Blogroll
13 Sep 10 The Era of Post Political Freedom
In the future, every man will be an island. The promise of panarchy - people being able to freely chose the political system under which they live is a reality today, if you only reach for it.
In years past, the concept of panarchy seemed a pipe dream concocted by wild-eyed anarchists and libertarians. To most who still think inside the box, it will still seem that way. But if you redefine your frame of mind and think outside the narrow confines of Nation States and physical chains, you will quickly realise that you can live in almost any system you wish: highly taxed egalitarian socialism, untaxed, unregulated free-market capitalism, repressive authoritarianism or free to say what you want, the choice is entirely yours.
Free to Chose Your System: Rise of the Post Political Man
If you are smart, independent minded and shrewd enough to establish an income that is location independence, you are almost entirely free to chose the systems under which you want to live.
Most people are stuck in the rigid mindset that they need to have a home that is physically anchored in a particular country and place. From a legal perspective that may be so, but there is nothing stopping most people from having a few “homes”.
For instance, someone who is liberty minded could establish legal residence in a country with low taxation and/or territorial taxation where income sourced elsewhere is not taxed (Singapore, Hong Kong, Panama, Malta, Costa Rica and most of the Caribbean are a few that come to mind).
To avoid legal troubles, full legal residence would have to be established in a way which satisfies both your current/previous home country, and your new home country. However, establishing legal residence does not mean you have to be present all year round, in all likelihood, you could simply be present a small amount of time each year, and then spend the rest of your time in other places that you like, so long as you stay for a period of time that is less than what would make you considered resident for tax purposes.
In other words, you could have “economic” residence in one place, but spend the bulk of your time in a few other places around the world which fit your social wants and needs better. This would effectively mean that you would pit the competing systems of Nation States against each other in a way that would be perfectly legal.
For ages, politicians have been pitting people against each other for their own purposes, creating conflict where none were necessary: workers against business owners, ethnic majorities against ethnic minorities, the list goes on. It’s about time they got a peaceful dose of their own medicine by having to compete in the marketplace for ideas against other Nation States for the productive capacity of able individuals.
In a globalized world, where people, knowledge, information and assets are increasingly mobile, you’re in the drivers seat for once, the possibilities are endless. You no longer have to vote at the ballot box every 4-5 years in a single country, when you can give your vote on your own terms every day of the week by chosing which countries get to benefit from your spending and your productive capacity.
Freedom is Yours For The Taking
Some might ask “isn’t this a young mans game?”. Sure, it might be easier for someone with few worldy attachments to a specific location, but I know for a fact that there are many families that live a mobile lifestyle and love it. I believe that the biggest inhibitors to living free is fear of the unknown and emotional attachments to local friends and family. But with modern day technology and transport, it can often be a false objection: with the rise of Skype and low-cost airlines, those close to you are never far away. The price of entry to freedom is simply economic self-sustainability combined with mobility.
Our modern day is a paradox: as the noose of authoritarianism grips more firmly around the necks of regular people in large parts of the world, the opportunities for real freedom, for true individual sovereignty from our former masters are greater than at any previous point in history.
With a flexible mind, some business acumen and able execution, freedom is within grasp for anyone wanting to grab it: after millenia of struggle, the emancipation from our political overlords is now a real possibility - you are free to define and live your life the way you want without having to ask permission from anyone.
