If I asked you what kind of image is evoked by the phrase ‘state of anarchy,’ you might think about a mob or gang in the midst of all sorts of confusion and chaos, a big fight going on with flare guns and smoke bombs, or looting, destruction, and all manner of crimes going down without someone around to protect the innocent. And while this image may go off in many of our imaginations, it is rather difficult to find such a scene when searching Google Images for a ‘state of anarchy’.
What we seem to find is that there is a kind of fight, between the oppressors and the oppressed, the masters and the slaves, the political elite and the regular people. Still, most images show people not in an internal state of aimless, unguided confusion, but rather in a purposeful struggle, where it is clear who the enemy is.
The sketch below, for example, may seem to come close to our mind’s perception of a state of anarchy, although upon further research this image represents the peasant rebellion in the French Revolution as depicted in ‘A Tale of Two Cities.’
In reality, the very meaning and usage of the term ‘anarchy’ has been subverted in our society. By whom? The very authority who do everything to veer people away from ideas, or in this case a single word, that is a threat to their grip on power.
From its etymology, anarchy simply means ‘no ruler,’ and a state of anarchy is simply a state in which there is no authority, or no master. In my last article on Natural Law, I discussed anarchy as the desired state of sovereign individuals, and it got me thinking about putting up some of the following images as actual representations of a ‘state of anarchy’ that may at first seem surprising to you.
1. Playing Pick-Up Games
One of the best examples I could think of is being out at a beach that has one or more volleyball nets. More often than not, complete strangers are able to come and go into the game, play for as long as they want, or just hang around on the sidelines. People that are playing are quick to invite others to join in or take their place. There might be someone taking some leadership in terms of counting the score or evening up the teams, but it is firmly established that there is no authority that everyone must follow. Everyone is sovereign, and in the rare case that there is trouble, the collective inevitably is able to manage itself.
2. Making Love
In its most sacred forms, you might say, making love is a pure state of anarchy, where neither person rules or is ruled, but rather both enter into a symbiotic relationship in which one receives by giving, where freedom, spontaneity and creativity are aroused.
3. Driving On Remote Country Roads
Out in the country in general, one is freer to live by one’s instincts rather than by rules. There are no cops to check your speed, no stop signs where roads meet, and in a sense you move into a relaxed alertness, knowing that you will have to respond in case something happens (i.e. an animal suddenly crossing the road). This is another example of a state of anarchy that our mind longs for and enjoys.
If you would argue that this kind of anarchy would cause chaos in the city where there is more traffic, I would only partly agree. True, there are cases where we can all reasonably agree on some rules to make our lives better, like traffic lights; but at the same time, we have all experienced arriving at a busy intersection when the lights have gone out. Not only is there usually an orderly (if not slightly slower) process by which cars get through the intersection; there is a sense that we are all working together, respectful of each other as sovereign beings, and are able to operate quite fine without the interference of some coercive authority.
4. Having Friends Over
Having friends over for a barbecue, party, or another event is a complete state of anarchy, and usually better off for that. Rarely is there a sense that guests have to follow iron-clad rules, but rather gravitate to an environment where they can relax, be themselves, and share the basic enjoyment of being alive with each other. Bringing a gift or a bottle of wine along is a matter of personal choice, not compulsion. Friends are rarely barred from entering a party if they haven’t brought a gift. The same is true of hosts. While they feel they may have to fulfill certain obligations, these are self-imposed, not thrust upon them by some external force. It’s why we enjoy getting together in this fashion so much.
5. Being Alone
All by oneself, in the presence only of nature and the spaciousness of our own mind and imagination, is the quintessential state of anarchy. It is impossible to be alone and be ruled. In this quieting and stilling of our mind, we can eventually come to a greater appreciation of our innate personal sovereignty.
6. Children Playing
Children playing together gives us all hope for our potential liberation from external authority. Many people will recall the spontaneous, reckless abandon they felt in times they played together as kids, where natural and instinctive order was created from our innocence and purity. Seeing kids run around and hearing them sing and shout can certainly feel to us like a state of anarchy, but one which we often look upon with fondness and envy.
7. Nature Itself
Nature itself epitomizes a state of anarchy, where no organism ‘rules’ over another by any means of coercion. Rather, there is an ecology and a harmony of individual self-expression amongst the organism themselves, and according to principles of Gaia, there is even harmonious and life-supporting communications between different organisms, The communications between trees in a forest are well noted. In some ways, nature embodies the form of collective that advanced civilizations of sentient beings aspire to live in.
Anarchy Reimagined
In our society, we generally look upon a state of anarchy as negative, which is one of the tools of that our oppressors use to keep us afraid of our natural desire for personal liberty and self-governance. Again, as I mention in my previous article on Natural Law, a state of anarchy is the desired state of truly sovereign individuals. However, before we work to destroy those forces that currently rule us, we must be ready to put something different in place, otherwise some other form of authority will simply fill the vacuum.
The key is that we collectively evolve towards becoming individually sovereign beings filled with love and compassion for each other in order to properly foster an ideal state of anarchy in our world.