Bought a whole set of new running gear for spring and summer. I was hesitant at first, but it had to be done. New Balance Fresh Foam x 1080 v12 shoes (bought earlier this month), NB shorts, super-lightweight yellow NB running shirt, a Nike hydration belt/phone holder, pink Puma running hat, and some cheesy -looking but very comfortable running shades (bought today). Good gear and clothes make a world of difference.
Ran out to Niigata Prefecture’s botanical gardens and was surprised to see some cherry blossoms in bloom. I guess this type blooms earlier than the rest. Called Kawazu-zakura.
Ran to the Apple Music “Ambient Essentials” playlist I’ve been running to for literal years now and which is updated regularly, and just hit shuffle. Some gems came through the headphones, perfect for today’s run. A couple I wanted to share:
Really good. Though I do want to find a viable musical escape from Apple. Should probably just download a bunch of songs anarchy style and save as mp3s.
Hit me with any suggestions — either about good ambient music or Apple alternatives that are more freedom/open-source-oriented but also have a great UX. Also running apps!
We can also see that “leader” in the above definition is not just a voluntarily assented to leader, such as a painting instructor or club president. “Archon” being the root of “monarch,” the difference is easy to understand. A ruler leverages violent force. A mere leader does not necessarily do so.
Anarchy does not mean “utopia” as no such thing ever has, or can ever (in this realm at least), exist. Anarchy does not necessarily mean “chaos” or “violence” — as goes the colloquial conception — or even “order” or “peace.” It could be argued that anarchy — like the sun and moon and mountains and sea — just…is.
Governments, international banking organizations, and supranational bodies already function in pure anarchy. There is no cohesive, singular ruler overseeing them, ultimately. Everyday people function in pure anarchy, too. Making consensual transactions and rejecting the use of violent force. Anarchy can be used, like any tool or basic reality, for good or not-so-good.
Voluntaryism is one kind of anarchy, which quite simply says: I own myself and my property and no human has greater rights than another human in that regard.
No one can own the body and property, the life, of another human legitimately — even if they call themselves a king, a cop, a priest, or an expert in medicine. All interactions should be consensual (don’t you believe in the golden rule?), and when someone violates or attempts to violate my body or property, I can defend myself. Property a la voluntaryism just means that which I acquire legitimately: by way of making, homesteading, or acquiring things through my body’s labor and/or trade, or inheriting them from a previous owner.
Property is an extension of one’s body, in this view. And, as all sane human individuals agree (whether tacitly or explicitly, in action or in word), that our bodies and lives are our own, this is thus a very solid basis upon which to base any society which holds non-violence as a value to be attained to a maximal degree.
Other methods fail. See: All around you.
Kings and states and other such religious people and groups claim vast swathes of land and jurisdiction over billions of other human beings just by mere say-so.
“I, Sir Graham of wherever, have been chosen by God to rule this land! Submit!”
And democracy is no better, ultimately. It’s just a euphemism for mob rule. In the same way “taxation” is a euphemism for literal extortion. I magically, as “King Graham,” do not only have dominion over my own home and land and body, but also over that of everyone that just happens to be born in the whole massive area I claim to own. I convince some gullible folks I am descended from the sky, or that it’s “God’s will” I become president, or that I have social justice in mind, and get useful idiots to scribble my decrees on paper after I’m chosen in a rigged election, and it becomes “the law” — whether or not the peaceful people to by ruled by said law agree with it all. Truly insane. Real fuckin’ nuthouse shit. And it’s called “civilized.”
If one looks honestly, most of the human-caused suffering — death and murder and thievery and rape and pillage and trafficking and torture and other such evil — has come from so-called nations and states. Governments. Countries. It hasn’t come from your neighbor down the street.
“Countries” are really nothing more than a group of mere individuals (often inept buffoons armed with sociopath charisma) claiming arbitrary power over you. It’s not even close: When it comes to statism’s body count versus the private sector, it is the statist, and not the anarchist, who needs to be defending their murderous, psychotic, utopian death cult.
To think that maximal peace could ever result from such an absurd arrangement is indeed utopian. The practical realization that there needs to be order and peace based on logical foundations such as a universal property norm (self-ownership), and not misguided attempts to “elect the right man” or bludgeon dissenters into submission, is voluntaryism. I don’t get to tell you what to do in non-violence with your body or property, and you don’t get to tell me, either. Most people actually already claim to believe this, anyway.
Constantly refusing to step into anarchy and the responsibility of one’s own life and self-ownership, in lieu of fawning over so-called “great man” leaders, is existential suicide. It takes guts and understanding to accept reality and own oneself. Until many more individuals step into their power here, and recognize this reality — attested to not only by human praxeology but biology itself (try to blink my eyes for me, or think my thoughts, or move my arm more directly and immediately than I can), the tyrants that rule and brainwash the masses will — tragically — hold their power.
Vile parasites disguised as “servants.”
Anarchy is beautiful, if we make it so. And many societies in history already have to some degree or another. Examples can be found from the tuatha of ancient Irelandto the everyday goings-on in your small town this very day. Cops and taxes (theft) aren’t required for you to not murder the local hairstylist or plumber. The person who would do that is a minuscule percentage of any population. And it is possible to have free market, privately funded defense organizations to defend against those fringe psychos. It’s a disgusting myth that humans are always evil and bad and want to harm each other. Believing this is what gives so-called governments their power. And excuses for keeping the provably illogical and immoral state around wouldn’t hold even if no example of historic anarchy “being tried” could be cited. The same way asking “but who will pick the cotton if we don’t have slaves!?!?” is irrelevant, so is asking, “but who will pay for things and protect us without the theft and murder of government!?”
Psychos often gravitate toward jobs in the state. Psychotic individuals and sociopaths love arbitrarily assigned seats of massive power over hundreds of millions of other people. Just look at politicians today: child molesters, restricters of the movement of others, and literal mass murderers.
That sure as hell ain’t your neighbor down the street. And if it was, you’d move away or decisively deal with the threat somehow, as soon as possible.
Prepare for an exciting journey into the twisted logic of statism. Consent may not be what you thought it was!
Consenting to a Mugging
You’re walking through a park late at night. Suddenly the cold metal of a gun barrel is jammed against your temple, painfully stretching the skin on your face. “Gimme your money,” an aggressive voice demands in your ear. Having no choice but to give up your wallet or possibly die, you hand over all you have, and fall to the ground in shocked relief as the assailant disappears into the trees with your wallet in hand.
Lucky for you, the mugger didn’t actually force you to pay. You had a choice.You consented. You were free to choose to die and keep your wallet, but you instead chose to live, which in this case carried the cost of losing all your money. Tough cookies, but that’s just how life goes sometimes.
Consenting to Taxes
It’s the same with paying taxes. Some people bitch and moan about having to pay their fair share and sure, there are some valid reasons people oppose taxation. Some people don’t want to pay for wars that kill innocent people. Some don’t want to pay for abortions. Some don’t want to pay for bloated government overspending on lavish public parks and civic facilities. Some just want to keep their own hard-earned cash to spend on other things.
While all of this makes sense, taxpayers still have free choice. They can choose to pay and remain safe, or keep their own money and be audited, potentially arrested and then even killed if they resist the arrest for not paying. The choice isn’t an easy one, but the fact remains: they did have a choice.
Consenting to Sexual Assault
Then there’s sex. Such a wonderful thing as sex should not be kept from anyone. It’s basically a human right. As such, if you wish to molest, sexually assault or rape someone, it’s not that big of a deal. They always have the choice to fight back and try to stop you.
Consenting to Vaccination
When it comes to medicine and bodily penetration by a needle, it’s the exact same as sex. Sure, maybe the government won’t allow you to take a critical business trip to another region, or escape an exploding volcanic island without the covid-19 vaccination.
Sure, they might demand you surrender your body to an as-of-yet unapproved mRNA treatment in order to move across arbitrary borders and through various legal jurisdictions. But hey, snowflake. Stop whining. You always have a choice. By choosing to not get the vax, you are effectively freelyconsenting to your business failing, not seeing your friends and loved ones, and potentially starving to death and dying.
WAKE UP!
None of the above garbage scenarios are examples of consent, of course.True consent doesn’t involve violence and coercion. Now let’s head back to reality, talk about real consent, and shine a light on the solution to the current collectivist plague.
In the same way Pizza Hut cannot force you to pay them for pizza if you don’t want it, your neighbors cannot force you to pay for a park they want to build. Your best friend cannot force you to fill out paperwork and give him a percentage of your income. Your partner cannot force you into having intercourse. Private security companies can’t violently make you choose their service over others. In the same way all of these are clearly immoral and wrong, so is forcing people to take a vaccine against their will, pay taxes, or go through a financial institution to use their money.
Imagine Pizza Hut threatening people at gunpoint if they decided to go across the street and have a Domino’s pizza instead. That is how insane forcing people to pay for government services (regardless of quality or accountability) is.
The central problem here is the violent, forced association and disassociation the state requires. Say Charlie pays taxes for a library and Joe also pays taxes for that same library. Charlie votes that the library should require all patrons be vaccinated before entering. Joe votes the opposite way. This conflict can never be resolved peacefully, as both are extorted to pay for the place and want to get their money’s worth by leveraging politics to club the other over the head.
They think the only way to solve problems is via the violence of the state. How foolish!
The key to truly live and let live then, is privatization. Privatization of money. Of medicine. Of property. Your bodily autonomy is no more a matter to be voted on than a woman’s body who doesn’t want to be assaulted. Your private business is no more a matter to be voted on than what goes on in your bedroom. The end.
The time has come to be consistent. Which is it then, statists: consent, or coercion? There is no gray area here. My body, my choice. If you do not wish to associate with me, I will respect that wish. But do not attempt to restrict my freedoms by claiming ownership over me.
Please see the video exploration of this topic below for more information. Thanks for reading!
The Echigo Ultra is an ultramarathon I created in the wake of another trail race in Niigata being canceled unnecessarily and unexpectedly due to fear.
This DIY race presented a great opportunity for me to showcase some of the beauty of Niigata (the region formerly known as “Echigo”) in the fall, and challenge myself to run farther than I ever had before. It was also a chance to ask a central question to those I met on the way: “What’s the most important thing in life?”
While the concept, distance, and outcome of this race went through some large and (sometimes unplanned) evolutions and changes, in the end it was a wonderful experience. Running technique-wise. Introspection-wise. Building-up-more-mental-and-physical-endurance-than-you-had-before…wise.
Lots of planning, support from those closest to me, and many little serendipitous things — and difficult challenges — made the first ever Echigo Ultra a 61-miler like no other.
There is no new normal. There is only old weird, and it is always fresh. It’s the future. Check out Voluntary Japan’s latest DIY event in partnership with the great and inspiring Ken Pence, and take a time machine to a retro future present, where events that bring joy are not canceled over psy-op mass hysteria bullshit, and community, family, joy, fun, dancing, singing, working, playing, and individual freedom still matter most, and are pinnacle.
Being as most marathons and festivals here in Japan are canceled now, we decided to run down Niigata’s picturesque Sasagawa Nagare coastline and take it all in. Sights, sounds, smells, food, drink, conversation with folks along the way. In other words, you can’t cancel a decentralized, DIY event so easy.
Running for peace. Running for EatBCH, a charity that uses bitcoin cash to feed people that need food in South Sudan and Venezuela. Running just to run.
How to find treasure in the time of the crown virus and mass hysteria/fear.
Topics: No mask, agorism, Japan, direct action, mass hysteria, data, PCR testing, false positives, coronavirus size, Fauci, Surgeon General, Los Angeles, fireworks, disobedience, running, open businesses, disobedience, cash jobs, eatBCH, charity, gardening, anarchy, self-defense, voluntaryism, Bill Gates, vaccines, social pressure, depression, suicide, economics, bitcoin cash, meetups, child abuse, cannabis, gray/black market, peace, property, self-ownership
DISCLAIMER: Peaceful agorism can and has been routinely met with severe violence, kidnapping, and even murder at the hands of state agents and officials. It’s up to individuals and individuals alone to choose how they wish to live and the amount of freedom to embody, or slavery they will tolerate. This video is an artistic expression meant to empower the viewer and provoke thought and voluntary, non-violent action.
Watching the videos of the riots from the states. Noticing in surprised fashion there is suddenly also anti-racism demonstration and protest in the streets of Tokyo. It seems orchestrated at some foundational level. A Kurdish dude was roughed up in the streets by two pigs telling him to shut up, and choking him a bit. The news media latched on to it, and a little over a week later there’s a 200 person march in Shibuya, with police escorts. Signs like “Fuck the police” and “No Justice, No Peace” could be found.
That may not seem like anything on the surface, but cops have been harassing this and that foreigner here for a long time. Now, the media suddenly latches on, pumps it and there’s copycat outrage even in docile and timid Tokyo? Another thing: immediately the covid-19 story doesn’t seem to matter so much to the MSM narrative. Same shit that is happening in the states, if on a yet much smaller scale.
We should start a school on how to run distance with a hangover.
Here, the pirate summer (of agorism, doing what you want, and staying happy) rages on. Ran 16 miles across the Echigo rice plain with a friend yesterday. Sore enough today. A beautiful run with the sun blazing. Hit the hot spring afterward which was great, as usual, but upon entering the relaxation space to sprawl out on the tatami flooring and have an ice cold beer, I’m confronted with western style tables for four, with a plexiglass divider in the middle.
That corona hysteria bullshit, destroying culture. Instead of dining and conversing like it was a prison visit, we left, and opted for a ramen shop with none of that goddamned idiocy.
Decent, non-neurotically-distanced, food.
We’ve busted out the pool here at the anarchy shack as well. And are working as usual on enjoying life and preparing for whatever madness this psyop within a psyop within a psyop may bring our way.
Blessings to all who are fighting for peace, and staying sane in this madness. As far as the state’s next move, it looks like several groups are going to be lumped in with the now-officially-to-be-labeled-terrorist Antifa. Voluntaryists are gonna be tracked, monitored, harassed and considered in similar fashion.
It’s time to decide what’s worth fighting for, and the best way to survive, thrive, defend freedom, and leave a better future for our children, or at least leave an example of what it is to be human — to have a spine, heart, spirit and mind — and to use them.
A life as a controlled slave ain’t worth living, anyway.
Thanks for stopping by.
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Three days in a row running now, which is good for me. Not a bad time either, today.
Since I canceled my Apple Music subscription the music I run to on iTunes has now been limited, but there’s been a kind of freedom in that. I’ve found over the last few runs that having less of a selection is less mentally taxing. Anyway, today I set out to a shuffle of the tunes I had already purchased/downloaded over the years, which meant that Air’s “Left Bank” was up first.
After that it was all Com Truise for the rest of the run. A perfect vibe for me today that I could not have planned even had I thought about it, and tried to.
This album. By the time “VHS Sex” kicked in, I was in the groove and moving. The whole album is a vibe, with nice punchy beats. When I hit mile one the time surprised me. Under 8 mins isn’t that fast, really, but I thought I was running pretty casually, and am not a speed demon anyway. I think not drinking the past few days and saving my ‘male energy’ resulted in this feeling of more underlying power, and not noticing the pace.
As for the ultra I had been training for, it looks like it may be a no go. Still no updates on the Shinetsu Five Mountains Trail for 2020, but I did see a Japanese dude on Twitter say that he was gonna run it anyway, official event or not. Something to think about.
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