RE: Non-Aggression Principle: A crisis, introspection, and offer of discussion
They are well on their way to having removed reason from public discourse and consciousness, so our wise words have no influence on most people.
That has become a concern. I can speak. Yet, if they ignore my speaking, or even make my speaking illegal, then does that stop their actions?
Me believing in the NAP does not I think stop them. We don't live in our idealistic society so our concept of NAP which is designed to work within that environment actually makes us vulnerable in a society that is already vastly corrupted and controlled.
That is at least where I have lately been thinking.
Do I want to work towards that long term goal of getting us to a society where the NAP is the norm? Yes. Completely.
Yet, will that happen if I sit in my NAP bubble while the great amorphous mass gobbles up the allies and the people like me one at a time around the world. Will that happen if I allow them to even make my right to speak illegal, or my right to speak as justification for people to violently attack me with press and government backing if what I say isn't what they want to hear?
I am starting to think I too am living in a little bit of fantasy land.
I am acting as though I already live in the ideological world I would like to see us have. I see the evil ones shaking their head, grinning, and pointing at me and saying "see how easy they make it for us?"
Now I have only recently started to think this way. So I cannot tell you what I can do about it, or if I'll keep thinking this way (I am sure my thoughts will change) but it is a huge concern at the moment.
I guess a lot of it boils down to what constitutes self-defense. Is me taking action to stop them from forcing unjust laws upon me self-defense?
Is me taking action to stop corrupt actors that are pushing propaganda and proven lies (if you bother to investigate) as tools to justify attacks on me, you, and passage of unjust laws self defense?
Right now a big part of my mind is working on that problem. What do I consider self defense?
That resonates very much with me. I think we live in an unfortunate time (as others have I guess) where faced with an existential threat, principled behaviour may not always be a luxury we can afford. I hope though that we are not somehow ultimately reduced to the kind of behaviour we despise.
Yes, I haven't stated what I think I should do. I don't know that yet. I am still trying to work that out myself.