I was just sitting around today thinking about how I went from a quietly "anti-government" individual to a somewhat outspoken advocate of individual liberty.
It is an evolution I would like to share with you.
All my life I have been characterized by those who knew me as "anti-government". I didn't make an issue of it, but I wouldn't always keep my mouth shut when confronted by "governmentism", either. Mostly I just went about my own business of living as free as I could and kept my opinion to myself unless pressed.
An acquaintance (who later went into government "work") once informed me that I was "conservative" because I did not like or trust government "solutions". For years I accepted this without really examining his contention. I did keep noticing that "conservatives" acted no differently than the "liberals" once elected. They were just as quick as the "other side" to stab me in the back with their every action. This kept me confused for several years. My observation eventually made me forget about looking for solutions from any political party or politician. Once again I was content to ignore the world of politics, except when a new "law" injured liberty in some way that I noticed. I would be irritated, but not surprised. Through it all, and involved in my own little world, I stayed quiet. My attitude was "Who would listen to me anyway?"
That all changed in late December 2003. Without going into gritty details, my life (which was already barely balanced on a worn tightrope) fell apart when my Significant Other left me. At this point I had nothing left to lose. In my grief I jumped feet-first into the first online libertarian group I ran across. I had already found L. Neil Smith's book "Lever Action", which put a label on my deep-seated sentiments, a couple of years before. The internet allowed me to find, and interact with, people who felt the same basic way about individual liberty that I did. It made me feel somewhat less alone and lost.
For a few years I tried to hang on to my anonymity, until my presidential campaign made that impossible. Now I am "out". I am no longer anonymous, and am easily found. I am "on record" with a lot of very unpopular statements and opinions.
If I could change the past, would I? I don't know. Some days, I know I would. Other days, I think I might not.
The remaining chapters are yet to be written. I would love to live out my life unmolested by agents of hatred and "governmentism". Maybe I will; maybe I won't. I hope that from my own heartache I have contributed something to the discourse concerning liberty. At least, in that way, it wasn't suffered in vain.
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