How to fight for anarchy (peacefully)

Question

I'm new to this concept of anarchy, but this is very appealing so far.

However it would be difficult to go against the system: I have to pay my bills for example.

I guess the best strategy for now is just to debunk myths about anarchy and explain it to people?

Comments

i suggest not making it too complicated.....

for me, it comes down to a matter of how i relate to people (and the earth too).....

basically, resisting (this includes evading, fooling, ignoring) and relinquishing authority as much as i can at any given moment....and keeping the desire to do so alive in my mind/body/spirit....

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@ba, im confused as to what you mean by 'relinquishing authority'.  could you elaborate a little more?

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sure, skyline...

i mean, what little "authority" i have (according to the hierarchical system), i do my best to let go of...

for example, with people under the age of 18, i supposedly have authority (my nieces and nephews mostly like it, their parents not so much...they figure i should act authoritatively toward their daughters and sons)..

another, whether i "rent" or "own" the place where i live, i supposedly have authority (and rights), which i don't use, even in contentious situations...or other "property rights" i might have

and then of course, money...i try not to use it as much as i can....authority comes with it (like demanding better service, having the "right" to certain things, etc.)....and of course, if i don't get paid money, people don't have that authority over me.

i don't use the court system for anything, even when i "legally" could for various conflicts, etc.

if i did work for a company and had people "working under" me, for example, i would attempt not to use any authority that supposedly gives me....that will probably never happen again, because the few times i had that authority i hated it.  i once asked (barely successfully) to be demoted....although, i  think it might be some fun to get into a position of authority in a company, only to sabotage it.

and, most of the time, i try to simply let go of the concept of authority....not using "official statistics" to prove a point, not needing to prove i "am right" according to some hierarchical, authoritative organization.....

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one more note, skyline...

relinquishing authority feels as important to me (and the relationships i desire) as resisting (or sometimes attacking) authority....

because if i don't think about relinquishing, i find it hard to resist as much...i'd have to give a little more thought as to why, but i just know that relinquishing has a big impact on my ability to resist/attack.

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ba@, i think your point is well made.

i used to have a somewhat similar discussion with an old egoist friend. he would say "i refuse to be dominated, do you?", and my response was "it is my strong desire to neither be dominated by NOR to dominate other beings, but to say i refuse either would be to ignore certain realities in the world i inhabit."

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thanks, funky...and good point too about not ignoring certain realities...that's why i said in my first comment that i try "the best i can at any given moment"....which at some moments, feels like i can't do much at all....

but, keeping that desire alive remains very important.....you, and others on this site definitely help!

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i really like your points @ba, in as far as i find them quite challenging.  for instance over the past 6 months i have been quite caught up over whether or not i should persue 1000 dollars in unpaid wages.  i have pretty much decided i will, because i would like the money, but its not without conflict within my own mind.  certainly i would like to not want that money... you know, like to not have my means of survival severely limited by the social economical system, and maybe i would be doing myself more favours by rejecting it outright, but at the moment i dont feel capable of doing that.  anyway, good points as usual.

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shin, i totally get your dilemma. it gets back to the huge question of how we navigate this world while despising it and wanting it gone. i see no way to completely avoid interacting with capitalism and all the ways it imposes on our individual lives.  i personally have no problem materially benefiting from the system any time i can, unless it feels to me like i can hurt (some aspect of) the system by not doing so, and that hurt is more important to me than whatever material benefit i would have gained. not likely.

in your case, if pursuing unpaid wages means going to court and dealing with that whole aspect of the system, that of course will play into your decision. i personally would have to be pretty damn desperate to choose the court system as a tool towards my ends. but $1000 is a lot of money, and that could make it worth it. plus someone apparently is trying to fuck you out of what you have "earned", so sticking it to them might be a factor as well.

bottom line (for pretty much everything): it's all bullshit and it's bad for ya!

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@nihilist yup youve pretty much summed up the conditions of my 6month paralysis.

i dont live back where that work was though, because i couldnt afford it and also it sucked.  i like kitchens that dont rain.  and as much as i would love an excuse to contact bobald blackness himself im not sure a US lawyer would be able to do much.

at this point i just need to buckle down and decide

Answer 1

hi anon. along the lines of ba@'s suggestion, i propose thinking and acting as much as possible on what anarchy means to you, including practicing it with whomever feels right for you.

presumably that means talking about it (or at least the ideas) with people, because--as you note--it can be challenging to figure out how to be anarchist in today's world, especially when there are so many conflicting currents in the anarchist lagoon. but talking is only one part of learning and sharing, and not necessarily the most significant one.