The hidden voluntarist within me

I have said before and I'll say it again. I'm a progressive liberal, but I'm willing to admit that may change, too. I wasn't always this way, but as my consciousness evolves, I find new ways of thinking. I read, I write, I talk. I share and receive ideas every day. It is this sharing of ideas that keeps the noodle running. This is why I say "I write to live" in my Steemit profile.

I have just finished reading "Why do we fight to change the world?", by @dantheman. That article is a profound assessment of the task before us, not just as individuals, but also as a species. That task, I believe, can be summed up as simply finding a way to live together in peace. 

I am still relatively new to Steemit and am still finding my way around. So I am pleased to finally read the writings of one of the founders of Steemit, Dan Larimer, so early on. 

I don't know Dan on a personal level. I've only now come to know him as one of the founders of Steemit and I am also finding that I am, to a large degree, in agreement with Dan. I agree with his assessment of violence. I agree with his idea that all acts of violence arise from a rejection of reality, at least, that's what I infer from his words. I too, want to live a life in peace, without violence, either by my own hand or the government that claims to serve me. I can only say now, that I admire and appreciate his courage for acting.

Upon reading his article and a few others over the last year or so, and a review of my own writings, I too, have realized that there is a voluntarist living within me. I have no need or desire to control others. I have no personal adversaries and err on the side of peace to keep it that way. I'm not all that concerned with what others do, so long as I can live in peace with myself and others around me. I have learned, in time, to accept things exactly as they are, right now. For once I accept things as they are, I can know my position, like on a map, and plot a course for change.

While I very much agree with Dan, I believe I have something to add to the conversation. I agree with his statement that people choose solutions involving violence or threats of violence because they do not believe that non-violent methods can achieve the stated goal: peace. Well, to have peace, you MUST be peaceful. There is no other way. For every input, you can expect a likewise output. If you put peace into a system, you are more likely to get peace, than if you put violence into a system. That system can be a friendship, relationship, family, or even a society. (To learn more about family systems, see John Bradshaw's book, The Family.)

Dan also suggests violence results from an attachment to outcomes, and I totally agree. Dan also says that "non-violence isn't a technique, it is a result of accepting reality". Now here he has touched upon something that I think is the point of departure for this discussion, this blog, this moment. For I believe that every animal action, regardless of species, arises from a need. How we respond to that need depends on our skill set.

Therefore, I say to you that non-violence requires skills. It requires a certain amount of skill to accept reality in the moment. Babies are born with it. Kids who are abused, or raised in belief systems that use punishment and reward (think Pavlov) to modify behavior lose that ability to just accept reality. They become trained to the reward, the treat, or the fear of punishment, rather than looking at a situation or problem, and understanding the natural consequences arising from their actions. In other words, the words of Dr. Ross W. Greene, "kids would do better if they could".

Dr. Greene has 38 years of experience working with kids, so I think he'd know. I believe that Dr. Greene's words apply not just to kids, they apply to all human beings. It takes a certain skill to live in the moment, to accept reality, to acknowledge that there is no need for violence now. In other words, if we have the skills, we can live in peace, without violence. Entire societies can arise based on non-violent living, in principle and in being, if they have the skills to do so.

Dr. Greene has written extensively on this subject (of skills), but the two most interesting books he has written on this subject are "The Explosive Child" and "Raising Human Beings". It would be easy to think that both books describe a technique for raising kids. They do not, they describe a lifestyle of collaborating with children to solve the problems they encounter that give rise to challenging behavior in kids. I emphasize the word, "collaborating" here, to say that the ultimate skill of living in peace, without violence, is collaboration.

All great creations of mankind come from some sort of collaboration. From a school play to landing a man on the moon to Steemit, and eventually, a voluntarist society. When kids see someone bigger and stronger than them imposing their will upon them, they can easily believe that is how government should be when they grow up. Until our species can let go of the need to assert authority, an advantage, or power over another human being, a worldwide voluntarist society may prove to be impossible. 

Dan says that his mission is fraught with danger and I agree, but the danger comes from the top, not the bottom. Most change starts at the bottom, whether they be violent or non-violent revolutions. I say that a change for a non-violent society starts with our individual actions, and even how we raise our kids. Our kids are at the bottom right now. They do not have enough power to stop adults that exhibit challenging behavior.

So I have started on this journey of non-violence decades ago. I know well the spike of adrenaline that comes with violence of schoolyard fights, and have come to think of violence as an addiction. I have long since doffed the need for any violence. I have no desire to be looking over my shoulder in fear, so I err on the side of peace in the moment. Dan's article, along with other books and articles I have read before, confirm to me that there is a voluntarist living within me. 

I offer this article and the words in it to foster a non-violent, voluntarist society, not just for me, but for my kids, too. I believe that by teaching the skill of collaboration, from the bottom to top, we can achieve a voluntarist society. 

For I have found that it is my personal mission to live in peace among others. I believe that just by erring on the side of peace, moment to moment, day to day, in some small way, I will help to change the world, to bring about a lasting peace. With that kind of effort, multiplied by millions, maybe even billions, we can have worldwide peace, maybe even in our lifetimes.