I have joined the Steemit community just over a month ago. One thing that I have learnt of myself during this time, is that I love research and to learn new things (and there are many more). I always had to learn new things on an ongoing basis, as have been working in the ICT sector for the last 25 years. It is a requirement to always learn in order to survive in the industry. It is just the way that the industry works. I can however categorically state, that I have not enjoyed the ICT learning as much as I did for the past month or so?
A new world opening in front of my eyes
Today, I find myself in a new world, filled with a community of the most interesting people and topics that I have ever been involved in. If you asked me 2 months ago, what my believes are on Capitalism, Free Society, Anarchism and the likes, I would probably have given a generic answer like: "Capitalism, That is the way that the world works and there is not much that we can do about it" or "Free society - Isn't that what communists believe?" and "Anarchism, those guys are all crazy man, nothing to speak about."
If you ask me the same question today, I have a total new view on the world, thanks to all of you! And I love it. It is as I have a new reason for living, or more importantly, I think I have taken the red pill and will probably start to follow the white rabbit :)
My new beliefs
I have always had a problem, with the way the world works, I just didn't think far enough on what can be done to change the way the capitalist society work and operates. When I was a student in the early 90's, we always had a few beers … sorry a lot of beers, and then the conversation always turned into philosophical topics … I think it is a general thing in the student community, as I had the opportunity later in life, to spend a lot of time in Oxford and Cambridge, UK, not as a student but for work related matters. I then ended up in the pubs and had a lot of conversations with the local student's while have in a few beers … no sorry a lot of beers and then the conversation turned into philosophical topics. It was like de javu. I still believe that the energy in Cambridge is a weird energy...
So do I believe in a free society? No, Not yet - but my eyes opened and I am researching this as we speak. I am reading and researching as much as I can, and will hopefully gather enough information to make an informed decision very soon. I took that red pill! My heart tells me that it will work, but I have learnt through many experiences in my life, to not just accept, but rather research and ensure that you can talk with confidence on any given subject.
Am I an Anarchist? No, Not yet, but again my eyes opened and within a very short period of time , I acknowledge that there is definitely something strong here. Something that can change the whole world, and the way things are done in the world on a daily basis.
Do I believe in Capitalism and the way the world is run currently
Hell No!
We are being screwed every day of our lives, and the fat cats are laughing all the way to the bank. We are being manipulated, and forced into a specific way of thinking, from the day that we are born, and from then forward every day of our lives.
All of this, is thanks to
,
, the developers of the platform and every single one of you on this wonderful platform. Thank you for giving me a reason to be excited about the world we live in!
Free Society
As I am researching the subject, I thought I will share a bit of my thinking up to now. For those who are already experts on the subject, please bear with me, I am not talking to you :) I am sharing my experience with the newbies who have not yet researched the subject.
What is a free society ?
A free society is a society where people shall have the right to exercise unlimited freedom in their own lives, freedom to live in whatever manner they choose, freedom to pursue their own goals, so long as they do not forcibly interfere with the equal rights of others to do the same.
[Source : afreesociety.blogspot.com/]
There are however many aspects and issues to consider when talking about a free society, Financial Systems, Governments, Law enforcement - There must still be rules, Political views ,
Freedom
According to the http://www.dictionary.com/browse/freedom
the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint:
He won his freedom after a retrial.
exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc.
the power to determine action without restraint.
political or national independence.
personal liberty, as opposed to bondage or slavery: a slave who bought his freedom.
exemption from the presence of anything specified (usually followed by from):
freedom from fear.
Source Credit
Coming from the Apartheid South Africa, I have some real world experience on the subject of Freedom … Freedom is much more than not being imprisoned. It means you have the right to speak, act and think freely. It doesn't mean that you can only do it at Speakers corner in London's Hyde Park :) This is something that the old government of South Africa, did not really get.
Free Society
So isn’t the wonderful USA a Free Society? Nope, we might think they are free, but the society is forced to work under strict rules enforced by blood sucking capitalist, just like all our countries are. Even in post-apartheid South Africa, we are being run by capitalism. And the problem here is that we have a openly acknowledged very corrupt government in place. I know that we have corruption, in most governments around the world, but these guys are just taking the mickey out of corruption. Ridiculous I tell you.
So a real free society is much wider than just acting, speaking and thinking freely. It involves not being oppressed in any way by anybody or any means, even those in positions of authority. This freedom should be applied to everybody and everything, this should apply to your political views, your personal views and even in economic transactions. Why do you think that all currencies in the world have different values? Why is the US Dollar stronger than the British Sterling or stronger than the South African Rand? Well f@ck knows? It is a game, that the fat cat capitalists started long ago, many decades ago .. And all of this is based on what? I have read many good posts on the subject of fiat currencies and financial systems …
Anyway, Freedom means that we should not be forced, controlled, directed in anyway or means! So the bottom line rule in a free society is that freedom should be applied equally to all the citizens in the free society. We do not have the right to interfere with anybody else's freedom or harm their freedom or harm them for that matter. In other words, you are not implementing freedom if you harm anybody or their right to freedom in any way. The above is the 'No harm' principle, which needs to be an underlying principle or value, within everybody in the Free Society. Hence, my hesitance, to just say that it will work. I can definitely live by this principle, but I am questioning if everybody in society can. There is te just too many people in society that have been brainwashed through the times and the way we live for the past few centuries.
The 4 ways to build a free society
While doing research on the subject I read a post from Jeff Deist, where he highlighted 4 ways to build a free society. I quoted a summary of each of his 4 points below for those that will not read this. It is a good read please do so when you get some time.
So when people start talking about bringing about a Free Society it normally evolves around the four options. The four is not communally exclusive and can work separately or as a combination of the four.
Option 1 The Political Option
The argument goes something like this: government, and the political process that surrounds it, are inevitable in the real world. Therefore libertarians must not stand idly on the sidelines while politicians inexorably steal our freedoms. Instead we must organize and become active politically, under the banner of a third party vehicle like the Libertarian Party or by working within the Republican Party, because whether we want to involve ourselves with politics, politics involves itself with us.
Option 2 Strategic Withdrawal
This approach involves separating, withdrawing, or segregating in some way from the larger society and political landscape. It asserts that the current environment is largely hopeless for libertarians politically and culturally, and therefore attempting to play the game where the rules are so heavily slanted in favor of the state is foolish.
Option 3 Winning hearts and minds.
The hearts and minds strategy argues that no change can occur unless and until a significant portion of a given population shrugs off its bad ideas and embraces sensible ideas, particularly in the areas of politics, economics, and social theory. Politics is a lagging indicator, and it follows downstream from culture. We should focus on the underlying disease, not the symptoms. Just as Left progressives have captured the institutions of the West — academia, news media, government, churches, Hollywood, publishing, social media — libertarians ought to focus our efforts on reclaiming these institutions for liberty and a brighter future. So it makes sense to launch liberty-minded people into the streams of academia, business, media, and religion. This is how we strike the root, or at least chip away, at the mindset that supports the state.
Option 4 Resistance
Of course another strategy often discussed among libertarians involves simple resistance to the state, whether open or covert. This tactic contemplates actions like civil disobedience, tax protests, evading or ignoring regulations, and engaging in agorism and black markets.
It also contemplates the use of technological advances to advance freedom. “Third way” libertarian technologists promote this approach, citing advances like encryption, cybercurrencies, and platforms like Uber — all of which when first developed existed in a sort of grey area as regards their legality.
This is a big subject and cannot be done in one post. So I will every so often share my learnings for those interested.
Final Thought : Has the world turned into such a statism environment that we do not know how to be free anymore? Will this decentralised blockchain, underpinned by the Steem currency be the start of a revolution against the real world capitalism and currencies? And also a statement which Jeff Deist made in his conclusion : Lets turn the thoughts of What must be done from a question to a declaration.
Says I who do not believe in the Concept of Free Society fully yet, Go figure :)
Happy Steeming
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