General

Re: Anarcho Capitalism and Anxiety

onebornfree — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:15:37 GMT

MMMark:

Get a hold of this book and read it:

How I Found Freedom In An Unfree World (review)

How I Found Freedom In An Unfree World (purchase e-book)

...then come back here and tell us if you feel better.

Harry Browne: "You are the sovereign authority for your life. You are the ruler who makes the decisions regarding how you will act, what information you will accept. You do it anyway — but if you recognize that you do it, you can gain much greater control over your future…

But whether or not you accept it, you are sovereign. You rule one life — and you rule it totally.

You decide which information you will accept or reject. You decide what your next action will be. You decide what moral code you’ll live by…

To be free, you have only to make the decision to be free. Freedom is waiting for you — anytime you’re ready for it."

Regards, onebornfree.

Re: Anarcho Capitalism and Anxiety

Nielsio — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 12:37:56 GMT

Lewis S. wrote:

Remember that winning people over to liberty is a marathon, not a sprint. No matter how clear and consistent your arguments are, no matter how logically sound they are, and no matter how rhetorically persuasive, people are not going to accept any kind of holistic philosophy of liberty. It's too big of a leap for people, who have lived their entire lives being taught that the state is moral and every bit a part of nature as the wind, rain, or snow. Our advantage, however, is that whether talking to a left-statist or right-statist, there is always some common ground we can establish with people. If you're talking to a lefty, bring up topics such as civil liberties, the war on drugs, or foreign policy. To a neocon, talk about free markets, taxes, or regulation. If you proceed from the principle of self-ownership and non-aggression, then there's a good chance you're going to give them a perspective which justifies their position in a way in which they are unfamiliar, allowing you to develop rapport. If these people are truly your friends, then they will, given time, respect your opinion.

However, I understand the nature of your complaint. I associate with some people who are deathly afraid to allow me even to speak half a sentence when they know I disagree - and I am very humble in conversation (mostly) and don't push my views on anyone. When you run into a group like this, remember the phrase "don't cast your pearls before swine." Move onto someone who is reasonable, wants to have a two-way discussion and learn, but also take the approach that you can learn from them (which you can, understanding how statists view the world is important for us). I have been successful in moving a small group of people towards libertarianism because I was able to continually find points which we could agree on. Given time and patience, open-minded people will come around. Stay away from know-it-alls or people who freak out when someone disagrees with them - there is no hope for these people.

It took myself more than five years to become a full-fledged libertarian, and I have to constantly remind myself of that. (Ironically, that's a good way to develop credibility with people. If you can tell them you were once a neo-con or lefty, your libertarianism is revealed as the open-mindedness it really is.)

Re: Anarcho Capitalism and Anxiety

G8R HED — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 12:28:13 GMT

Faith is hope in what is unseen.

Expectation is the anticipation of that hope

And joy the realization of expectation.

But there is no substitute for a thankful heart.

Shall we be reasonable?

To be content is a matter of time preference.

Re: Anarcho Capitalism and Anxiety

Conza88 — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 10:42:41 GMT

"I was just thinking of this the other day, actually. It seems like everything I look at has the unhealthy and depressing aura of government all over it."

You should check out Bratislava. lol

"I wish I could say I've found a soluton for this....but as of now, my morning bus ride offers me nothing but depression and a genuine hatred towards the state."

Do you listen to Mises.org lectures on an mp3 player / ipod? Definitely should.

Re: Anarcho Capitalism and Anxiety

Seph — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 09:50:57 GMT

I was just thinking of this the other day, actually. It seems like everything I look at has the unhealthy and depressing aura of government all over it.

Example: I take a public bus every morning, which I have to wait 20 minutes for, then endure 30 minutes (if I'm lucky, thanks to traffic jams on government roads) of being squeezed against a usually dirty window, to arrive at my overpriced government school which I go to despite the fact that there is a cheaper, more convienient and all around better private school directly across from it, because the government school offers me a piece of paper called a degree, which should be useless, but thanks to the state, is basically a requirement in my field.

And all I can ever think about is: "Can you even fathom a private (road/bus/education/whatever) comapny acting in this manner?"

I wish I could say I've found a soluton for this....but as of now, my morning bus ride offers me nothing but depression and a genuine hatred towards the state.

Re: Anarcho Capitalism and Anxiety

Naevius — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 03:29:50 GMT

I launch in the odd depressive mood for pretty much the same reason, Snowflake. Whenever I'm down, one thing never fails to cheer me up: my favorite show, Gurren Lagann (which you can watch here for free if you like). The show's all about overcomiing intense odds with determination and spirit and the characters never fail to inspire me. I highly recommend it.

Re: Anarcho Capitalism and Anxiety

MMMark — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 21:18:27 GMT

Mon. 10/04/26 16:16 EDT
.post #81

Snowflake:
Ironically I could maximize my personal freedom by just agreeing with everyone else (whether its actually liberty oriented or not).

Get a hold of this book and read it:

How I Found Freedom In An Unfree World (review)

How I Found Freedom In An Unfree World (purchase e-book)

...then come back here and tell us if you feel better.

Re: Anarcho Capitalism and Anxiety

Joe — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 18:04:06 GMT

move to New Hampshire

Re: Anarcho Capitalism and Anxiety

onebornfree — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 17:02:07 GMT

Maybe see "The Art of fighting Without Fighting"?:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw8HvKnEsto&feature=related

Regards, onebornfree.

Re: Anarcho Capitalism and Anxiety

Andrew Cain — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 17:00:23 GMT

I watch a lot of Shin Chan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuywoC3H_AM&feature=channel

'Not the number 3!! It's lead content is dangerously high!'

Re: Anarcho Capitalism and Anxiety

Lewis S. — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 16:35:33 GMT

Snowflake:

Remember that winning people over to liberty is a marathon, not a sprint. No matter how clear and consistent your arguments are, no matter how logically sound they are, and no matter how rhetorically persuasive, people are not going to accept any kind of holistic philosophy of liberty. It's too big of a leap for people, who have lived their entire lives being taught that the state is moral and every bit a part of nature as the wind, rain, or snow. Our advantage, however, is that whether talking to a left-statist or right-statist, there is always some common ground we can establish with people. If you're talking to a lefty, bring up topics such as civil liberties, the war on drugs, or foreign policy. To a neocon, talk about free markets, taxes, or regulation. If you proceed from the principle of self-ownership and non-aggression, then there's a good chance you're going to give them a perspective which justifies their position in a way in which they are unfamiliar, allowing you to develop rapport. If these people are truly your friends, then they will, given time, respect your opinion.

However, I understand the nature of your complaint. I associate with some people who are deathly afraid to allow me even to speak half a sentence when they know I disagree - and I am very humble in conversation (mostly) and don't push my views on anyone. When you run into a group like this, remember the phrase "don't cast your pearls before swine." Move onto someone who is reasonable, wants to have a two-way discussion and learn, but also take the approach that you can learn from them (which you can, understanding how statists view the world is important for us). I have been successful in moving a small group of people towards libertarianism because I was able to continually find points which we could agree on. Given time and patience, open-minded people will come around. Stay away from know-it-alls or people who freak out when someone disagrees with them - there is no hope for these people.

It took myself more than five years to become a full-fledged libertarian, and I have to constantly remind myself of that. (Ironically, that's a good way to develop credibility with people. If you can tell them you were once a neo-con or lefty, your libertarianism is revealed as the open-mindedness it really is.)

Re: Anarcho Capitalism and Anxiety

MaikU — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 04:29:35 GMT

So how do you all deal with it?

I listen to music. A lot. It's only "healthy" escape from this mad reality that I know.

Re: Anarcho Capitalism and Anxiety

Nitroadict — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 04:29:13 GMT

Liberté:

A realistic assessment of the human race.

To be honest, I'm a skittish kitten in real life, with a bit of Victorianism; although I swear like a sailor around my friends. But that's because offending real people has more serious consequences and, also, most real people don't try to defend 'natural law' in my presence.

I lol'ed.

Re: Anarcho Capitalism and Anxiety

LvMIenthusiast — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 04:12:03 GMT

bloomj31:

@LvMIenthusiast, I dunno, you can just protect yourself, both physically and financially if you ask me.

Also, even though it's not particularly hard to see what's coming, it's hard to tell exactly when it will happen and what exactly will happen. Plenty to be nervous about.

Yeah, definitely no shortages of what to be nervous about in the case of a complete economic collapse.

Re: Anarcho Capitalism and Anxiety

Sieben — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 03:47:26 GMT

Josh:
Because muggings are traumatic while taxation is not (at least in my case). I've grown accustomed to being stolen from by the government. I know what they will do if I don't obey them and I know the steps that I need to take in order to obey them. Muggings, on the other hand, are not that familiar.

Right I'm sure we would all by much more traumatized if we were beaten and robbed for the first time tomorrow. I agree that the regularity and apparent tranquility of the current mugging-system allows it to fly under the radar. I obviously wasn't outraged when I first heard about taxation. But as I became more aware of the reality of modern society, it began to weigh on me (not just taxation, but this is a convenient reference).

It would also be quite different if everyone around me weren't *arguing* for my continued mugging. We all have varying amounts of social support, but at the end of the day, the vast majority of people side with the aggressors, and might even participate in aggression themselves if put in political positions. Is it so unreasonable to fear the mob?