3 ms·
You're right, I could move my entire bodily self somewhere else. My expectations are realistic, so I don't need to revise them. I know that for now, wherever
by fexl 16y ago
You're right, I could move my entire bodily self somewhere else. My expectations are realistic, so I don't need to revise them. I know that for now, wherever I go, people will demand money from me and will lock me in a cage if I don't give it to them. I also know that many people will support that heartily, because they accept the belief that without such a threat of force, people would not or could not build roads, pick up garbage, create parks, care for their health, educate their children, or protect life and property. I find that view incredibly silly, very much like the old superstitions about the Church which people held 500 years ago.
Of course it's idealistic of me to oppose the initiation of force in principle. But I reject the belief that in a purely voluntary society, people would regress into violent, stupid, and helpless animals. On the contrary, I believe that the initiation of force is responsible for the very level of violence, stupidity, and helplessness we see today.
I was amused to hear you say "too bad you're not running things." I'm sure you realize that is the last thing I would ever want to do. However, I think reasonably competent people like me are perfectly capable of running businesses, providing services such as road construction, garbage removal, education, landscaping, security, package delivery, telephone, and such. Our "budget plans" would be whatever is required to keep customers, owners, and employees happy. It is not my responsibility to devise other people's business plans. It is their responsibility to do it, and without resorting to force.
As for designing our own "countries," I think we'll see a lot more of that sort of thing in the next hundred years. Right now the entrenched State violently opposes such competition, much as the entrenched Church violently opposed heresy long ago. The trend is in the right direction, but it could be awfully bloody and messy along the way.