losing my religion

[Incendiarism]

i don't believe i can consider myself a socialist anymore. while it's nice to see the young comrades enthusiastically supporting the general revolutions in the arab world - indeed, by viewing it in the abstract - i don't think socialism can define my personal beliefs anymore.

it's not that the ideas are completely unsound or unrealizable - certain theorists still have a profound impact on my thinking - it's just that it is a hostile concept to the individual. it is based on sentimentality and alien concepts like humanity, fraternity...these ideas have no bearing on me, not on a social level, and certainly not on a personal level. i do not care what my neighbor thinks nor do i even believe it is my moral imperative to arouse the slave from his slumber and bid him to shake off his chains.

really, it's quite a pity it had to come to this as i've been interested in the ideas since i was 17, but via direct experience i feel i have no choice but to turn my back to socialism. i don't exist to exalt such alienating concepts because they take away what little freedom i have. we must forcibly take back this freedom on and individual level and fashion it to our own use...

[Bud Struggle]

What is it that made you change you mind?

[bedhead]

How would you describe yourself now?

[Havet]

i don't believe i can consider myself a socialist anymore. while it's nice to see the young comrades enthusiastically supporting the general revolutions in the arab world - indeed, by viewing it in the abstract - i don't think socialism can define my personal beliefs anymore.

it's not that the ideas are completely unsound or unrealizable - certain theorists still have a profound impact on my thinking - it's just that it is a hostile concept to the individual. it is based on sentimentality and alien concepts like humanity, fraternity...these ideas have no bearing on me, not on a social level, and certainly not on a personal level. i do not care what my neighbor thinks nor do i even believe it is my moral imperative to arouse the slave from his slumber and bid him to shake off his chains.

really, it's quite a pity it had to come to this as i've been interested in the ideas since i was 17, but via direct experience i feel i have no choice but to turn my back to socialism. i don't exist to exalt such alienating concepts because they take away what little freedom i have. we must forcibly take back this freedom on and individual level and fashion it to our own use...

Whatever chains you might feel are nothing in comparison to the shitstorm that will come if you dont do anything about it

if it helps, get rid of terms such as socialism and focus on ideas instead. be open minded, but only to facts and reason

[Incendiarism]

Personal experience. I realize I don't have any friends and only myself at the center of my own existence. I know under certain circumstances even my own family would sell me out if it were in their interest to do so. All this life I've been steadily destroying institutions and ideas I felt were unnecessary or untrue, and I believe socialism was that final obstacle before coming to my own. These past two years have been completely wasted, but the implications are far deeper than that.

I don't feel there is any label that would fit me aside from egoist. At first I began to view socialism in terms of what it could do for me, but I could never reconcile that egoism and the ideas of humanity and brotherhood...only in the name of expediency. But I now realize that only I can get anything done. My ideas closely reflect those of Stirner and Nietzsche.

[Sasha]

Unless you are born rich or extremely lucky your chances for the greatest individual liberty are a lot higher under libertarian socialism than under capitalism. Or you must still think that socialism equals authoritarian state capitalism and then you really haven't been paying attention since you where 17.
I advise you to read "an age of empaty" by frans de waal (an liberal social biologist), it makes crystal clear that what is good for the group, is good for the individual. and that what's good for the individual in the short term, but bad for the group is pretty soon also bad for said individual.
Read it, its worth it, even if it only gives you a few laughs but it also might just pull you out of your nihilist stint.

[Bud Struggle]

I don't feel there is any label that would fit me aside from egoist. At first I began to view socialism in terms of what it could do for me, but I could never reconcile that egoism and the ideas of humanity and brotherhood...only in the name of expediency. But I now realize that only I can get anything done. My ideas closely reflect those of Stirner and Nietzsche.

Thanks. As I was reading this my thoughts turned to Camus' L'Estranger. Well, my best to you and I hope you find whatever peace you can in this world.

[Incendiarism]

I wasn't born rich, but everything I have has come through my own efforts and not the efforts of my friends, family, state, religion, society, etc al...

also, psycho, don't you think it's kind of condescending to speak for me like this? I'm well aware of what anarchism is, just as I'm well aware of marxism and it's completeness. I fumbled for the longest time between the two, but I never once betrayed the ideas behind them until now. One thing is for sure, though, and that is the fact that I am not a capitalist.

[Pirate Utopian]

So you're something like a nihilist?

[hatzel]

My ideas closely reflect those of Stirner and Nietzsche.

I've never understood how Stirner's ideas could possibly exist outside of socialism. Surely the whole union of egos is just "we will have socialism, but it will be because it's good for me, and it's just a coincidence that it also happens to be good for everybody else". That's how I've always understood it, anyway...or how else could the union of egos exist, as it definitely can't exist in a hierarchical system, as there will be egos in that relationship which want more...:confused: But perhaps you interpret it differently :)

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

I wasn't born rich, but everything I have has come through my own efforts and not the efforts of my friends, family, state, religion, society, etc al...

We're all products of our environment to a degree. Just think of all the roads you've travelled, all the books you've read, all the people you have met and who have shaped your conception of humanity. True, some of us have atypical reactions for various reasons, but people aren't isolated islands.


also, psycho, don't you think it's kind of condescending to speak for me like this? I'm well aware of what anarchism is, just as I'm well aware of marxism and it's completeness. I fumbled for the longest time between the two, but I never once betrayed the ideas behind them until now. One thing is for sure, though, and that is the fact that I am not a capitalist.

Why don't you think your atomised worldview plays into the interests of capitalists? Humanity stands or falls together since we're all sharing one planet.

[Revolution starts with U]

The people, divided, will never be united!

So, that's basically your stance now?

As has been said, your choice of terrible friends aside (mine certainly have helped me). You did not do anything "on your own." You worked with other people, bought/sold from other people, drove on roads, lived in buildings, used tools all built by other people.
Selfish egoism is a phantom designed only to separate a being from his true, cosmic nature.

Just as a (sort of but not really) side note; does your group of friends have it's asshole of the bunch?

[RGacky3]

LR7dNntU5oI

Btw, socialism is an economic principle, and economics by definition is ALWAYS a social activity, its never simply an individual activity.

[ComradeMan]

i don't believe i can consider myself a socialist anymore. while it's nice to see the young comrades enthusiastically supporting the general revolutions in the arab world - indeed, by viewing it in the abstract - i don't think socialism can define my personal beliefs anymore.

it's not that the ideas are completely unsound or unrealizable - certain theorists still have a profound impact on my thinking - it's just that it is a hostile concept to the individual. it is based on sentimentality and alien concepts like humanity, fraternity...these ideas have no bearing on me, not on a social level, and certainly not on a personal level. i do not care what my neighbor thinks nor do i even believe it is my moral imperative to arouse the slave from his slumber and bid him to shake off his chains.

really, it's quite a pity it had to come to this as i've been interested in the ideas since i was 17, but via direct experience i feel i have no choice but to turn my back to socialism. i don't exist to exalt such alienating concepts because they take away what little freedom i have. we must forcibly take back this freedom on and individual level and fashion it to our own use...

John Donne comes to mind,

Each man's death diminishes me because I am part of mankind.

The only reason you have the "freedom" you have is because of other people. ;)

[Kotze]

I don't see how being egoistical and seing most people as such and doubting they can change much in that regard is incompatible with a preference for socialism, unless you own a good chunk of the means of production. The other possibility is that you use a narrow definition of socialism that refers to schemes that require people to do a lot of unpaid work or that require people to take part in many meetings.

IMHO, you can still be a socialist if your vision of society as it should be still includes remuneration for work and its main draw is a drastically shortened working time (with the option to work more and get paid more), if that's the case you can call yourself antisocial socialist.

[ZeroNowhere]

You are only ashes and dust.

[Thirsty Crow]

I wasn't born rich, but everything I have has come through my own efforts and not the efforts of my friends, family, state, religion, society, etc al...

I presume you finished high school.
Did you manage to obtain the conditions for doing so (shelter, nutrition, books etc.) by your own effort or was it influenced to a degree by your parents' effort?

[Bud Struggle]

I presume you finished high school.
Did you manage to obtain the conditions for doing so (shelter, nutrition, books etc.) by your own effort or was it influenced to a degree by your parents' effort?

I don't mean to speak for the OP, but I believe he means he takes the world as he finds it for good or ill--not that he needs to reinvent the world himself because nothing was here already.

[RGacky3]

but I believe he means he takes the world as he finds it for good or ill--not that he needs to reinvent the world himself because nothing was here already.

If everyone thought like that we'd still be living in absolute monarchies with slavery.

[gorillafuck]

There is no economic system based solely on individuals.

Also, if you think that other people haven't benefited you then you might wanna look into the history of the labor movement. Workers rights didn't come magically. They came from workers asserting their interests together.