 Chapter 15. Getting There The bulk of this work has been dedicated to demonstrating why free market anarchism is superior, both ethically and economically, to any possible social alternatives. Once the truth of this perspective is established, the question becomes one of means. How do we bring about the libertarian society we desire? Admittedly, there is no objectively best way to determine this. However, in the course of this chapter, methods will be delineated which are optimally suited to achieving liberation. Such methods will be separated into five major categories, agorism and counter-economics, hacktivism, education and outreach, peaceful parenting and the formation of free communities. Many critics will write off the idea of free market anarchism as utopian, unrealistic or even dangerous. Ironically, such criticisms are logically and empirically better aimed against the state. Though the advocates of such a libertarian society generally promote it as a result of their universal stance against aggression, they are under no delusion that physical conflict would disappear. Rather, given the existence of scarce goods and the fact that humans are self-interested, they believe that a purely free society is best equipped to harmonise and co-ordinate human action for maximum gain. Conversely, free market anarchists recognise that it is the state in all of its forms which perverts and obstructs the economic guidance of the invisible hand, and that it is the advocates of the state who naively believe that its agents are benevolent, competent and altruistic. Thanks to insights made by the likes of Mises, Rothbard and Hopper, one may rest assured that even if such benevolent and competent individuals occupied every state office, they would still have no rational economic basis to determine the optimal array of services, the degrees at which they should be produced, the method of their production and how they should be allocated. In the absence of a rational rebuttal to the merits of free market anarchism, some may object, no such society has ever existed, to which the appropriate response is, progress is, by its very nature, unprecedented. Agarism, counter-economics. In an environment where the most innocuous transactions are regulated and subject to licensure and permit requirements, agarism provides some much-needed relief. Agarism and counter-economics are fairly interchangeable concepts, which have to do with the study and practice of all peaceful human action which is forbidden by the state. More specifically, agarist activities tend to be associated with black or grey market activities, i.e. economic transactions which are non-compliant with state regulations or prohibitions. This could include anything from selling cannabis to running a lemonade stand without a permit. Such activities are used not only to highlight the merits of a truly free market, but also save the entrepreneur the expense of paying taxes, while having the additional benefit of depriving the state of extra revenue. The beauty of agarism is that it takes free market ideas from the ideological realm and brings them to life. It provides those people too impatient to wait for the state's demise, an avenue to live and associate freely now. It also serves as an effective and popular form of passive resistance. There are many individuals who engage in these practices as a regular part of their everyday lives without realising their implications. Thus, by informing those people of the wide-ranging benefits of their activities, one may be able to easily segue into a conversation regarding the merits of free markets. It is much easier to demonstrate the benefits of such a system to those who live it, and likewise to those entrepreneurs who have first-hand experience with onerous state regulations and taxes. In the pursuit of streamlining such agarist activities, the market has produced some astounding innovations, of which we will cover the two most prominent. Cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, and anonymous online markets, such as the Silk Road. Digital cryptocurrencies provide an individual with an array of benefits unlike anything the market actor has ever experienced. They provide a means by which one may transfer wealth securely, anonymously, and with virtually zero transaction costs. Naturally, this allows one to safely avoid taxes in the course of a transaction, as there is no means by which said transaction may be traced back to him. More importantly, however, the use of such digital currencies normalises the idea of using private currencies to the general public. The state's status as the sole producer of money is one of its greatest sources of legitimacy and power. Thus, the proliferation and expanding use of private currencies constitute effective means by which state rule may be peacefully undermined. Likewise, the advent of anonymous online markets allows one to transact in a global market, thereby enhancing the value of agarist activity and rendering international borders ever more superfluous. Above and beyond agarist ventures, however, even legal innovations may sometimes alleviate dependency on state services and should likewise be encouraged. For instance, the development of email has displaced to a large degree the monopolised service the United States Postal Service has on the delivery of first class mail. Agarist activities, as well as legal market innovations, demonstrate tangible and readily underserved benefits of the marketplace. With their proliferation, ever more people will begin to wonder to what extent the market may be extended and conversely question to what degree the state itself is necessary. In truth, the state is always in a precarious position as it requires the presence of a market in order to perpetuate its parasitic existence. Conversely, the market is at the same time a threat to state legitimacy as it provides a productive contrast to the state's inner workings. In distinct contrast, the market has no such need for the state. It may exist in fact much more vibrantly with no state at all. Once this truth is uncovered, there will be no turning back. The state will be just another embarrassing blip in human history, similar to chattel slavery. Hacktivism Hacktivism is simply the use of computers and computer networks to promote political ends. Hacktivist groups, like Anonymous, have been used extensively to combat government measures to censor and restrict access to the internet. Such groups also have provided private citizens with the means to obstruct government surveillance over their online activities. As the police state grows, these groups of individual hacktivists will be invaluable to maintaining communication networks amongst various liberty activists, while at the same time denying government surveillance and tracking of their activities. Hacktivist groups, like Anonymous, have also shown wide support for journalistic organisations like WikiLeaks, which dedicate themselves to making classified government information available to the public. The organisation of these hacktivist groups tends to be decentralised and amorphous, making them very difficult to target for centralised command and control state enforcement agencies. It would behoove the liberty community then to form alliances with such organisations, as well as recruit members who possess the skills to engage in such activism. One of the most dangerous threats to state power is the internet itself. Thus, protecting it as an open and accessible resource for all is of paramount importance. More than simply a tool to coordinate and synthesise liberty activism, unrestricted access to the internet is integral to general human progress. If we wish to effectively protect our liberties, we must likewise protect the worldwide web from state encroachment. Education Outreach Education is another key component to abolishing the state and organising a free society. It is not sufficient for one only to have an understanding of the social problems which plague society. He must have an intimate understanding of superior alternatives as well. Most people are aware of the complex social problems that persist today, ranging from poverty, famine and disease, to war, inflation and terrorism. Although they may believe the state is not treating such issues competently, they are tragically unaware of any viable alternatives. The masses have been inundated with propaganda their entire lives, from the public schools in which they were stuffed as children, to the state-controlled nationalistic mass media opinions they ingest as adults. The predominant notion of political reform is sold to the public as their only redress of grievances, while whispers of state abolition are immediately discarded as absurd and dangerous. Despite attempts by defenders of the state to undermine and discredit anarchist ideas, libertarian anarchists retain the advantage of having reason on their side. Think tanks like the Ludwig von Mises Institute and the Property and Freedom Society have served the end of advancing radical freedom by proliferating and expanding upon libertarian ideas in the academic realm, while defending them from the most sophisticated critiques. More populist mediums such as Facebook and YouTube have also enabled many libertarian anarchists to introduce the masses to the ideas of liberty, affecting an enormous swell in number. The trend is expected to continue as the reliance on state-regulated mass media and propaganda is continually undermined by the common man's access to the virtually endless depths of knowledge present on the internet. Beyond this, younger generations who feel more at home online than watching television will demonstrate the superiority of free access to the marketplace of ideas regarding news and opinion on the internet. Moreover, the growing popularity of homeschooling promises to curtail state control over the minds of the youth. Though the internet does provide an excellent medium for providing copious amounts of information to billions of people, there are still advantages to reaching out to others in a face-to-face manner. Offering a meeting presence at various popular events or other public places may help others experience these ideas in a more tangible way. In the transition from any degree of statism to libertarianism, there are bound to be questions and spiralling conversations that cannot be addressed in reading Murray Rothbard's articles in PDF. A living, breathing libertarian, discussing and deconstructing social premises can catapult a person beyond where their own capacity for curiosity and intellectual courage would have taken them. Having personal interactions with others helps humanise the ideas of liberty and may be cause for an intrepid mind to consider such ideas with greater deliberation. Working with other organisations and people on like-minded causes may also be an effective way to synergise efforts and resources. Additionally, the members of such organisations may themselves be more open to the ideas of anarchism and free markets, as a consequence of camaraderie developed while working on like goals. For the spreading of anarchist ideas to be effective, one must sell them not only as rational and effective, but also humanitarian and inclusive. It must be made clear that the only things precluded are legal privileges. Such a system does not require people to work for hierarchical corporations or even to use money. If individuals prefer to voluntarily pool their resources and live in moneyless communes, then there would be nothing stopping them. In fact, free market anarchy is precisely that system which permits the largest scope of opportunity for people to live their lives as they see fit. Last, but not least, one must be willing to spread these ideas with patience and empathy if he wishes for them to be well received. At one point, most libertarians and anarchists were either active or passive supporters of the state. Thus, showing compassion, empathy and love for others will do wonders in the way of instilling them with the desire to learn these ideas. Furthermore, living a happy and healthy life will encourage them to emulate your lifestyle and to discover the virtues which serve as its foundation. Hopper deliberates upon the critical importance of spreading the ideas of liberty. Quote, more than force is needed to expand exploitation over a population many times its own size. For this to happen, a firm must also have public support. A majority of the population must accept the exploitative actions as legitimate. This acceptance can range from active enthusiasm to passive resignation, but it must be acceptance in the sense that a majority must have given up the idea of actively or passively resisting any attempt to enforce non-productive and non-contractual property acquisitions. The class consciousness must be low, undeveloped and fuzzy. Only as long as this state of affairs lasts is there still room for an exploitative firm to prosper, even if no actual demand for it exists. Only if and insofar as the exploited and expropriated develop a clear idea of their own situation and are united with other members of their class through an ideological movement which gives expression to the idea of a classless society where all exploitation is abolished can the power of the ruling class be broken. Only if and insofar as a majority of the exploited public becomes consciously integrated into such a movement and accordingly displays a common outrage over all non-productive or non-contractual property acquisitions shows a contempt for everyone who engages in such acts and deliberately contributes nothing to help make them successful, not to mention actively trying to obstruct them, can its power be brought to crumble. End quote. Peaceful parenting. Peaceful parenting may seem peculiar or impertinent in regards to the subversion of statism but it is of grave importance. It entails a complete and holistic parenting style but this focus will be on its primary precept of non-violence against children. This includes smacking, spanking, hitting or threats made thereof. Such violent parenting tactics teach a child that might makes right and primes them for state subjugation which operates under mirrored premises. There is no other time in life where one is more susceptible to influence than when he is a child. Thus it is critically important that extra care be taken not to instill our children with ideas or furnish them with experience that aligns the child's personality to that of a drone or soldier able and willing to serve an arbitrary authority at the soonest provocation. Instead rearing children as peers encourages them to inquire more deeply about the world around them and their place in it. This curiosity allows them to improve their understanding of the environment and to better grapple with their environment in such a way that it may be more transformed to their liking. Encouraging inquiry, negotiation and discussion may not be conducive to dominating or controlling children but it will greatly enhance a child's critical thinking and reasoning abilities. When children grow up in peaceful and free environments they will view the state with great skepticism and contempt. The state will be nothing more to them than an anachronism or a morbid joke. As the number of individuals who have been peacefully reared grows the state's power and legitimacy will correspondingly fade. These individuals will likely be among the more avid and vociferous promoters of the libertarian philosophy for two reasons. One, they will not be as conditioned as their counterparts to accept edicts given by arbitrary authority figures and the fear emanating from the state's threats will accordingly be less effective against them. And two, they will already have experienced how free associations organise and form and the benefits they entail. For those who have difficulty dealing in abstracts experiencing a freed community may be conducive to understanding the merits of liberty. Forming such communities allows insiders a valuable opportunity to live more freely while they hasten the collapse of the state. The most renowned examples of such communities include the Free State Project in New Hampshire and the Voluntaryist Initiative in Asheville, North Carolina. However, other similar communities are springing into existence more frequently than ever. The Voluntaryist Initiative is significant in that its goals and methods are entirely in line with those presented herein. The Voluntaryist Initiative was established with a twofold mission to spread the ideas of free market anarchism and peaceful parenting while establishing a community of people who live accordingly. The methods employed by members of the Voluntaryist Initiative include education, outreach and the promotion of agorism and peaceful parenting. The interest and membership of the Voluntaryist Initiative and other similar liberty communities have continued to grow as they offer comfortable safe havens from the more insufferable aspects of the state. Additionally, these communities have proven to be highly conducive to synergising the efforts of like-minded activists while at the same time adding credibility to their cause with the increase in visible participation. The members of these communities have often left their extended families and established careers in order to take part in the high and noble cause of liberty. They are willing to trade temporary material comfort and security for the opportunity to achieve a life aimed at something greater than mere sustenance. These staunch and passionate individualists are the greatest philanthropists of our time. One is reminded of a quote attributed to Samuel Adams. It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds. Though the above methods may be the most effective means to achieving liberty, this in no way suggests they are the only ones. Encouragement should be given to anyone to promote liberty because its presence or lack thereof deeply impacts every aspect of our lives. We live in a world with incredibly diverse and beautiful individuals whose value and variety are hampered by the use of systemic aggression. The fight against aggression, which is the fight for liberty, is the most important one of our time and will continue to be until liberty has prevailed. Ending the story of our enslavement should be top priority for those seeking to liberate man from all manners of oppression, subjugation and exploitation. The question of the proper or improper use of violence warrants the highest level of scrutiny as it presents the greatest potential danger to human progress. If one is still critical of free market anarchy, then they should be encouraged to evaluate the state with an equal level of skepticism. Make no mistake, the cause of liberty will get darker before the proverbial dawn. However, there is great cause for hope. Now more than ever, we are connected with one another socially and economically. We are discovering innovative ways to streamline communication and break down cultural barriers and languages which prevent us from connecting with one another. We now have the distinct honor and privilege to usher in a new era of enlightenment, peace and prosperity. All we must do now is choose whether or not we want to be passive observers or active participants in this revolutionary phase. Such participation can entail something as simple as choosing to live your own life freely. As Albert Camus once opined, the only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.