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On Coercion

We as a society have been conditioned the rules and hierarchy, to the point where we deem it a natural occurrence. We cipher phrases mentioning the animal kingdom as if it sanctions the use of force to make others do what we want them to, but there are many things we all know human beings won’t do that an animal might, as an intellectual species with conscious free will. I ask, what is the nature of coercive force? Does it feel natural my friends, when you are young and disciplined, told what to do, punished, told what to say how to think? Does it seem natural in those early years to you? I would ask then if the answer is no, how can you say it is natural then when you are older, how can you be sure it is not merely that you are used to the systemization of your life, the clockwork, the schedules. But that’s the point, we know it is because we are used to it, we train and condition our young despite their natural wants and needs and deem it good because it seems to yield results. The result, 'productivity' that is capable of disregarding desires and feelings of the free mind, productivity that often necessitates that to be.

Why do we live? People have varying reasonings, but for most of us we live to do what we want and enjoy life. Yet should that mean the necessity of a state sanctioned pre-set path to get where we want? Does the need in us to produce, to eat, to breathe and live, only exist when taught to us? How then can we say that without unnatural coercive force people would not do anything? It is to say contrary to nature itself of every living creature that we would sit in vegetative states and die. And yet what is it we are faced with today? Tedious days of drills, of constant testing and work, of disciplinary action in our schools, of harassment by those set 'above' us and our peers alike in both education and work.

Where does this assumption that no learning is valid unless forced and pushed on by another? That if you have not received a state sanctioned piece of paper you have not learned. Have we not proof that not all orders given are just, that the right thing is not always what someone else tells you? Murderers walk in the streets with medals because someone told them to pull the trigger, and yet we call them soldiers, heroes even, and respect them for doing what any dog could do, for killing their fellow man. Because the government said it was ok, so it can't be murder, right? Wrong, obviously, and personally I think far from being a justification the commands of another person should be just the thing that makes the crimes of soldiers so wrong and foolish, that they kill those they have no personal quarrel with because someone else gave the go ahead. Give me a vigilante any day, at least he won't be a tool, because no personal judgement can be trusted with such things, no matter rank or reputation, so at the very least show me someone who isn't just a dog and even if his crimes be unforgivable let him be treated as a human being while we put 'soldiers' in dog kennels where they belong with leashes around their necks. They are worse than dogs even, for they choose to live by the orders of others, much like a dog will follow the master that feeds but these are men, and so should know better. However I must retract much of that, because they were raised as us, with the idea that what they tell us is the ultimate truth. Such people, obedient tools, are the by-product of our society, just as most criminals are by-products, created when people are judged too much for not fitting in and so lash out against a world that shunned them wrongfully. These are pitiable creatures, as are we all in some way.

How can we shame our fellow human beings for making free decisions, how do we justify it? It is a proven fact that human beings make the most effort and do the most productive things when grabbed by something that personally interests them. Some lucky people find that within the system, others prefer taking the direct path and learning on their own. It's a matter of difference, not superiority or inferiority.

Now many of you are thinking 'I managed in school and work, so no one else has an excuse for not doing just as well, unless they are stupid or lazy.' This statement is simply untrue. People do not run on a one size fits all standard, however the system forces us to conform to such a rigidity, forcibly moulding us to specific conditions, making us sacrifice feelings, dreams, wants and aspirations to suit a standard of 'practicality.' I say the ultimate practicality is freedom; the only practical way is one that does not unnaturally condition people to go against their feelings, ever. People simply should not have to do things they don't want to, and everyone, and I mean everyone, has something they want and enjoy doing that can give something to the world at large.

We are damaging ourselves and our younger generation, we are enslaving them, we are training them like we would mongrel dogs, and we are using shame tactics to make any who dare act as they wish feel inferior. We even do this to our loved ones, maybe without the intention of harm, but it harms them nonetheless. The cycle must stop, we must have more than a clock to look forward to in our lives, and we must open our eyes to the fact that the state does not have the ultimate answers, that not all paths need to coincide at all with what they say to be successful. We can act and live differently, as differently as we want, and still do great things for the world. We should have the choice, all of us, without being judged for it. Because we are human, because we are free. Unnatural forcing of human beings to do things against their will is slavery, and it is evil.

Written by: Dragon4Anarchy
21 October 2008