In the early 1970s, there was an attempt to create a sovereign micro-nation in the South Pacific, on the Minerva Reefs. You can read more detailed accounts of the Republic of Minerva at the articles linked from this post, if you are interested. The Republic had its own flag, its own currency, and it issued the very interesting coins illustrated at the top of this post to help raise money for the project. I bought some of these coins in 1973, and still have them hidden away today.The Republic of Minerva was going to be a Libertarian nation with as little government and taxation as possible. Before the tiny, artificial land mass was invaded by neighbouring Tonga, I actually contemplated getting involved in the project and moving there someday. The idea of minimal government, minimal taxation, and living among like-minded people intrigued me. Sadly, the dream was not to be. I still take out my Minervan coins on occasion and wonder what might exist in that location today, had things progressed as planned.
Realistically, of course, I know that any nation along these libertarian lines could never last for long. Someone, somewhere, would take offense at the idea that people could live together in harmony without the guidance of a Ministry of Meddling and a Ministry of Income Redistribution, and would make it their life's work to 'improve' the fledgling nation. Soon, other malcontents and freeloaders would pile on and complain that who-knows-what was or wasn't taking place. Eventually enough people with the notion that 'something-should-be-done-about-that' would prevail on a nearby government with enough guns and manpower, and they would bring the enterprise to an end.
So, why bother even trying something like this?
Libertarians like to be free. It is not natural to have others pull our strings, to make us dance according to their whims. It is not natural to be forced to pay for things of which we don't approve and to support those too lazy to take care of themselves. And some of us have a little bit of Don Quixote in us. We have a soft spot for lost causes. We dream and hope that someday, under just the right circumstances, something that we envision could actually exist somewhere in the world. Or maybe on the moon, or on another planet. Someday, somewhere, there will be a society of free people.
But when?
It sounds like you are describing a commune from the sixties.
ReplyDeleteJust an observation.
I don't know Don Quixote, I'll have to look him up.
Your ideas make me think. A lot.
Interesting comment, Penny. A commune normally conjures up the idea of communism, something that would be antithetical to libertarianism. Or would it?
ReplyDeleteActually, not necessarily. A larger libertarian society couldn't be communistic because that would necessarily mean that everyone had to play by the same rules of sharing. But, any free and voluntarty association by a number of individuals within the larger society could be communistic or just about anything else. As long as that group had no direct influence over the larger society, and as long as membership was voluntary, no reasonable libertarian would object.
The Don Quixote book by Cervantes is a fun read. Even more fun is the Don Quixote illustration by Picasso, which I'm sure you must have seen somewhere: http://www.poster.net/picasso-pablo/picasso-pablo-don-quixote-7900441.jpg
"And some of us have a little bit of Don Quixote in us. We have a soft spot for lost causes. We dream and hope that someday, under just the right circumstances, something that we envision could actually exist somewhere in the world. Or maybe on the moon, or on another planet. Someday, somewhere, there will be a society of free people.
ReplyDeleteBut when?"
Praise for the dreamers...as to when? Not, I'm afraid, in this lifetime. On this world. I think it'll have to be Heaven.
I've seen that picture, but a different rendition of it, during my Native Art Studies course at the U. Interesting.
ReplyDelete"Commune".. 'communism'.. I didn't even see that. lol.
I looked them up, briefly and found that there are varying types of communes:
"Anarchistic", "Retreat", "Intentional"
However, during the 60s/70's one of the main fundamental ideas behind the Commune was to reject "the established order on which capitalism rests".
So, yeah.. lol! ~ sorry 'bout that!
Bellezza: Sadly, I suspect you're right about never seeing a perfect society on earth. Human beings are too imperfect, inconsistent, and have imperfect memories. They forget the good things about their neighbours overnight but remember the bad for generations.
ReplyDeleteBut we can dream, can't we?
Penny: Ironically, some of the sixties communes were unintentionally capitalistic. The members co-operated to pay the bills, they created things to sell to raise money, they grew food to sell and eat, and they did it all voluntarily, without delegating anyone as tax collector or censor or rule enforcer. No-one was forced to join. All of these are inherent in true capitalism. What these people hated as 'the man' was state capitalism, where some businesses or industries get special treatment by government via subsidies, cronyism, protection from competition, etc. And the hippies were quite right in hating that sort of thing.
Some hippies went on to become very successful businesspeople, modelling their businesses on their philosophical backbone. Ben and Jerry of ice cream fame come to mind.
Dear Sieg!
ReplyDeleteI have resently sent you my detailed mail about my relationship to PEDDEs onto www.pedde.net. Please read it for further contacts with me. Or better reply to me using this add: s.pedde@mail.ru
Yours trully, Sergey Pedde,
city Vilzhskiy, Volgograd territory,Russia
Hi, Sergey:
ReplyDeleteHow nice to hear from a Pedde in Russia! I didn't get your submission via the www.pedde.net site, probably due to an aggressive spam filter, but I would love to see your email if you send it directly to spedde@pedde.net.
As you no doubt read on my site, my father grew up in Siberia and I would be curious to see if there is any family connection between us.
If you feel more comfortable corresponding in German, I am nearly fluent in that language as well.