RE: A Message From the Chief Anarchist For the Anarcho Capitalist Peasants.
There seems to be a greater question here: What is the nature of man? (I use the term "man" inclusively... female, male, trans, etc.) It seems to me that if we are, indeed, the products of nature, Natural Man, then it seems that "survival of the fittest" is the rule and the norm. Certainly this appears to be what humans have done in that we have dominated all other animal species on the planet, or are in the process of doing so; and we do so with each other. It matters not what institution, religion, government, corporation or endeavor we are engaged in, the few will rise to the top, while the many, the masses will remain at the bottom, with another group of aspirants jockeying for position on their way to the top. Currently I'm a (55) for example... working my way up. But will I ever make the top 1%? Not likely...for various reasons. Let's look at Steemit for example: a million have signed up. How many remain? (I've forgotten the number.) Fewer than 100,000 to be sure, and of those less than 1% are Whales or Orcas. Of course we modify our purely animal behavior here somewhat by implementing Cooperative Abundance: by lifting others up we lift ourselves. (Notice that the general motivation for lifting others is that we too are lifted. So even with this, our strategy is "survival" leading to dominance within this system. And so it goes in virtually all human endeavors. And those at the top definitely have more "property" than I do. And I/we must admit that the more Steem the better! Right? If not, then let's head back to Facebook.
What is anarcho-capitalism if not this very stratification of the "fittest"? And, if the world were by some miraculous means to become a paradise of anarcho-capitalists, would not the masses be just as they are now with a new Elite meeting annually in Acapulco? Perhaps a more benevolent elite, but still... Don't get me wrong, I am not denigrating those who are anarcho-capitalists. I know there are many kind and benevolent people among them. But really, little changes.
Here on Steemit we see the masses fade away and with disdain call their meager attempts "Spam".
So what are we then? What are humans? Are we something greater, more loving, more spiritual than we have been to date? Are we in the deepest sense possible One, all part of a Cosmic Source? And if that is true, then what we must do is raise our collective consciousness where we know and behave accordingly, with love, compassion, and all those other higher level behaviors. Are we capable in that state of consciousness to rise above the idea of personal property? I don't know, but in the meantime Personal Property remains the foundation of freedom.
However, a nasty unanswered question still remains: what of the masses? Out of our benevolence do we give them a "universal income"? Manna from heaven so to speak.
Back to the animal paradigm for a moment: If we are only animals, then what's the big deal? We glorify those who rise to the top of sports, of religion (Popes and prophets and Buddha's), of governments (Kings, Queens, Presidents), or even the Scout Troop (Senior Patrol leader), Military (Generals and Admirals) and of industry and finance (Jobs, Musk, Bezos and the hidden Elite), and so forth. Don't we put these, the few, who own vast amounts of property on a collective pedestal?
A quote regarding private property from Ludwig von Mises: "There is no experience to show that any other social system could provide mankind with any of the achievements of civilization."
As for me: I seek higher consciousness. It is our only hope to avert self destruction in our mad drive for dominance over each other. In the meantime, no spam from me. I want the SBD!
Many blessings, and peace.
Survival of the fittest is being sorely misused on Earth. The 'fittest' does not really mean 'has the most stuff' or 'invents the most desirable technology' (or 'can kill the most efficiently'). Co-operation ensures survival and the idea that conflict is needed is only a self fulfilling prophecy.
It is love that ensures survival and high consciousness, yes. The issue of how to ensure these are present among 'the masses' is the same as how to ensure it is in any given individual. Those who survive will achieve their destiny in this regard - we all have free will and there is never a better time to choose to align to loving, compassion, survival and benevolence than now!
When I think of anarcho-capitalists I conjure in my mind a group of people who are very self-responsible individuals. They see the crap going on in the world and they simply are saying, " Screw that, we'll take care of ourselves." While on the other hand we see the ugly head of "Equality, Fraternity, Liberty" rearing it's head again among the common people, and they go the other direction toward a paternal government. And then of course, those in the middle, while usually very responsible and doing the best they can are, nevertheless, trapped in a system that abuses them.
I agree with you, we all have the capacity and the free will to choose. However in our unique earth school evil finds its way into the hearts and minds of the Elite and equally so in those who suck at the teat of government. That's evil too in that it destroys ones self responsibility and independence and diminishes their ability to take care of themselves.
It seems that Steemit is a microcosm of the world to some degree. The least responsible or capable fall to the side, while those who cooperatively engage with each other move on and up.
Ultimately, in my opinion, there must be a transformation into higher levels of consciousness which includes greater self-love and love for others. The question is How will that happen? Having dealt with many clients in the past who were on the path of transformation, this usually came about as a result of some serious challenges, either in marriage, or career, or health, or addictions. It was the great challenge that moved them to change. Will it be the same for humanity as well? Apparently last century with it's wars and 200 million deaths from revolution and war was not enough to motivate people to change. What will it take? Or are the Christians right: Christ will come and toast the wicked, while the Believers will move on to a thousand years of paradise.
It is the ability to feel and to listen to real feelings that motivates change. Many people are disconnected from their feelings and thus no amount of triggering seems to reach them. That's the core issue here. Once emotional processing is given wider acceptance, the situation will change quickly.