I believe that government is necessary and rather live in a state with one, than without. There was a time when I believed in the ability of humans to self-organize and find the way that leads to common benefit. And there certainly are those who can. And some who actually do so. Ironically, most of that is done within failed states. Out of necessity. It’s not a good life, though, as some of those self-organized communities are hostile and violent towards others. Meaning, the ones that are not are constantly in danger. So they need to put some of their energy and resources towards defensive mechanisms. If it’s a small community, everyone is involved in that. The bigger it gets, it makes more sense to have “specialists” for that.
The size creates governments.
It’s impossible to have big communities thriving without some sort of government. Of course there are a vast variety of ways to build that government. Voting is just one. Tradition is another, with the eldest steering. Or natural authority, sorting by knowledge, experience and talent. Or violence – the strongest or most ruthless leads. Or nepotism.
Whatever works.
More or less. Each culture has their own system that fits their values. One of the misconceptions that I observe in the world is the arrogance of thinking that liberal democracy is the best form of government. It might be for most of Europe and USA/Canada, but a lot of other cultures do not embrace it in the same way. They might follow the principles on the surface but not share the same values that would be required to make it successful. Other structures of government might be a lot better for other cultures.
Inconceivable.
Corruption is a big problem around here. There could be many reasons behind that, but one of my thoughts is that “family” is incredibly important in the mestizo culture here, more important than community. (For the indigenous it’s more community than family, the individual is never just one, it’s the community itself.) That focus on family leads to different priorities. Though employed by society, the family gets the first piece of cake. Then friends. And then society. That mentality does not allow for a democracy to function, as government is not seen as service to society, but a profitable business.
It does create opportunities.
Since the government is not very functional, small-scale communities become very important. They work without visible laws and rules, being based on a common understanding of values. And those kind of communities are incredibly important, not only in this situation of a weak state and government, but also when it comes to mayhem and chaos.
Strength through cooperation.
One of my leading principles. And hopefully the reason why I would prosper even in an apocalyptic world. I have a knack for organizing and connecting people, as well as finding talent. If push comes to shove, I’m quite sure that I could quickly form a band to then grow into a sustainable, strong community.
And then start the conquest of the world to re-establish order…
What are your thoughts about this topic? Please feel free to engage in any original way, including dropping links to your posts on similar topics. I'm happy to read (and curate) any quality content that is not created by LLM/AI.
Post written for the #weekend-engagement by @galenkp inviting us to answer selected questions in the Weekend Experiences community each week.
This is my response to:
1/ Would you prefer a world in which there were no rules at all and no government? Explain.
2/ In an apocalyptic world of chaos and no rules do you think you would survive and if so how? Are you prepared to do what would be required?
Thank you for reading!