Q & A

Q: How can we achieve liberty?



A: This is a fundamental question a lot of libertarians ask themselves and each other. You will notice that only libertarians ask this question while others don't. I doubt a neocon wrings his hands wondering about the freedom question.



The first part is the idea of liberty itself. I think too many libertarians have an all-or-nothing approach to this question. I think liberty is relative. For instance, America was pretty damn free for people when they first ratified the Constitution...unless you were black. Now, black people are pretty damn free relative to those days. We have to judge liberty in relation to what has been and what could be. Unfortunately, libertarians have a sort of Platonic ideal of liberty that will never be realized in anyone's lifetime. For instance, zero taxes would be nice, but if we had a mere 2% sales tax, wouldn't this be preferable to what we currently have? But if you feel like a slave with anything other than zero taxes, you are simply fucked.



The second part is to educate yourself. Many people are freer than they realize. They just don't realize it. Like the elephant who pushes over massive trees but remains tied to a stake in the ground, a lot of people don't avail themselves of the freedom that is theirs now. They may be imprisoned in a jail of guilt. They may be under the burden of religion. They may be slaves to status acquisition. Or they may simply be afraid. Libertarianism isn't just a political philosophy but a personal philosophy as well.



The third part goes along with the second part, and this is to be a good example. You should learn everything you can about economics and freedom, but you should also strive to live by it. This means doing things like eschewing the unemployment check or not planning to retire on state benefits. It means being self-reliant and living a life of defiance. This is a huge deal.



The fourth part is political action. This could be voting, demonstrating, writing letters to the editor, or just posting a link on Facebook. People become frustrated that these efforts achieve so little. The rest of the public strikes us as so incredibly stupid. But the main reason we do this is to go along with parts 2 and 3. We want to differentiate ourselves from the herd. Even if political action makes no difference at the ballot box or in legislation, it will make a difference in your life. It is the difference between biting the pillow or fighting back. You may not win, but no one will call you a pillow biter.



If there is one main point I can make here, it is to pursue liberty not for the sake of the difference it makes in the larger world. You should pursue liberty for the sake of the difference it makes in you.

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