Lee

Posted Monday, October 16, 2023

7mo

INTP

Libra

6

7

There Is No Try, But There Is a Journey

Agorism means not just the philosophy but the practice of left-libertarianism. The engagement in the counter-economy is a crucial part of building the society we seek. As had been said many times before in regards to Agorism, "There is no try, you either do or don't". I don't dispute that, but it might make some feel that this means it's all or nothing. To go 100% "Agorist" and have nothing at all to do with the State is possible, but it involves leaving society as we know it and living on something like an isolationist commune. No car, no urban housing, no interaction with white market businesses. Everything would be confined to the commune itself. While this could be living an Agorist life, it's still missing the activism that is required for the rest of society to become free. Agorism rejects the commune because it is either one of force, and thus becoming a State all its own, or it ignores the activism in favor of complete separation. So what does it mean to live as an Agorist and can one ever be a "pure" Agorist in this stage of society? The short answer to the latter, I would argue, is no. To the former, though, it's already been spelled out for us: live counter-economically. One of the first things, and probably the easiest of things, is to separate from the statist central banking system. A local credit union can be a good option for this when still using fiat currency, but there are options that throw aside fiat, although they would make life more difficult. Trading in valued goods, such as silver, gold, and palladium, rather than in fiat is certainly an option and one that I would argue would be most useful should you ever see the day of an established Agorist society, but whenever you need to interact with the white market, you would find trouble trying to pay in precious metals rather than fiat. Cryptocurrencies are another option, and there are options to quickly turn crypto into fiat should the need arise as well as a growth in the number of businesses accepting crypto. You could even use the blockchain to record a history of payment as proof of income for landlords and car dealers, should the need arise. Beyond this, fiat will be involved. Not filling your taxes is a step forward, but so long as society is dependent on fiat, your financial security is always at risk. What other steps could be taken? Well, there are Agorists who take things a step further than simply the financial. You can go without a state ID if you don't drive, and this also avoids risk with not paying your local mob for the privilege to drive another year unaccosted by enforcers because you didn't have the right sticker on your required license plate. While this option isn't viable for all - because let's face it, driving is necessary sometimes - and not all are willing to take the risks associated of just getting rid of the statist elements, the options are still available. Another "extreme" step would be something called "ethical homelessness". For an Agorist, this would entail removing oneself from even the white market in land ownership. Finding black market land is not exactly an easily accessible thing, especially living in the city. This results in some Agorists choosing to not have a land of their own, not even renting an apartment. This means that such Agorists would have to find creative ways to live on the streets - setting up a tent on public land, or even private should the opportunity present itself, and finding ways to work and trade for what they need in a way that aligns with libertarian principles. The challenges to homelessness are apparent, but for one that accepts the risks, the option is always available. But not all Agorists have the luxury of being able to have a choice, and not all Agorists are willing or able to take the risk for one reason or another. The thing that any Agorists needs to do, though, is take steps to live counter-economically wherever it becomes possible. You don't try to live an Agorist life, you simply do, and an important part to empower other Agorists to live counter-economically is community. Building a community with other Agorists is necessary to building an Agorist society. Reach out and find other Agorists and other counter-economists in your area, educate non-statist capitalists on what it means to be an Agorist and the threat that the State poses to individual freedom and liberty, and over time you will build a counter-economic network which can provide what you need and, given time and effort, build a black market security firm that can succinctly defend against statist attacks on freedom. The power is in your hands. Freedom is not something you can leave to fate, you have to take it. Agora! Anarchy! Action!