I’m a Pragmatic Anarchist.Sometimes I call myself an Anarcho-Pacifist , yet
\nby doing so there is always the danger that my
\nideas may become confused with some other
\nstereotypical sets of very rigidly defined
\npolitical or philosophical ideas.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
It is because of this need to distance myself from
\nsuch stereotypical concepts that I wish to define
\njust what my views are, and why I am both a
\nradical thinker & activist.<\/p>\n
Don’t Look Back.<\/p>\n
The problem with many political philosophies is
\nthat those who hold such ideas base there
\nactions, first & foremost, upon what has gone
\nbefore them.<\/p>\n
Be they pacifist, socialist, or anarchist ideals,
\nthere is always an historical reference point
\nwhich might be used.<\/p>\n
I look first & formost upon the issues, & then upon
\njust what kind of solutions that there might be.<\/p>\n
For me it is all a question of ends & means.<\/p>\n
Now I am lucky enough to in a position whereby I
\nhave read the works of the great 19th & 20th
\ncentury radicals, & appreciate just what they
\nhave achieved for us.<\/p>\n
Yet I live in the 21st century & have 21st century
\nissues to confront.<\/p>\n
It is all very well to have a political set of values,
\nbut one just can NOT always be asking how to
\nsolve the worlds problems by always going back
\nto the roots of ones political ideas.<\/p>\n
The problem with many political activists being
\nthat they will try to fit a solution to any problem
\nby relating it back to their very rigidly based
\npolitical ideas, rather than asking what will
\nwork in terms of a solution to a particular set of
\nproblems.
\nBy Way of Illustration.
\nI\ufffdll give a few examples to illustrate this point.<\/p>\n
Gandhi may of had some good ideas about local
\nsolutions to self sufficiency, but he never
\ndeveloped them in terms of globalisation.<\/p>\n
Such great individuals as Emma Goldman , Errico
\nMalatesia, or Bakunin never wrote a word about
\nglobal warming.<\/p>\n
None of them ever wrote about how new forms of
\ncommunication technology would give rise to new
\nproblems & challenges for us all.<\/p>\n
As to the Marxists & those who follow Marxist
\nidea, there is a fundamental problem here.<\/p>\n
Marx was someone\ufffds whose best writing is just in
\nthe form of economic analysis.<\/p>\n
As my old anarchist friend Otto has always said,
\nthat what Marx spent many years researching &
\nwriting about, any worker knows about by just
\nopening their pay packet at the end of the week.<\/p>\n
Even without going into a political analysis upon
\nMarxism & all that is wrong with Marxist ideas,
\nthere would still be one point I would want to
\nmake.<\/p>\n
The bottom line being that Marx did not concern
\nhimself with any ecological issues, or how they
\nmight be solved.
\nIn other words: – You can not expect to solve new
\n& very complex problems by looking back at a set
\nof 150 year old publications.
\nReal World Ideas.<\/p>\n
As I have already stated, I am a Pragmatic
\nAnarchist.<\/p>\n
I believe in real world solutions to real world
\nproblems, as long as they are consistent with
\nends & means.<\/p>\n
I will work towards solutions for any problem,
\nso long as they are consistent with being none
\nexploitative, ecologicaly sound, egalitarian, &
\npacifist in nature.<\/p>\n
My vegetarianism being both a manifestation of my
\nNonviolent ideals, & an illustration of a very
\npragmatic set of solutions to the kind of problems
\nwhich we all face within the modern world.<\/p>\n
I did not just became vegetarian as an result of my
\npolitical or philosophical ideas, but because it is a
\nvery pragmatic solution to some of the ecological
\nproblems which we all face.<\/p>\n
The reason just why I always insist in looking at
\nthe world in terms of Ends & Means, is because as
\nthe world & various issues become much more
\ncomplex, there can never be ‘just one solution’
\nwhich does not impact upon everything else we
\nhave to deal with.<\/p>\n
Perhaps that is why I like solutions with are
\nmultifarious, such as the work which is being done
\nby Vegfam.*1.<\/p>\n
Plant a fruit tree, and not only do you help to
\ncounter air pollution & soil erosion, but you also
\nprovide both food & shelter .<\/p>\n
This is also consistent with a Nonviolent & none
\nexploitative Vegetarian way of life.<\/p>\n
I am not sure if any of the above might be classed
\nas a political treatise, but it is not my aim to do so.<\/p>\n
My aim is to show that the only way in which we
\nare ever going to solve the global mess we are in,
\nis by being very pragmatic, just as long as it is
\nconsistent with ends & means.
\nHaving said all that …..<\/p>\n
It is important to know what has gone before one,
\nboth in terms of placing ones ideas within an
\nhistorical context, & in terms of seeing how ones
\nactions are a part of a process.<\/p>\n
In the same way it is very important to know about
\nthe ideas & history of the people who helped to
\nshape society.<\/p>\n
Thus as a pragmatist I see that it is important to
\nview ones radical actions within a historical
\ncontext in order to judge what an effect they
\nwill have within the future.<\/p>\n
Just in order to understand any social conflict
\none must be able to look at its historical roots.<\/p>\n
A good example of this being that of Northern
\nIreland, or Israel\/Palestine.<\/p>\n
Then one should start to look at the ways in
\nwhich history has been re-written.<\/p>\n
After that one can start to look for solutions
\nwhich will work for everyone, & which will cut
\nthe historical baggage via which most people
\nblinker their own view of history.<\/p>\n
This is not to say that one should abandon ones
\ncultural roots, but just those attitudes which are
\nharmful to one.
\nThe re-writing of History,
\n& Heroes with clay feet. *2.<\/p>\n
One of the major problems via which people
\npresent political ideas is by making the
\ninterpretation of history much more important
\nthan by just giving the historical facts.<\/p>\n
Much in the same way that the history of war has
\nalways been written by the winning nations, so
\nthe history of Nonviolent or radical history has
\nalways been written by academics, & not those
\nwho took a part in the work.<\/p>\n
If you really want to find out about some aspects
\nof Nonviolent action, then they are to be found
\nwithin the military museums.<\/p>\n
For example – There is a lot of material upon
\nBritish Pacifism which is the be found within the
\nImperial War Museum. This includes people like
\nNora Page, Myrtle Solomon, & Harold Bing. All
\nvery remarkable people whom I knew !<\/p>\n
I could also add people like Jim Peck, or toma Sik
\nto my list of remarkable people who have done a
\nlot of good radical work in order change the
\nworld for the better.<\/p>\n
Yet for all of these individuals good points, I think
\none must add the fact that they all had their
\nindividual faults. We all do.<\/p>\n
Just because someone has done some remarkable
\nwork over the years, it does not mean that they
\nare faultless.<\/p>\n
To refer to our political heroes almost as though
\nthey are saints is one of the major faults of many
\nradical activists.<\/p>\n
To know & understand that they all had various
\nfaults is to be able to see them as much more
\nrounded people, & so make us better able to
\nappreciate what they managed to achieve.
\nAs for the rest, well I’ll write about it at some
\nother time.
\nMartyn Lowe<\/p>\n
*1.<\/p>\n
For more info on Vegfam see:<\/p>\n
http:\/\/www.veganvillage.co.uk\/vegfam\/<\/p>\n
*2.<\/p>\n
I\ufffdll not describe what the individuals listed here
\nmanaged to achieve, as they are well documented
\nvia various websites & publication. Just look them
\nup for yourself.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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