If You Hate the World, Should You Just Drop Out?

Dear Papa Bear,

You have an interesting advice column going on. I like that you are able to hear other furries' issues and respond in kind. I want to see if you'd have any valuable input on this subject as it has been daunting me for some time. Here we go...

This is not a section about love as I tackled that long ago. This is about philosophical choices I make in life and where they will lead me. Over my years on this planet I have learned that I need to stand by the choices I make, so I stand by decisions.

Papa Bear... To start with I am disappointed. Almost all the furries out where I live have adopted a less than shining image of "we're victims" and "let's not think outside the box". I mainly point that statement at the 21+ group out here, but it applies to the youth crowd as well. I thought when I came into the scene that I would finally be meeting a group of people like me who challenge the rules and make you think, but I was sorely mistaken. I won't speak for everyone, but for most of them... Grow up. Names will not be mentioned however one of them soured a previous name I was using. Why is it that herd conformity and fear have to ruin a good thing? They run around purposely drawing attention to themselves, try and act like they've been stigmatized by society, act like a victim, then offload all their stress onto others to oppress. How can I morally stand by witness this? For Christ’s sakes people it's called maturity, go spend a few years on the streets then you might know it.

Anyways, that's the precursor subject. I had to get that off my chest. I don't take anyone in my age group well as 99.9% of them seem to be completely full of left wing bullshit. I hope it's just the youth crowd doing this. If so, then please someone point me to a 35+ group of furries, I'm done with these kids.

Well, I know you ask to keep it to one question at a time so I'll end here. My question is: I don't know what my question is, I think I just need some perspective.

[Papabear note: after writing the above, Valkerie contacted me again with the following...]

I wrote you about my previous question pertaining to youth furries. This is the real question I wanted to ask you about personal philosophical choices and beliefs. So without further adieu...

Life life life, oh what a mystery. I think the bigger mystery is how to handle it. Needles to say as it stands right now I am making some tough choices on how to continue. I am at a fork in the road right now and already know what route I am going to take. The issue here is where that route will lead me. So what am I talking about?

Well since the age of 10 or 11 I've been denouncing money and even earlier than that I have been denouncing authority (this is due to a very soured childhood). Well that was all those years ago and now I find myself with a bigger conundrum. I have reached the point of enlightenment and self-realization where I find it prudent to denounce government and society in general. I always know I would more than like one day end up as a loner and I was fine with that. As I grew I realized that people like me would probably never be able to have children, I'm not fine with that, but I suppose that is the only fair choice for them in this evil world.

Now... Why denounce government and society? The two go hand in hand. The only thing I can stand for in society is the idea to rely on the community for support and protection. I whole-heartedly agree that we should be able to do just that. My problem is all the strings that come with it. I refuse to give up and of my god given rights in exchange for community. I can find community with wolves and not give anything up... If they don't eat you first. Human's have too much of a troubled history for me to stand with them. As it is I already feel like an alien on earth watching a young civilization try and progress. I feel I could do it better myself and want out of this nightmare.

Now as far as denouncing government... Big subject for me. Simply put, I never consented to someone else's rule nor do I accept the notion of anyone being over me. I don't know any one person on Earth who knows, who feels enough, to love enough, to legislate what I can and cannot do. I used to be in the Air Force and I took the oath of enlistment which I remain true to. I may not stand with others, but I will fight for your freedom to the death. I'm not going to go in depth on this less to say if you have questions I will answer them, I will state the following:

I do not recognize the legitimacy of the state.
I do not abide by human doctrines, only God's law.
I do not believe in money or the use of. Period.
I believe it is OK to kill a threat to your being.
I refuse association with everyone as an implicit deny all statement.
I stand for the natural rights of the individual. All rights are natural rights and boundless in scope.
I stand as a representative of my own lands and family.
I would lay down my life to defend your way of life.

Simple and rich. I will be taking questions. Papa Bear:

"Taking this route will lead me down a long and troublesome path. I will face imprisonment, exile, gross human rights violations, slander of my good name, and maybe even death. It would be pretty easy for me to duck out and conform, but what would I really be giving up? I've seen the other side and I like it better. What do you think?"

[Lastly, Papabear received this note after the bear asked him to be a bit clearer about what the question was.]

The message was about how the more I grow the more I see things for how they really are. This message refers to how I came to the conclusion that I almost exactly align with anarchy, hating the state, growing apart from the world, but most importantly of all, seeking my personal independence.

The question I'm asking is "Am I wrong or is it perfectly sound to aspire to be free in all respects?" I do believe in personal liberties as far as the eye can see. No man or woman holds enough knowledge or love to make decisions for me on any matter. I feel like I'm cornered right now and all I want to do is seek refuge in the wilderness. Agh! This is giving me a headache.

Anyways, get back to me. Thanks.

- Valkerie

* * *

Hi, Valkerie,

Papabear can sympathize and empathize with some of your views. Nothing ticks this bear off more than other people (especially authority figures, but really anyone) telling me how to live my life when I’m not hurting anyone. And I, like you, don’t think much of government and even less of politicians. Same goes for organized religions, though I understand why many believe in them and take some comfort there.

That said, there is a reason such organizational structures as religion and government evolved in human society and why anarchy is not a viable option for civilization. No one is an island, as the saying goes. Humanity is stronger when people work together than if they go off and pursue their own selfish goals independently of one another.

Society has many flaws, but without it we would not have modern medical care, technology, movies and plays, space exploration, literature, mass communication, etc. All these things require the cooperation of many people working together to achieve a goal.

You can go off into the woods to try and live off the grid and off the social structure of civilization, and you can be successful at it (although living with wolves likely won’t work well). Some people do this, but they become nonparticipants in civilization. If that’s what you want, then that’s fine. Personally, while I do not believe I can change the world, I do believe that I can improve my little corner of it. That is why I write this column, and judging by the feedback I have gotten, I am grateful to say that I have done a little good in the world. This can only be accomplished, however, when one remains in contact with and a viable participant in society (i.e., e.g., I couldn’t reach people without my computer, the Internet, a power supply, a home to work in, food to eat, etc., all of which is made possible through the efforts of literally thousands of other people whom I have never met but whose lives affect me and what I do every day).

Valkerie, you are indeed correct that many things are wrong with the world. Your impression of how furries in general react to this situation may or may not be true; that is based upon your personal experiences and interpretations. You have two paths to choose from now: 1) Disconnect yourself from the world and live the life of a hermit, or 2) Accept the world as it is and that there are things you can’t change, but you can try to change the things you can.

If everyone tried to make their corner of their world a little happier, then all the corners would eventually merge into a happier world. That would be nirvana. Likely, nirvana will not be achieved in this world, but if we give up and do not try, then the darkness will surely swallow us all.

Hugs,

Papabear