JazzRemington
28th June 2005, 18:48
Here is an essay I'm working on that outlines the basis for my political/social beliefs. It is not complete, obviously, and there may be a few spelling errors and incorrect word choices.
What is it that few men claim to have but yet no man has? That every man secretly desires and yearns for but cannot obtain? What is it that is deep within the recesses of man's soul but cannot find for it is too dark to see? What is that word on every person's lips about to break free at a moments notice? Simply put: Liberty.
Liberty is essential to the human experience and without it, an individual is nothing more than an empty shell of a person, left cold and alone without anything to call his own or another to call a friend. Without Liberty, the human being, the man, the woman, the child, the individual are all nothing. He yearns for this thing that is beyond his grasp for he knows full well that without it he cannot enjoy life, he cannot live if he does not have Liberty. It is being held in front of him like a bone before a dog, always there but guarded well against anyone who would dare try take it for their own.
But then there begs the question that is on the eager student's lips: "but what is this Liberty that you prattle on about so enthusiastically?" So now I suppose I should describe what I am throwing about so liberally. Liberty is the wonderful idea of freedom from and freedom to. To have Liberty one must be free from the oppression of others and also must be free to do as one wishes with himself. To possess Liberty one must be free to enjoy life to its fullest without fear of hunger, fear of oppression, the iron hand of political authority, the robber baron, the priest, the Spectacle. If he is to have Liberty, then he must be free of all these things and have the freedom to enjoy life as well.
Ah, then this begs another question: "what are the attributes of this concept?" How could we describe Liberty beyond using the definition I have set forth in the above? Liberty, aside from what I have used to describe it, can be summed up into two more additional words: mutual and collective. It is mutual because the Liberty between two individuals must be respected mutually for if one does not have it, then the other is simply robbing him. If I were to force my friend into an agreement with a gun that he did not want to willingly enter into, I am robbing him of his freedom from oppression and thus I am robbing him also of his Liberty, that which is to be held most dear to his heart.
I say that Liberty is collective because there are somethings that, if attempted individually and alone, will prove to be oppressive to the individual. I am talking about work, the need to survive and continue on into the world and the future. I know and understand that work is completely unavoidable and will always be oppressive but if the work is held in common and shared between individuals, then it shall become less oppressive so that the individuals would not spend all their days working and toiling senselessly.
And what are the enemies of Liberty? Those things that which seek to destroy it for one reason or another? There are several, some human, some abstract, some concrete, but all are none the less enemies of that thing which is so dear. They are, in no particular order, The State, Hierarchy, Private Property, Usury, The Robber Baron, The Priest. This all boils down to any institution or individual or group which seeks to rob one or more people of their Liberty for personal gain in some way is an enemy of Liberty and must be resisted, fought against, and destroyed by any means necessary.
But why are these things enemies of Liberty? As I have said before they seek to rob the individual of Liberty, but I suppose it would do good to enter into detail as to why they are enemies. The State robs the individual of Liberty by forcing them to comply with their ideas and desires. The State starts wars and forces the individual to fight them. The State forces the individual to pay taxes to fund their exploitation of others.
What is it that few men claim to have but yet no man has? That every man secretly desires and yearns for but cannot obtain? What is it that is deep within the recesses of man's soul but cannot find for it is too dark to see? What is that word on every person's lips about to break free at a moments notice? Simply put: Liberty.
Liberty is essential to the human experience and without it, an individual is nothing more than an empty shell of a person, left cold and alone without anything to call his own or another to call a friend. Without Liberty, the human being, the man, the woman, the child, the individual are all nothing. He yearns for this thing that is beyond his grasp for he knows full well that without it he cannot enjoy life, he cannot live if he does not have Liberty. It is being held in front of him like a bone before a dog, always there but guarded well against anyone who would dare try take it for their own.
But then there begs the question that is on the eager student's lips: "but what is this Liberty that you prattle on about so enthusiastically?" So now I suppose I should describe what I am throwing about so liberally. Liberty is the wonderful idea of freedom from and freedom to. To have Liberty one must be free from the oppression of others and also must be free to do as one wishes with himself. To possess Liberty one must be free to enjoy life to its fullest without fear of hunger, fear of oppression, the iron hand of political authority, the robber baron, the priest, the Spectacle. If he is to have Liberty, then he must be free of all these things and have the freedom to enjoy life as well.
Ah, then this begs another question: "what are the attributes of this concept?" How could we describe Liberty beyond using the definition I have set forth in the above? Liberty, aside from what I have used to describe it, can be summed up into two more additional words: mutual and collective. It is mutual because the Liberty between two individuals must be respected mutually for if one does not have it, then the other is simply robbing him. If I were to force my friend into an agreement with a gun that he did not want to willingly enter into, I am robbing him of his freedom from oppression and thus I am robbing him also of his Liberty, that which is to be held most dear to his heart.
I say that Liberty is collective because there are somethings that, if attempted individually and alone, will prove to be oppressive to the individual. I am talking about work, the need to survive and continue on into the world and the future. I know and understand that work is completely unavoidable and will always be oppressive but if the work is held in common and shared between individuals, then it shall become less oppressive so that the individuals would not spend all their days working and toiling senselessly.
And what are the enemies of Liberty? Those things that which seek to destroy it for one reason or another? There are several, some human, some abstract, some concrete, but all are none the less enemies of that thing which is so dear. They are, in no particular order, The State, Hierarchy, Private Property, Usury, The Robber Baron, The Priest. This all boils down to any institution or individual or group which seeks to rob one or more people of their Liberty for personal gain in some way is an enemy of Liberty and must be resisted, fought against, and destroyed by any means necessary.
But why are these things enemies of Liberty? As I have said before they seek to rob the individual of Liberty, but I suppose it would do good to enter into detail as to why they are enemies. The State robs the individual of Liberty by forcing them to comply with their ideas and desires. The State starts wars and forces the individual to fight them. The State forces the individual to pay taxes to fund their exploitation of others.