Agorism - Take a Step

Agorism is not merely anarchism or voluntaryism, it is an approach to solve the real problems of the world, while demonstrating that the state is obsolete. It is a peaceful approach to swaying the hearts and minds of others to embrace basic respect for persons, and in doing so shed the shackles imposed by government.

Like many of us when we first encountered agorism, you may feel overwhelmed by all the things seemingly have to do as an agorist. Perhaps it is unclear as to what can be done right now. Hopefully, this article will clear confusion and draw inspiration from some unlikely sources.

Three primary ways to act as an agorist are to live your life, lessen or eliminate your contribution to the lifeblood of the state, and spread the word of liberty and voluntary association. Some who are well versed in agorism may be wondering why building alternatives to government “services” isn’t included. This article is for those who are just starting on an agorist journey; once we have begun down our own path, then we can put effort into creating spaces and services that help others.

“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.”— Albert Camus

1. It is your life.

Regardless of what we believe individually, you must live your own life. It is only after you set your own life goals that you can choose which actions you must take to align with your ideals. Camus is right: by recognizing this you can move forward on your personal journey while also setting an example for others.

2. Starve the state.

Unlike the spread of ideas, you have a great deal of control over your choices, your actions, and the efforts you make that could result in a net loss of taxes, at least from you. You may not be able to convince your neighbor to embrace agorism, but you can withhold some of your money from the state.

3. Spread the ideas of freedom, voluntary solutions, and agorism in general.

But what specific actions should you take? Listing ideas do little to make choices less overwhelming. Here, we find inspiration from another unlikely source: Ed Begley Jr. Begley is a noted actor and environmental activist. Unlike many who share his environmental ideas, he embraces any action that helps, without condemning people for not taking every action. His advice is simply to take one action. Take some action you can manage.

Agorists can learn from this thought. There is no minimum action you must take to cross the line to be an agorist.  The position is an intellectual one. You’ve made the decision, so you are an agorist. Now let’s figure out what to do.

Presumably, you are already living your life as best you can. Great! Keep on. You should not minimize how difficult this seemingly simple step is. But perhaps you are starting out on your own, just leaving home or school, and now you have your entire life to live as an individual. Why not begin as an agorist? Deliberately embrace the ideas of voluntary association. This is your first step towards agorism.

For most, we discovered agorism after we had already begun our adult lives, so the first active step is likely finding some area in which to starve the state.  Taxes — the life blood of the state — are ubiquitous. We seemingly cannot escape them all. However, if you can reduce your personal contribution to the state coffers, you are moving along the agorist path. Fortunately, the choices are many. I’ll touch on a few here, many overlapping, but this will by no means be a comprehensive list.

1. Be frugal.

Sadly, the word “frugal” has developed a bad rap. It does not mean doing without that which you love. Ultimately it means spending your money, which is essentially your time, deliberately. Make thought-out choices rather than just buying whatever, whenever. I’ll suggest a few ways to do this to get the ball rolling.

2. Find free alternatives.

If you have cable or a streaming subscription, consider looking online for free movie sites. There are many sites that offer up free television shows and movies, though these may require a bit of a learning curve. Outright easy sites will have ads, which is essentially no different than standard broadcast TV. Others may require a bit more searching, and it is possible that your favorite show won’t be available. Overall, though, most shows are available, and most movies are available soon after their release. Remember that if it is free no matter what percentage tax is applied, the total “due” will be zero.

3. Grow your own food.

Do you eat a lot of vegetables? Fruit? Nuts? These are all easy to grow, though obviously, this requires some effort on your part. Fortunately, that effort cannot be taxed, as far as anyone can tell.

4. Keep your car longer.

In recent years it has become the norm to always be driving a new car. New cars cost more, so the taxes paid on them will also be higher. New cars often have higher property taxes, tags, and insurance, all of which add to the coffers of the state. If you must buy new, consider keeping it 6 years or more. In my own experience, the newest car I have owned was seven years old, and for the most part, all of my cars have been reliable. Cars are simply lasting longer today.

5. Cook at home.

It costs far less to prepare better food than you can get eating out. Not only will you improve the quality of your food, but you will also reduce your contribution to the state, doubly so if you have your own garden or livestock or can barter with neighbors for these.

6. Build your own home or remodel an inexpensive home.

Start small and grow as needed. This keeps your personal expenses less; you don’t have to work as much to pay for the interest on your loans and the taxes on your income. Your property taxes are less as well in most cases because you don’t have more house than you need, or in the case of remodeling the upgrades you make may well not show up on your property taxes.

There are many more examples, perhaps many unique to your own situation. These few are meant to be very simple and easy steps. The key in each of these instances is to make deliberate choices that can reduce the amount of taxes you are forced to pay, thus reducing the level of your contribution to the coffers of the state.

As you find more opportunity you can take more action or delve into spreading the ideas and creating alternatives to state “services.” For now, keep in mind that you don’t need to start at the finish line, none of us have, just take the first step to decide to live along agorist lines.