(originally launched into cyberspace on 04/08/2007)Dear Subscriber,
When I first started looking into this thing called "anarchism"
(society without "government"), most of the discussions I found
revolved around the question of what "works." Lots of people could
see anarchism as a utopian ideal, but didn't believe it could
"work" with the obviously imperfect human race. Others insisted
that a purely voluntary society would "work" far better than a top-
down, micro-managed "governed" society, notwithstanding the
stupidity and/or malice of the common folk.
Unlike many anarchists, however, I did NOT arrive at my political
beliefs by becoming convinced that "anarchy" would work better than
government, any more than I decided that Christmas would "work"
better without Santa Claus. And unlike some, I do NOT advocate that
"government" be overthrown or abolished, any more than I advocate
that Santa be overthrown or abolished. Christmas "works" because
the big people KNOW that Santa isn't real, so they don't sit around
waiting for him to make things happen. Similarly, my goal is not to
overthrow or defeat a non-existent mythological being, but to have
people realize that the being is completely fictional, and to act
accordingly. (No, I'm not saying the buildings, the jackboots, and
the guns aren't real; I'm saying the "authority" is not, and
without that, the gang is only a gang, not a "government.")
I said I'd eventually explain the name of this mailing list, and
now I will. The initials "T.M.D.S." is an abbreviation of the title
of a book I've been working on for years, titled "The Most
Dangerous Superstition." And what is that superstition? It is the
belief in "authority." In upcoming messages, I'll explain why the
concept of "authority" (and "government") is a self-contradictory
impossibility. Again, I don't just mean it's a bad idea, or that
there is a better option; I mean that "authority" is 100% a
HALLUCINATION. It does not exist, cannot exist, never has and never
will exist. If humanity ever gets around to understanding that,
we'll all be a lot better off. We'll still often be imperfect,
impatient, irrational, irresponsible, inconsiderate, and
occasionally malicious, but we will nonetheless eliminate at least
90% of the injustice that now occurs on this planet. If you find
that hard to believe (as I did for a long time), I hope you at
least keep reading.
Sincerely,
Larken Rose
www.larkenrose.com
