From: glenne@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Neuromancer )
Newsgroups: alt.society.anarchy
Subject: Re: Explaining anarchy to your friends?
Date: 11 Nov 1992 22:18:16 GMT
Organization: Computing Services Division, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4

From: singram@eng.auburn.edu (Scott Ingram)
 
>This is primarily for Glenn (Neuromancer) as his view of anarchy is
>closeest to mine in this group.
 
>How do you explain to people WHAT anarchy is?
 
You can't.  Just treat them with respect, and you'll show them
what it is.  Whether or not they see any worth in it is up to
them.  But you've done all you can do.
 
>I have several religious and philosophical discussions at work,
>and have no problem explaining, defending, or expounding upon my
>atheist and Zen-ish beliefs (my philosophy is similar to Zen, but
>is very self-oriented. It isn't something I learned or read about
>from someone else.)
>
>I can even get them   to see where I am coming from on these points,
>
>But then I tell them I'm an anarchist. And they can't accept it at all.
>I try to explain what it means, but they can't see past rioting and looting.
>I try to tell them that anarchy doesn't mean chaos and death, and they say
>that I am believing in a total fantasy world if I think anarchy can work.
>`Human nature won't allow for it.'
>`How would you defend your self and family'
>`How would you protect your belongings'
>`How would any advancement be made'
>
>and so forth.
>
>Is a society where everyone respects everyone else SO FAR OUT OF
>TOUCH from the normal intelligent person that it is not even concievable?
Yep.   You have to distinguish intelligence from wisdom.  Anarchy,
which is respect, which is love, is something that intelligence will
never be able to grasp.  Anarchy comes from the heart, not the mind.
Freedom is a yearning not a concept.
 
>In the last two years of my realizing that I was an anarchist, only you
>(Glenn) and my ex-roomate have shared similar (although not exact)
>beliefs on what anarchy was. Why is it so hard for people to understand.
>I have written several times in my journal that I think that it is me,
>not the rest of the world.
Ask yourself this question,  Would you sooner be yourself, or would you
want to be the person who has no ability to grasp anarchy?  It's a mixed
blessing.  Ignorance is bliss.  Understanding can be pain and alienation.
 
>for me to have these thoughts which are obviously so inconsistent with the
>mindset of the rest of my peers (and we are talking educated college students
>here, IQ levels well above the national average. Not the generic person).
Not intellectually generic, at any rate.
 
>Well. I have just gotten a bit of steam off my chest. Thanks.
>Orion.
I've got lots of steam built up myself, as the rest of the readers of
alt.society.anarchy are well aware of, I'm sure.
 
The thing is that Anarchy is about giving, not recieving.  This might
not have been so brutally obvious if human society was different at
this point in time.  We give other people their freedom, knowing that
they don't have it in themselves to give it to us.  But this is Anarchy's
only hope.  There is nothing more we can ask of ourselves.  All we can
do is give other people thier freedom.  We both are trying to force the
issue with other people. The best way to help someone understand
something is not to explain it to them, but to show it to them (because
it sinks in a lot further).  How did we become anarchists?  I can tell
you that no one convinced me of it with thier superior reasoning. :)  I
simply came to see and understand freedom on my own.  Once we show it
to others, they have to figure it out for themselves.
 
Anarchy has to start somewhere. It started with you.  You give freedom to
other people.  Let it awaken on it's own in other people.  Be infinitely
patient.  ACCEPT the anarchy or lack thereof in other people.  Relish
the little bit of respect that you can see in others.
 
I think we both understand that to do the most for anarchy, we simply
need to give people their freedom.  I think the problem for us is the
lonliness that arises from not sharing even remotely similar values
and beliefs with other people.  Generally, I feel alienated.
This newsgroup has helped ease the pain, but there isn't a heck of a
lot else that I can think of to help the situation.
 
For grins, you might want to look into the Society of Friends/Quakers.
It's the only denomination that I know of that contains both Witches
and Christians.  An athiest seeking goodwill would be welcome there.
They are A-creedal.  Sort of a religion that isn't a religion.  They
avoid using the names Christ and God.  Many Friends are strongly
pacifistic, and many of them are highly anarchistic.    You may well
be turned off by their "spiritualism".  But there is a chance that
you might find some like minded people there.  You can find out more
about the Friends, on soc.religion.quaker.
 
This newsgroup and the Friend's Meeting I attended once are the only
places I have come across anarchists.  I think the individualism of
anarchists and just sheer lack of numbers tends to discourage there
being some national society of anarchists, where one could find a
local chapter. ;)
 
I also have a feeling of hopelessness in not being to do anything
to help other people understand.  This hopelessness is illusory.
While not using violence and coercion on other people doesn't involve
much effort, a lifetime of effort can be expended in freeing people
from physical and emotional need.  If this is fullfilling, you're
probably on the right track.
 
Glenn                                  glenne@csd4.csd.uwm.edu