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The sweetest and most inoffensive path of life leads through the avenues of science and learning; and whoever can either remove any obstructions in this way, or open up any new prospect, ought so far to be esteemed a benefactor to mankind. And though these researches may appear painful and fatiguing, it is with some minds as with some bodies, which being endowed with vigorous and florid health, require severe exercise, and reap a pleasure from what, to the generality of mankind, may seem burdensome and laborious. Obscurity, indeed, is painful to the mind as well as to the eye; but to bring light from obscurity, by whatever labour, must needs be delightful and rejoicing. … Of the same class of virtues with courage is that undisturbed philosophical tranquility, superior to pain, sorrow, anxiety, and each assault of adverse fortune. Conscious of his own virtue, say the philosophers, the sage elevates himself above every accident of life; and securely placed in the temple of wisdom, looks down on inferior mortals engaged in pursuit of honours, riches, reputation, and every frivolous enjoyment. … And the nearer we can approach in practice to this sublime tranquility and indifference (for we must distinguish it from a stupid insensibility), the more secure enjoyment shall we attain within ourselves, and the more greatness of mind shall we discover to the world.

Resistance to the state is the natural act of humans. Even if the state is never fully abolished, it can only become a monster with our consent. That means never substituting state interests for our own, even when they momentarily align. In other words, think for yourself. Just because people have historically acted a certain way within a cage of oppression and marginalization is no testament to the true nature of human beings.

You have to define who you are before you know your authentic interests. The state thrives on collectivist generalizations of people by nationality, race, ideology, etc. None of those are who you are: the real you, that spark of unique, irreplacable creativity. If the state is indeed necessary, how much more important that each individual identify and act from that spark!

Eternal vigilence may be the price of liberty – however, this vigilence should be exercised on the self as well. Not in any dogmatic sense, but simply as a function of finding out who you are. I am invoking this process in the same sense that mystics, philosophers, and truth seekers since time immemorial have sought the kernel of life’s meaning.

Anarchism – the systematic rejection of the state as a legitimate institution (regardless of its usefulness) – would consequentially appear to be intimately involved in the two points above. Accordingly, would it be going too far to say that the conservation of individual conscience is the primary expression of anarchism?

If we want to achieve our shared goals of freedom, we need to give people more credit. It’s always assumed – especially by libertarians – that most people are pretty stupid. However, if we have any hope of achieving personal liberty, we must stake everything on the notion that people are not hopeless. Kevin Carson recently criticized the libertarian penchant for snobbish derision towards the “common people”. But the truth of the matter is that there is no alternative to promoting a people’s movement.