You Are Anarchism

Anthropology will argue that within the very fiber of our being is the innate inclination for hierarchy. Yet have we gone so far in our need for solidarity that we have skewed the concept of mutual aid into the indoctrination of authority? If the answer is yes, then we must recognize the common theme within the framework of all power structures. That is that these institutions can only operate under the assumption that their authority is absolute in terms of possible and impossible. Whether we’re examining imperialist capitalism or authoritarian communism, yes, we see clear dichotomous methodologies yet we can not allow this to dilute our view from their synonymous nature of limiting freedom and undermining equality

It is their perversion of absolute truth that makes hierarchical structures set off on the ridged path towards total totalitarian rule. Thus their foundation and entire conceptualized authority relies on our limited thinking. For the system to maintain itself, we must believe in the survival of not only the structure, but the society as whole. However history paints another picture when it comes to the human condition and our relationships with hierarchies. That is the very vibrant illustration of humanity’s discord in the face of oppression which is more prevalent now than ever. This opposition to unjust authority is found in social movements and political revolutions throughout the World. From Hong Kong to Chile, from Feminism to Black Lives Matter, the urge to strike back for our right to a better quality of life is seen over and over again in every corner of the globe.

With the pervading presence of defiance to governance, we must conclude that these systems are in complete contrast to what we actually desire. State indoctrination has manipulated our need for each other into a false narrative of dependency on them. Thus further alienating our identity as individuals as we are classified by construct on top of construct. Their exploitative dominion can only cease to exist once we acknowledge the alternate path of anarchism. Which will result in the rejection of these power seekers who pit freedom against equality with the sole purpose of their self-endurance. It is with anarchism we will come to learn that the greater the freedom, the greater the equality.

Before we look at why you’re most likely already an anarchist, we must examine what anarchism truly means. Anarchism serves as a moral baseline for our individual sovereignty. We have a general consensus of unwavering individual freedom that comes at the expense of no other individual. This voluntary agreement is the foundation for mutual aid. With the individual free to explore and create with the skills provided to them from the autonomy of their mind and body. This self exploration through experience and gained expertise, we accept that we alone do not command enough aptitude to run all the means of productions by ourselves for ourselves as mere individuals. Our mutual aid must be expanded from the respect of individual liberties to incorporate communal cohesiveness as it is imperative to our continued existence as a species. Yet, we uphold that this cooperation must not be centralized as this is corrosive to the framework of our intent. Intent focused on a bottom-up, direct action based in participatory democracy that will ensure each individual's needs are met adequately. While to most this is considered radical idealism due to our limited scope of awareness. It is important to understand that life without government existed for 97% of human history. Our continued presences on Earth makes the sustainability of a stateless, classless society viable.

We do not view the world as finite as structural institutions do or propagate this fear to harness power to use over individuals. Our revolution is an ongoing struggle of perpetual motion towards progress. We do not wish to liberate the world, but have the world wish to be liberated. It is about planting the seeds of solidarity and individual sovereignty in the hearts and minds of as many people we can. Knowing that someday, somewhere equality for all will truly be the universal sentiment of consensual expression of all people. This is why direct action is vital to keep anarchism alive and prosperous. We must continuously challenge all authority to demonstrate proof of their validity. When any system can not prove it serves our best interest it must be deemed oppressive and called to be dismantled. 

Though anarchists are not all or nothing, we know until the consensus is a stateless, classless society, we have to work throughout direct action and civil disobedience to highlight the tyranny perpetuated by the state. For any act to limit an individual’s right is violence and therefore any equal reactionary measures is justifiable self-defense. This is important to remember in arguments against anarchism being chaos. The violence of anarchism is conjectural at best when compared to the violence of the state, especially when it comes to it’s ruthless submission toward dissent to it’s authority. This is only to further the state’s position as being absolute. Upon further examination of this comparison in relationship to what our direct actions represent even if we don’t identify as anarchist, we are anarchists instinctively and not statists. Each state may handle dissent differently but whether it is intimidation or appeasement, it is done for the illusionary purpose of dominance.

When we look at civil unrest from feminist battling against the oppressive patriarchal perspective, the civil rights movement and black lives matter demanding equality to vegan activists demanding animal rights, we do not see the uniformity the state requires to maintain control. What we are seeing is the very essence of anarchism and more importantly the essence of humanity. Every time we speak or act out in defense against the limited range of liberty that any hierarchy provides, we destroy the illusion of governance, politically or socially. The further we agitate the system and promote community action to sustain our needs, the more people’s actions will be influenced by mutual aid and autonomy opposed to societal dictatorship. As individuals the further we challenge the system, we will come to further challenge ourselves. The result will be the growing consensus by more and more individuals that all oppression is linked to these authoritative structures that rely on the social constructs of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation and class to further divide us. We will come to recognize this indoctrinated animosity as an endorsement of their continued command. A more authentic depiction of the root cause of all our strife will come into focus as we shift our blame from each other to the few, the power seekers, and their criminal theft of resources and labor, whether privately or by the state, to dictate behavior. The day we recognize our tendencies and let the plausibility of anarchism into our heart and in our minds, the illusion of their preeminent parliamentary position shall crumble along with the chains binding us to them.