Is physical rebellion inevitable?

It's a question that makes even the most fervent anarchist uncomfortable. Will we, despite our activism in words and literature, physically rebel against the state?

It's a question that I have wrestled with for years due to my relatively peaceful nature and application of the non-aggression principle. But, even as libertarians and anarchists, we often seldom forget the self-defense principle. 

The question is, when does it become a RIGHT to use self-defense in the form of physical force? 

• When our rights to privacy have been flushed down the toilet?
• When tens of thousands of innocent individuals are locked in cages?
• When thousands of those individuals are physically raped in those cages?
• When we are coerced, threatened, and stolen from on a daily basis?
• When we no longer have sovereignty over our own bodies due to 'the war on drugs'?

I still believe that, despite fully intellectualizing the concepts of freedom, many self-proclaimed 'anarchists' would scoff at the idea of a militia overthrowing the state. The question is, why?

We are, at this current stage of human evolution, well within our rights to physically overthrow the current ruling class, as illustrated by the bullet points listed above. If a school bully is picking on another child, robbing his dinner money, threatening and carrying out acts of violence, why is that we universally root for the victim to physically rebel against the bully? Because it is the TRUTH. It is a spiritual lesson that the creator insists we learn from.

The government is the ultimate schoolyard bully, and they are stealing much more than our lunch money. Unlike the victim in the video above, however, we refuse to fight back. Instead, we write about our bullies and blog and vlog our traumatic experiences on the internet.

I think that cowardice, similar to the bully victim who refuses to fight back and is traumatized for years, plays a major role in our acceptance of government coercion, but there's more to it that that.

When we look at every revolution throughout history, we see a similar pattern: The over-throwers of government always install a new form of government - one which they believe is going to do a much better job than the last government, of course. It is this historical fact that leads many people to think another revolution will ultimately lead to the same path but, what we're failing to realize is that, this time, there will be no alternative government. There will only be freedom.

Violence only leads to more violence!

Many pacifists and those who subscribe to New Age beliefs believe that, by responding with violence -- or, as I like to put it, physical force -- you are only creating more violence. Unfortunately, these people have no concept of the self-defense principle and, ultimately, have no courage.

If a thug on the street violently threatened you and you had the means to defend yourself with physical force -- whether through the use of firearms or with your fists -- would you not do so? Would you stand idly by whilst that thug stole your personal belongings and beat you? You would be a fool -- and a coward -- not to defend yourself in such a situation. Just as a bully victim in the schoolyard is a fool for refusing to defend himself. 

Will the bullies change their minds?

Did the British change their minds before the American revolutionaries took up arms and defended themselves with deadly force? Was the bully in the video above suddenly going to change his mind and stop beating the other kid? 

No.

We look at some of the more 'peaceful' revolutionary figures in the past such as Gandhi and Martin Luther King but fail to realize that, ultimately, these people were murdered. Blood was shed. Violence -- mostly by the bullies -- was carried out. 

It took over 400 years to abolish slavery and during that time many people were tortured and killed - including abolitionists. How many years until the ruling class and their minions surrender their power? How many years until the bully stops bullying?

I'm not encouraging you to form a local militia and overthrow the government tomorrow, but what I am asking is that you -- we -- become more open to actually employing self-defense. It is our natural right, and we are long overdue its rightful use.

Thanks for reading,

In Lak'ech