Civility

Why is it so hard for people to be nice to one another? As anarchists and/or libertarians civility is the normal state of behavior. Anything else is an aberration. Almost all of the nastiness in the world comes from people trying to impose their will on others, and sometimes, from the natural attempt to resist. The statist types look for reasons to fight amongst themselves or with us. It is their nature and shouldn't surprise us. Yet, even when they become the target, they don't see what is really happening.

What is happening is the spread of the mental illness that makes people believe that they have a say in what others do, whether it affects them directly or not. The idea that "society" owns you or is owed some debt by allowing you to exist. The idea that someone else has a say in whether you choose to carry a gun or not, what you may choose to smoke in your own home on Friday night, where your money comes from, or a myriad of other busy-body issues.

Authoritarians love this situation. The state is helping to destroy civility with "laws" and regulations. Instead of "live and let live" or "agreeing to disagree" things become the business of government. And as a business, they must feed the fires of hostility to keep themselves strong.

I resolve to always make sure any unpleasantness in my life comes only from my resistance to being controlled; not from any attempt on my part to control others. It is all I can promise.