Practical Anarchism

This a great question, also a tough one. I always found it thoroughly pleasing and a self fulfilling to organize something. In particular organizing a pretty DIY event that has no funding and no organizing comity or such nonsense. I find it to be very close to ideals of anarchism, a group of people working without any formal structure being imposed upon them...

On the other hand most of that is still very small scale (which doesn't have to be a bad thing), and limited to few events a year... What I would like is to see a community that is more self sustaining, making your own patches and clothes is nice and all, but there is so much more that could be done. In a way the movement has to move on to more important things...

 

A revolution is most often something pertaining to the people around us, is something I often find it helpful to reflect on. While an "inner revolution" of the mind and senses can be important, anarchism is as much for our fellow humans as it is for ourselves.

As a social anarchist I consider my immediate area my priority, and if city-wide issues on large questions (anti-racism, squatting, social centres etc.) seem pointless, try to see what is 'closer to you', so to speak. If you got to school, it's a great place to become involved in anti-authoritarian politics and increase demands for student democracy and fight centralism and opression. Even if you're not a social anarchist, my point stands - You want to link arms with the people around you. The more people you have to talk it over with, the more sense your own struggle will begin to make.

 

Freetown Christiania.

Anarchy is more theoretical at this point in time than you think. You can't just take a government-bred populace and throw them into anarchy. That is asking for nothing but chaos. It was to be a slow deterioration for the need of government that anarchists must strive for. Education, demonstrations, civil debate, etc. You and I will probably never see or live in true anarchy since almost all usable land has been sold into property; the practice of "squatting" is practically demolished.

Teach people that they don't need greed or money, don't need violence, don't need religion, all they need is freedom and life, and everything will theoretically fall into place.

I personally think fighting for something as pure as anarchy defeats the purpose of acquiring it, and I don't understand the violence many anarchists try to impose as an attempt to, as they say, speed up the process.

 

anarchism revolution in every mind!
peace & freedom is a important decision of alls life of people..
(exusme for my insufficient English)

 

This is a really good question!

I think If you want to make it really practical, you'll have to make a difference. Meaning a change in society, the system itself, a change in human behavioural. But how can you change people when everyone thinks that everything is fine and everyone belives what they want to believe? Another difficult question!

Stay (or become) anti-faschist, anti-authorian, anti-this and anti-that, be tolerant, be sympathetic, respect the nature, respect human and animal life, question everything (at least twice), think for yourself, be aware of the shit that is happening around you and explain it to other people about it...
Spread the idea of anarchy in a way that will make people think, make them see things from a different perspective, make them realise that a change is needed, because a real change comes only from withinside!

I think there is so much i've forgotten to wrote here...
Nothing is simple when it comes to the human species - remember that!

 

Would playing music that fronts anarchist beliefs count?
I can't really relate to an ideology, but i'm very fond of antis, so my coins would be to attempt to break down the paradigms of which are fucking up this world, and rather leave the rest to ones better judgement.

 

try informing others of your beliefs and social change , incourage them to join you and others !!

 

Where I come from(singapore) , it's hard. We're treated like slaves. We can't speak up for our rights. Peaceful protest ends us up in jail. So there's hardly anything I can do. All I can do is, spread anarchy around. Talk to your close friends about it. Give them examples on why anarchy is the key to freedom and life. Another way is, keeping the faith in what you believe in (in that case, anarchy). Do it peacefully, not violently. Nobody listens to violence.

 

Now you have to respect this guy!
He found his practical ways and so can eveyone! The more you have people like "ebbtides", the more the system is forced to change - no protsests needed!
Keep up the good work man!

 

Whoops! I'm sorry, didn't want to offend you in any kind of way.

In that case: Keep up the good work girl!

 

Well in that case, I believe that if you manage to convince everyone to stay at home, do nothing, do things by themselves, play some family games or just get wasted... the system would collapse. Times are perfect for that and everyone is capable of doing "nothing". We support the system every day from the minute you get up and smoke our first cigarette (if you smoke), untill you go to sleep and turn off the last lights. So if everyone would just sleep all day and do nothing, it would be like shutting down the main fuel pipe of the system... "and the machine stops working" - can you imagine that?
Sure there is a shit load of problems if something like this would actually happen, but it's an interesting way of bringing down the system. "Cut down those supply lines!" - I think I got carried away.. It's just an idea I have...

Anyway, I think if you want to be really effective when bringing down the system, you have to do something about the source - the people, they need to change.

 

improve your community in a collective effort among you and your anarchist friends. as anarchist our immediate goals are community, social, and economic reform. if your question is 'how can you participate in anarchy on a daily basis' ill give you some ideas from what we do around here. we've created a direct action group that holds protest, hands out pamphlets about the evils of democracy and bringing awareness to many social and political problems, participate in your local food not bombs (and if you don't have a local chapter make one!) at this point we need to rally together the people and some of the best ways of doing that is by bringing everyone together in a group activity - - for example a collective garden or bike collective will bring all your friends together in a fun way and ultimately bringing everyones ideas and beliefs together to take on the bigger machine. one of the most motivating things for a group of activist is accomplishment.. the simple accomplishment of a beautiful organic garden could domino effect into bigger and greater things that will improve your community.

 

The intelligent Anarchist/radical should try to do both.

 

hahaha, the hardest practice: don't watch your partner like possession
maaaany people will say: my partner has freedom. but it is not so. especially when girl should be with one more man, man make problem automatically.

 

One of my best friends once quipped, "I think anarchy is a verb, not a noun. Anarchy is something you do."

That really stuck with me. What I think is so special about anarchism is that, whereas the communist cannot truly practice communism in a capitalist country and the capitalist cannot truly practice capitalism in a communist country, we are all individually capable of practicing anarchism wherever and whenever we choose. That's not to say that a stateless egalitarian society based on solidarity and voluntary association wouldn't be a much more preferable place to practice anarchy, but we need not wait!

Personally, I think the bases of a truly radical lifestyle are the humility to recognize the part you play in capitalism and the will to fight against it. Capitalists want me to treat living creatures as machines but I refuse by living vegan. Capitalists wants me to be silent when someone is raped but I refuse by confronting sexual predators in my community. Capitalists want me to remain ignorant but I refuse by educating myself.

Be aware that we are all being managed. Learn what you want, what you need and what's the difference. Resist fiercely and then vanish before they can lock you up. Empower the people around you to do all of these things. And as fucked up as things get, don't forget to do things that make you happy! George Herbert was right, the best revenge is living well!