I call this blog Spiritual Voluntaryist for two
reasons: the first because I noticed a frightening amount of people in the
libertarian community speaking out against religion and any form of
spirituality because it clouded objectivist thinking – how can you have an
objective philosophy if you believe in a make believe man in the clouds who
listens to your bedtime stories at night? I take issue with this culturally.
First because my own hyperbole made me sick, second because society and social
interaction in general are built on a foundation of values. Values come from
two places, our family and our vision of the world (which is shaped by belief).
Belief is neigh an unconscious act because it shapes our actions regardless of empirical
evidence around us; this is why when someone says they believe that people are good they will always believe
that no matter how many times they are proven wrong (or right). Without a vision,
we are all blind but, if we do not recognize that vision for what it is we can
never be freed of our own unconscious, dogmatic biases.
The second is because Voluntarism is something I
practice as much as I can in every part of my life. Interactions between
individuals should be voluntary at all times and because of this vision I see
the immutable immorality of government.
I’ve thought long and hard about American virtue.
What is it? I tried to think of a list of ten
virtues that were quintessentially American and every one I thought of always came back to the same idea.
Liberty.
Liberty, not freedom, is the essence of America.
It’s why our forefathers came here and why millions still come each year. It’s
that, “Don’t Tread on Me,” lifestyle of self-reliance – a virtue in and of
itself. The essence of liberty is self-ownership – that everything you do, good
or bad, is a product of the self and that no matter what, you will do what it
takes to live the life you have always wanted. This in no way means a
retraction from social connectivity; liberty reacts well to a strong community
where neighbors are also self-reliant and when you work together there is a
strong foundation of family and community to support the product of your labor
that everyone involved in benefits from.
Liberty is what makes this country great.
We only have liberty through voluntarism.
The people who immigrate to America do so because
of the promise of a better life: the American Dream. The only way to earn it is
by grasping on to liberty.
You cannot give someone liberty who has never had
it, who wasn’t brought up with it bread into their bones. Liberty is our
culture – the same way I will never understand Gitano music the way gypsies do
in Andalusia – it’s not in their bones.
Consider this: what would become the United States
of America was governed by a monarchy that was literally an ocean removed they
had to be completely self-reliant. In this realization, they knew that they
didn’t owe their productivity (taxes) to someone else who provided nothing for
them, or worse, things they didn’t want. Liberty and American Stoicism is born:
a mixture of Greek philosophy and Christian values (you can read more about my
thoughts on stoicism here).
With every new wave of immigrants that washed up
on these shores we couldn’t give them liberty, they had to find it for
themselves. In so doing, they formed a kinship with the American people and
they too became American.
In the last fifty years things have gotten a lot
different for America. We’ve stopped allowing people to find liberty and
instead have given them freedom – freedom from responsibility, from
accountability, freedom from bad consequences: all of these things that are
essentially Anti-American.
The soil of liberty that our forefathers so
valiantly fought and died for is being desecrated not by new immigrants but by
politicians and systemic policies that incentivize people to not embrace
liberty. It is very important to reject this race-bating narrative: once you do
and turn back around to see who your neighbors are it becomes obvious that they
are not full of hate – it’s all been a lie to further clip your wings of
liberty. Americans want more than anyone for other people to be as free as we
are, we wouldn’t have been so easily swayed into war so many times without
liberty for those in the darkest dungeon of tyranny as the light at the end of
the tunnel.
Liberty is all that we have to give and it is the
one thing that cannot be given. Like guiding a drowning victim back to shore
with out-stretched arms we can only lead them to liberty; fore if the grab a
hold of us while thrashing and sputtering we will both drown.
I’ve asked myself many times over the last few
months if, when the time finally comes to lay my Father to rest, will I have
done enough for him to know he can leave this world and his son will continue
to tend the fires of liberty? Will I be able to look at the land around me and
recognize what my Father and Grandfathers fought so hard to protect? Will I
shame them by turning my back on what I know is right and let their blood,
sweat, and tears be in vain?
No.
I will take the tools I have been given to act in accordance with my vision. To help my friends and family live in a world where they can exercise their liberty through voluntary exchange of ideas and commerce. Where corporations are not buying and selling politicians, enacting policies that benefit them and not the American people. Voluntarism and the democratic system aren't things that go hand in hand, as it requires the minority to follow the majority, but when the choice is between the slave morality of the current Democratic party or an anti-establishment, anti-corruption candidate who is universally hated by those in power, I see it as a clear sign on the path to liberty.
In this election, there is only one vote for
Liberty and it is Donald Trump. It will be a hard liberty – one that will hurt –
but liberty cannot be given only found. Rarely do the masses go in search of
the hard truth, the purity of self-reliance and self-ownership, with the opiate
drip of government warming their bellies. This election we have a chance to do
just that. Do not turn a blind eye to your ancestors, whose vision of liberty is
in your blood. Instead, turn away from Globalists who only think of us as resources
to be soaked up and spit out as they move their pieces across the globe. Let’s
believe in America first; because if you believe in nothing – you’ll believe
anything.
