From the White-PillBox: Part 14
A Valentine’s Day White Pill
Statists of all flavors claim moral superiority based on their concern about their fellow man. Valentine’s Day is a good opportunity to recognize that the sincerest reverence for humanity comes from the unlikeliest group: anarchists 1.
A superficial view of anarchists paints them as self-centered and anti-social. Indeed, many self-describe by using the phrase “I want to be left alone”. But this is only true for the vanishingly small number that literally feel that way. This group seeks to (or already does) live “off the grid”, often with minimal human contact.
This is not at all typical of anarchists.
The misconception arises because the idea of “being left alone” is imprecise. It is more accurate to say that anarchists wish to have their self and their property free of the coercive whims of others (most particularly, the State).
Some things for anarchists to think about
Anarchists see social problems, and generally jump directly to solutions. They rarely explain exactly why they want to see society change for the better. It can be eye-opening for anarchists to reflect upon and recognize their underlying motivation for advocating against the State.
Advocates for a stateless society passionately want a freer and more prosperous life for themselves and those they care for. But we rarely ponder the fact that our passion for a good life extends to virtually everyone else 2.
The anarchist’s wish for human betterment is not the same as the general wish expressed by most people, and in particular, the politically active. At best, their sense of goodwill towards others is like the hopeful wish of a child for good presents at Christmas: they may be deeply sincere about it, but they have no clue how it can be actualized.
At the root, what motivates anarchists?
The anarchist’s motivation arises from love. A deep love of humanity: the wish for all people to suffer the least, and prosper the most. A love of justice deserved by all.
It takes but little self-reflection for most anarchists to realize this…
We do not choose the easy road
If anarchists’ concern was simply their own advancement (and not those outside their circles), there are far easier paths to take. A government job (including the military) would all but insure income security, generous time off, a host of added benefits, and often a retirement pension. In general, there would be no need to show ambition and efficiency; in essence one can make an easy career of phoning-in one’s work.
Or one can learn how to take advantage of government benefit programs. This cannot be all that difficult, as hundreds of thousands of people manage it every day. Benefits abound based on low income, dependents, disabilities, and so on.
Consider the relatively easy paths of having a government job or living by gaming the system. Then consider the anarchist’s path: supporting oneself without state assistance; paying for the support of the non-productive via taxation; the discouraging and thankless work of promoting a stateless society.
If their only concern was love of oneself, anarchists would clearly take an easier path. To walk the harder path necessarily means they want more than self-fulfillment. For most, the love for others provides that motivation 3.
Love tested
As we all know, love is most evident when tested. To understand the true passion anarchists feel for human betterment, one only needs to observe how they face the steepest of uphill battles. Virtually the entire human race is indoctrinated in statism, and has been through recorded history. Advocates of freedom struggle to keep hope that this can change someday. And they most often do this in lonely isolation, since anarchists are widely disbursed (social media mitigates this to a degree, but physical socialization is nonetheless infrequent or absent).
Moreover, one’s commitment to the non-aggression principle generally means a more difficult financial path through life; most anarchists avoid or minimize State benefits and employment.
For most, only love can explain one’s resolve to forge ahead against these significant psychological, material and financial impediments.
A clear view of the suffering of others
As an anarchist, being red-pilled involves a depressing perspective: a clear and ever-present understanding of how the State causes persistent world-wide human suffering. Consider:
War and other foreign interventions that cause death, injury, disease, starvation, displacement, wreckage of cultures and families, as well as the psychological manipulation and damage to enlisted personnel.
The public school and higher education systems stifling and extinguishing the minds of children and young people; crippling their character; twisting their moral growth; in conditions that, for the poorest, are often prison-like.
Drug prohibition’s destruction of lives, health, families and communities.
The State’s destructive impact on health in general, through its interventions, mandates, licensing and regulation.
The unimaginable brutality and injustice suffered by those in prison.
The astounding human suffering, injustice, and shattering of community caused by law enforcement, court monopolies and gun laws.
How inflation and recession cause loss of wealth, uncertainty and risk (particularly to the poor and middle class), all caused by the State’s control and regulation of markets, money and wages.
Collusion between the State and corporations, whose mutual self-interest helps sustain the State structure, and thereby sustains all the suffering mentioned above.
The anarchist sees all this and feels the human cost. And the horror of human suffering is compounded knowing it is both utterly unnecessary, and realistically solvable.
The anarchist’s anger at this suffering is a reflection of deep human empathy. This is only explained by love.
Conclusion
Anarchists should take time to recognize their love of humanity and its strength in driving us forward. We are often somewhat theoretical, fact-oriented and clinical in our approach. But our motivation is rooted in love.
Reflecting upon this connects us better to ourselves; it gives us more patience with others; it fuels whatever form of activism we choose.
It is the most personal of White Pills.
Since the term “anarchist” includes many sub-groups, I should make clear that I use the term to describe the anarcho-capitalist/Austrian school sub-group.
It is worth noting that there are exceptions, as some people are unworthy of the concern that we typically feel for most others. Those who would willfully initiate harm fit this exception. Politicians in general deserve our contempt; they explicitly seek to coercively dominate others.
To be clear, I do not mean to imply the love for others replaces or supersedes one’s self-interest. I am saying that strict self-interest is insufficient to explain most anarchists’ drive and passion, since self-interest can be served with far less effort.
A few anarchists may explain their drive is nonetheless consistent with pure self-interest: this is because they believe a free society is but years away. This is not a view typical of most anarchists, although the author would be more than happy for their prediction to prove true.
And finally, some anarchists hardly feel concern for others, as they believe humans deserve their fate as victims of the State. Indeed, many of us at one time or another have been tempted to say that the general population deserves its difficulties. We imagine that since they do not embrace the ideas of freedom, then their pain is their justice. Fortunately there are very few of us who live our lives persistently and ungenerously blaming the blue-pilled masses.