Talking out how the Commonwealth of Sirius 4 could operate was a very interesting exercise – although not as interesting as living it out has proven to be.
We changed the question. No longer did we debate “Is this a proper function of government?” It became “Do you even need to establish a government to perform that function?” The more we talked, the more it became clear that in every case, every function, the answer was no.
With a general agreement in the Zero Aggression Principle, even keeping the peace did not require hiring a security force. Nor did it entail wild shootouts and what used to be called “lawlessness.” Informed and educated adults, it seems, have the ability to police themselves – a concept that defenders of the concept of government found astonishing.
One of the deepest and longest conversations we had was about having a “transition period.” Several respected senators argued that before you can reach the ideal of a society based on liberty and mutual respect, there must be a period of transformation where we are slowly weaned from the coercive government state to a condition of freedom.
“The inequitable advantage the haves gained over the have-nots through the years by the use of government force requires an in-between time where justice is done to these economic criminals,” Senator Gaylord McBride said, and with many eloquent words and arguments.
On the other side there was the matter of the tenets that I proposed we use as a supplement to the concept of zero aggression, starting with “Love your neighbor as yourself.” There was much resistance to the thought that our neighbors include our one-time enemies and oppressors. How can we forgive these people? I made a breakthrough when I pointed out that forgiveness carries no obligation to continue to do business with these people. No one is forced to buy their products or services anymore – the coercion is lifted.
In the end there was mutual agreement – we could not have proceeded without mutual agreement, of course, that was the whole idea – that the “haves” who gamed the coercive system had already received justice through the violent, imaginary revolution and the actual revolution that followed, and the “haves” who earned what they had by selling quality products and services to the rest of us had received justice by becoming wealthy.
This turned out to be an incentive for quite a number of people, who once manipulated the laws for their own purposes, to start making an honest living.
The “transition period” lasted a matter of days, if that. I was able to use the circumstances of my arrest and trial as a perfect example of what I was advocating.
My editors have intervened at this point. They have been patient as I jump back and forth in time writing this memoir, but they argue that expanding on my point about the trial would constitute a “spoiler,” giving away an essential detail about my life before the reader knows many other essential foundational and background details. I have argued that no one will be interested in reading my memoir who is not already familiar with my life, but I yield to their concern.
Entry 30. After winter
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