I wasn’t intending on this becoming a full article, but I felt it was too large to post in the #mbgtrends channel as a comment.
I’ve recently spotted a few comments on here that I think need further exploration. And they don’t have anything to do with speculating in mining companies. They involve philosophy. I’m just reading the new book by Ray Dalio called ‘Principles’, and it has persuaded me to write this to address some comments that I don’t think are based on true principles.
I get the feeling that some people think democracy and government involvement is a good thing. Except they just want to limit their involvement. Too much force is bad, but a little is OK. If any involvement from any individual or any group of individuals (government) is based on the principle of the initiation of force, to get you to do what they want, whatever it is, there’s a problem.
Why should they be in charge? Just because the majority want something, does that mean I should be forced to pay for it? What if I don’t agree with it? Why can’t I be in charge of myself? And you be in charge of yourself? I don’t tell you what to do, so don’t tell me what to do. Win-win.
Laws are not the same thing as morals. Most of us know the difference between right and wrong. Just because a small minority do not know what is right, why should they get to punish us by creating restrictive rules and laws.
If government is involved in anything, it requires an act of aggression. It could be licences, drug laws…any laws whatsoever. And if people think any aggression should be used, unless, of course in self-defence, then they must believe that using force, or some level of force, is a good way to socially interact with one another. Funny thing is, they would never use this force themselves personally, but they vote others via politics to do it on their behalf.
Here is a quick article on what prime minister, Narendra Modi has done to India https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/15/world/asia/how-india-plans-to-wipe-out-black-money.html?mcubz=0
He recently declared that 80% of the country’s cash would be rendered worthless. He is a crook. I mean, India uses mostly cash to do business, and he just got rid of most of it. He had a good reason though, to catch people doing what he deems to be illegal. Some are evading taxes. I say good on them, keep what you have. They don’t add any value anyway. They actually subtract value.
Also, I don’t understand what a ‘hard core anarchist’ is? There are people that think using force is a good way to solve problems and people that think using force is not a good way to solve problems. An anarchist is not some dude dressed in a black t-shirt holding a bomb. It’s someone that realises that they own themselves. That no-one rules over them. They rule over themselves and set their own rules (principles). They believe in voluntary interactions, not unwelcome, non-voluntary interactions.
I’m anti-government. I tell you why, because I’m anti-people telling me what to do. I’m anti-violence, I’m anti-people telling me when I can trade, that I need a licence to do this and that? I don’t understand why you are not anti-this? It slows down human progress. If anything is worth doing, it is worth doing privately. I know this because relationships work best when voluntary.
I mean, in your own personal life, do you go around all day solving problems using force? It’s the 64-4 rule. The 4% cause 64% of the problems. Most people would not tell you face to face how you should live your life. But, get people in groups, then package some charismatic guy in a suit to offer them freebies, and they will vote. People want free stuff. Easy money. But as we all know, nothing is free. There is always a cost and consequences of doing anything, or nothing; no matter how small or large. The people that vote these politicians in will face the consequences at some point. The power hungry require more power until they die. But they will put up a good fight to survive. As does every organism.
‘If we did away with government altogether, it would leave all the bullies like banks and corporations’. This was another comment I read.
I don’t know any bullies bigger than the government. They have more nukes than all the bullies you had in school, work, business and anything else you can put together…combined! I've never been bullied by Starbucks to buy a coffee. But I have been threatened to fill out a consensus form in the form of a fine or imprisonment.
In a free market companies would voluntarily compete for your business or they would no longer have a business. You supply peoples’ needs at a cost they are happy to pay, keep your costs manageable, and, hopefully, you produce a profit. If you do, you are in business. No laws, regulations, or unions causing you headaches are necessary.
Tools of propaganda. "A man who knows what is good for others is dangerous." - Nisargadatta.
Now the quote above is bang on and I completely agree.
Government fits that description well, don’t you think?
Alan
