion of freedom in this world of control, I look forward to getting involved with the discussions here.
Thanks for the response, yes that is true, I closely studied Dr. Ray Peat. Whose research into food was also an eye opener, the very foods the Government tell us that are healthy are the same ones killing us, but make it very profitable for certain special interests in the food industry. The media and the State have suppressed his message very well, he has said that even if he attempts to publish his research that the State will most likely muzzle him. I eat natural and whole foods, avoiding all (if possible) processed foods.
I also do not doubt the existence of alien life elsewhere in the universe. I sometimes ponder how aliens would think of us if they observed us, so far, my thoughts haven’t produced a very good impression. But it is getting better over time, humans have progressed well over time in many regards. We still need a lot of work though.
Well, religion and the state aren’t necessarily intertwined though. It’s like how leftists, and anarcho socialists think mistaking corporatism for capitalism and thinking: “Oh, that capitalism and statism is so intertwined”. It could be, but that doesn’t necessarily means there’s a inevitable connection between holding a religious belief = being a statist. Not everyone here is totally secular either. On that note, not everyone is an anarchocapitalist either, just the majority :). There is actually a diverse group of people here. Here’s an article from Walter Block on religion and the state.:
Anyway, it’s nice to see you here. I hope you enjoy the discussions, and wealth of material on this website.
I mean if you are a young CTO, then you already are taking the right steps against the state. The free market is naturally anti-state, the state is naturally coercive, and free markets are voluntary ones.
Also, be positive. Things in some ways will always seem to be getting worse, but in the same way they are getting better, if you know where to look. For example, look at the standard of living 150 years ago. It’s much better now.
Libertyandlife, my apologies, I didn’t make my point regarding religion clear enough. I believe religion can provide great value when practiced in a humble personal level. The form of religion I am against is the kind that is centrally organized and behaves in many ways like the State does. Overly controlling and turning it’s followers into brainwashed obsessed zealots who transform their life into worship and recruiting more to the slaughter. I have agreed with some of the messages of religion on a personal level but I am against amplifying it’s use to control and manipulate the masses.
For example, when I was in college, I did bible studies with an evangelical minister, in the end he wanted me to devote my life to the church, become a minister to recruit others and sign a contract that 10% of my income would be transferred to the Church. That didn’t sit well with me.
@liberty student, thanks for the welcome! That’s a good approach, one which I have been using. Avoiding the use of nasty comments and violence, even those who tirelessly argue against me that the stimulus package wasn’t big enough and given the keynesian multiplier we should have spent a lot more. facepalm
This world of oppressive religion, control, war, coercion and death is what is chaotic, not the idea of people living within their means and respecting one another as individuals in anarchy. Yet everywhere around me people are sucked into believing in the State and centralized religion. It’s mind-numbing and I feel so alone, people usually agree with me when I explain it to them in terms presented here, yet it still feels like 95% of the world still believes in religion and the State.
@Stranger, nice article. I guess the State succeeded in making me feel alone, but not powerless or hopeless I agree “Lone Nut” suicide attacks or entrenchment won’t take you far, but the Mexican drug cartels are using really excessive force, certainly there are better ways right?
There are better ways than Mexican-style violence, I was simply pointing out that isolation against the state is not a hopeless fact.
Mexican drug lords in many ways live exactly like medieval lords - travelling from fortress to fortress to defend their turf, while always facing the risk of capture. They even decorate their arms the medieval way.
Welcome, and please contribute often. Look forward to reading your posts and questions.
How to deal with it? Self control. Never lose your cool when talking to people about the intervention that destroyed economy. Understand the workings of the unhampered market. Become well read in the subjects that interest you. Use the forum like a classroom, a place to learn and ask questions.
@Stranger, that’s interesting, and to think, prohibition is in large part supporting all of this.
@Smiling Dave, thanks for the welcome! Yea we have to hold on to reason as much as possible, it has certainly helped me win lots of debates. During one, through reason I got someone to realize they believe handicapped people are first-class citizens and to admit they believe it’s okay for the government to invade private property and that the rich “owe” others part of their wealth. It sure shed some light on how “humanitarian” present-day liberals really are.
Actually, in my observation it is the less centrally organised churches (eg Pentacostals) that can boast more zealous and active believers, while the members of the more highly organised churches (eg Catholic, Orthodox, mainstream Lutheran) come of quite laid back.
@Nielsio, I will respectfully disagree with that idea. I agree that politicians, public policemen etc lay claim to ownership over you and in a perfect world we should make do without them. However, until we transition into that ideal we have to deal with the current system. If it wasn’t for Ron Paul who spread the message of freedom and my friend heard it, I would never have heard it and I might have not ended up here today. Maybe eventually, however, the contributions Ron Paul has made towards spreading the message of Freedom to me far outweigh the negative of having another person to lay claim to ownership of us. In the current system, if Ron Paul followed that idea, it’s possible that some other Statist would have occupied that seat anyways and further suppressed the message of freedom. I don’t see the problem with gaining “power” into public office if your ultimate goal is to ultimately disassemble the power of the State from within (even your own). If enough Anarcho-Capitalists made it into power why couldn’t they collectively disassemble their own power (State power) once they control it?
@rosstaylor, thanks I will try! We built a .COM business, and no, not the same kind during the .COM bubble, we actually make revenue and don’t rely on debt or public money to survive
@Marko, well that may be true, the main one I had in my mind was Islam. I spent a few years living in Egypt, and the centralized Islamic religion there has absolute control. Religion and State have made nearly a full merge and become a totalitarian State. While not as bad, the Roman Catholic church and its Pope/Vatican appears too State-like to me to be comfortable with.
Will your .com business survive the upcoming turbulence in the US market and around the world? Since you’re here in this forum, I’m sure you know what lies ahead of us.
I have a discussion regarding the 21st century, perhaps a CTO might be interested : P
