From Basics of Resistance by Claire Wolff and Kit Perez:
“Every person is driven, at the core, by a deep-seated need. An individual may crave acceptance, love, power, money, recognition, honor, or something else. In many cases, people don’t know themselves well enough to know what their primal drive is, or they tend to see their drive as solely positive.
They might think their drive is “to serve” or to “stand up for liberty,” but these aren’t primal drives; those desires are driven by underlying primal drives. To reach the core, we need to ask ourselves why, enough times to that everything is stripped down to basic elements.”
Why?
Why?
Why?
Why?
Why?
Why?
Hmmm, I’m not sure it is working for me.
How about you?
Why are you doing what you do?
Why?
Why?
Why?
Why?
Why?
Why?
I just completed reading The Basics Of Resistance. Lew Rockwell read it too, and his full review is reached by clicking the link embedded in the book title above.
However, the basic question I am asking myself and answering publicly is why do I run for key political offices, publish anti-establishment blogs for over a decade, organize and recruit Libertarians (hmmm political organizer … wasn’t that the entire resume of a recent POTUS?) … why do I spend so much time and energy resisting tyranny?
My fall-back answer is that I grew up under the thumbs of two bullies. I HATE BULLIES. I know them to be mean as well as weak and shallow. I use whatever craft, wiles, power I can muster to squash ’em … whether they are my bullies or anybody else’s. They are 100% outsmart-able. Wit is one attribute they failed to develop.
What else?
Anything else?
Am I that simple?
No. I guess I fight for liberty. I cannot stand non-liberty, so I am fighting for myself there. But by happy coincidence, I am fighting for good people and against … BULLIES.
The next reason that came into my head was “Freedom”. Mine, yours and everybody around me … well, anywhere I can affect, for that matter. We all deserve to win, lose and draw. I cannot imagine surviving fetters … of whatever form they may take. My head would explode. My body would shut down.
I admit to no altruism. It may appear I selflessly attack tyranny. It would be nice to consider myself that noble. The truth I confess is I cannot have my liberty if my community does not also have theirs.
I dunno about other motivations. That is all I could come up with for me.
…
P.S. The book Basics of Resistance was a good read; a valuable resource. I do recommend it. It covers all levels of resistance – not just the wild-man anti-bully fanatic, but everything from tiny, subtleties to planning for your arrest.. Check out Lew’s review.
