The New “Anarchy”
an·ar·chy (n.) [New Latin anarchia,
from Greek anarkhi, from anarkhos,
without a ruler: an-, without; + arkhos,
ruler]
1. Absence of any form of political authority.
2. Political disorder and confusion.
3. Absence of any cohesive principle, such as a common
standard or purpose. [1-3]
4. A theory that regards the absence
of all direct or coercive government as a political
ideal and that proposes the cooperative and voluntary
association of individuals and groups as the principal
mode of organized society. [4]
In my idealism during early teaching
days I told my students that my rules were simple: common
sense, responsibility and respect. Later, as needs presented
themselves, I created rules because my three starting
principles seemed not always to apply to normal teenage
behavior. (Who would have thought, NO TEXTING IN
CLASS would have to become a rule?) Nevertheless,
I always emphasized that although we could not control
the world, in our classroom we could create the ideal
society — a society where people respect each other,
where everyone works cooperatively for the benefit of
all, where people could speak their minds without fear,
and where we would recycle and not waste — in short,
a peaceful utopia.
At heart I am an anarchist. Realistically, I understand
that the conditions for anarchy are where all members
of a society are responsible and voluntarily committed
to common goals. I do believe in the unwritten laws of
nature that all creatures obey through the programming
of their genetic code, guiding them instinctively to
survive and fulfill their purpose. Rules, on the other
hand, are written largely for rule breakers, those not
guided by conscience, responsibility or common sense.
In reality, except for tax laws and driving codes, most
people I know could live very well without any laws,
and actually do so in the sense that they rarely consider
them as guides for their day-to-day behavior. In the
mean time, society devotes whole libraries to volumes
and volumes of laws, and most of our government spends
the majority of its energy writing, debating and rewriting
them.
Authoritarian people who live to
control and exploit others are very uncomfortable with
people who can live free, happy, and productive lives
with a minimum of rules. As the events in Iran unfold,
I imagine how threatened the religious patriarchs feel
when suddenly they see that the people are not fearful
children or rebellious teens, but courageous and free
adults. How must they feel when even women, who they
tried to marginalize by dictating how they should uniformly
look, behave and think, stand heroically for truth
and justice! It is tragically fitting that a martyred
young woman, the beautiful, creative Neda
Soltan, has
become the face of the Iranian revolt.
The great challenge for authoritarians
is that, while the events such as are unfolding in
Iran seem like chaos, they are a great example of the
new world that we are entering. The spontaneity, freedom
and unwritten norms of the internet are a great example
of the ultimate morality of anarchy when it is used
for freedom and the common good. There is a great order
in the world community collaborating voluntarily to
communicate and create a sense of a powerful, responsible
human network. The powers of good use voluntarism and
a benevolent presence to galvanize public opinion and
allies for their various causes. We see this unfolding
in greater numbers and dynamism for the causes of justice,
human welfare, and environmental preservation. Laws
and dogmatic rules, ethnic, racial and cultural differences
dissolve when people join to support basic human rights.
Creative problem solving is stimulated
when people are able to try new approaches and to find
others of like mind to support them without the limits
of culture or geography. To be an anarchist one must
have great optimism and faith in the human spirit.
People who don’t
have that mentality are fearful and take shelter behind
laws, dogmas and forceful repression — protections
they think are invincible. Those unwilling to change
will become irrelevant in the current of contemporary
events, because those protections erode when confronted
by the tide of courageous, independent people. When anarchy
is peaceful and focused it demonstrates a large measure
of self-discipline. Such self-discipline is the mark
of people dedicated to a great cause and is beyond human-made
laws.
When people join together in harmony
with the movement of historical necessity natural laws
assists them in reaching their goals. The present generation
and those who share their aspirations, have so many
new communication tools to help them break the barriers
of repressive forces and isolation. The new mentality
is in tune with higher forces that govern human destiny
and leaders who have stood throughout history as examples
of the future. Today the leaders are so many individuals,
that we can accurately say that we are entering an
era where the “leader” is
the general public. People can now share each other’s
lives in order to fulfill a common purpose beyond national
or self-interest. Perhaps we have an opportunity to create
that “ideal society” that is governed by
the principles of common sense, responsibility and respect
rather than by authorities with their many laws.
Footnotes:
1-3 "anarchy." The American Heritage® Dictionary
of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin
Company, 2004. 29 Jun. 2009. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/anarchy>.
4 "anarchy." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v
1.1). Random House, Inc. 29 Jun. 2009. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/anarchy>.
Post Script: Towards
a new definition
The new an·ar·chy (n.)
- Actions independent of an external, coercive authority
or law
- Actions that are voluntary, benevolent, and communal
- Actions guided by conscience, common sense and
natural law
Cite this
source—Modern
Language Association (MLA Style)
“anarchy.” The New Anarchy, Richard V. Sidy, SNS Press.com.
July 2009.
< https://snspress.com/pages/
Vol08_no7.htm>.
TO THE READER:
I understand “the
new anarchy” to
be actions independent of an external, coercive authority
or laws that force people to behave a certain way.
In psychological terms, it is the opposite of behavioral
conditioning where people act a certain way to either
receive pleasure or avoid pain (i.e. the bases of our
legal and political social contracts).
Volunteerism is
basically anarchical even thought there may be individual
personal incentives or rewards. However, the authority
is internal and personal. The “new
anarchy” is NOT devoid of ethics or transcendent
moral purpose, or common, unwritten codes of respectful
behavior. The
Golden Rule specifically is an anarchical
statement and not really a “rule.” It is
simply a statement recognizing the natural law of cause
and effect, or reciprocity. Attitudes and behaviors that
are natural may be essentially anarchical — above
and beyond political or religious doctrines, dogmas,
and legal codes. If one looks beneath these latter “authorities,” one
will find the desire for power and control of the few
over the many, or else a pessimistic and fearful concept
of the individual.
The new anarchy is essentially benevolent,
voluntary and communal. In answer to those who fear that
people would be selfish and aggressive in the absence
of laws and government, I would answer that all evidence
is to the contrary. In the case of major disasters where
law and government are largely absent or impotent, most
people voluntarily and in an orderly way help each other
(often with personal risk and sacrifice). They realize
that we all share a common fate. Further, the vast majority
of humanity live their lives in pursuit of their basic
needs, of their personal sense of fulfillment, of their
desire for happiness, and of their desire to belong
and contribute to a group or to a community.
© 2009 Richard
V. Sidy
