A Different Perspective By Craig Green – The Mob

I’ve been very busy with work and other matters, and so with permission from the original author, I thought I’d post these interesting remarks. Craig Green is an acquaintance of mine, and I admire his thoughts and writing. In conversations with others, I have “stolen” Craig’s motto: “Student of All, Disciple of None.” You can view his website which contains information about both his professional life as well as some very interesting personal philosophy entitled, “The LIFEPOWER Philosophy of James Craig Green.”

On an email list that we both subscribe to, Craig wrote this:

Anger And Rebellion

I have been profoundly affected by the adverse consequences of my own anger,
as well as the “need” to rebel against authority, which was part of my
interest in the libertarian movement beginning in 1980.

I’ve come to believe over the last two decades or so that people who
manifest extreme anger at others don’t realize they are letting the other
person control them, even beyond the grave, when they could chose to set
themselves free. This often leads to rebellion, which is a negative response
to some authority.

I was in the Libertarian Party for years before I realized their main goal
(to fight the state) was negative and self-perpetuating. Many libertarians
get into a depressing frenzy about how the big ole’ bad state controls their
lives, but then they choose to play the tyrant’s game, by his rules (the
political process), to change something over which they have virtually no
control. When I was in the hospital last December, my roommate, a liberal
artist, was visited by his friends who were complaining that Bush’s election
meant they had no voice. They were right, but not because of a rigged
election. They have no choice because their silly little votes are two
needles in a haystack of 80 million. IMO, almost all political action is a
colossal waste of time – using the same dishonest sales techniques you deny
to others to defraud others into supporting your private agenda as public
hysteria.

In Colorado, there is a “safety clause” that must, by the State
constitution, be added to every new law:

“SAFETY CLAUSE. The general assembly hereby finds, determines, and declares
that this act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public
peace, health and safety.”

This particular one was attached to a bill requiring schoolchildren to say
the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools (it was later overturned by the
Colorado Supreme Court, because it included “under god”). The best excuse
the Colorado Supreme Court can find to not force kids to blindly declare
obedience to the State is the word “God.” What a huge load of horseshit! Why
people take this whole game serious is a mystery to me, although I was
caught up in it for years.

As I’ve said before, I don’t want to abolish government – I want it to
wither away and die from lack of use. This requires only a sizable minority
of people to choose to run their own lives, instead of wasting their time
trying to control the uncontrollable. Ultimately, the mob, when angry
enough, controls everything. One good letter to the editor can accomplish
more than the votes of you and all your friends and family. Public debate is
about hysteria, and getting freebies at other people’s expense. It always
has been.

The choice to rebel against authority instead of restructuring your own life
to avoid that authority is, in many (most?) cases, a losing game. Like
letting extreme anger against a long-dead relative guide your actions (which
means you choose to let that person still control your life), conforming to
socially-acceptable ways of not rocking the boat can be an endless,
counterproductive activity.

Life is too short to dwell on the insane hysteria of negativity that
permeates the news, politics, religion, consumer protection, class action
lawsuits and the like.

The mob doesn’t want freedom. Why would I choose the mob?