The ISFL Conference in Prague in 2016 holds many conflicting memories for me.
On the one hand, I was thrilled to be invited and participating in the conference, especially since I’d never been to the Czech Republic before, but, it was also on this trip that I became aware of how undeniably unhealthy I had become.
Physically, I was overweight, inflamed, and my fat ass was not enjoying hours of walking around a new city, usually a favorite pastime.
Mentally, I was exhausted. I’d been arrested, gone through a grueling court case which I eventually won 4 years later. I’d gotten fired from my day job, canceled if you will, before there was a name for it. I’d just triggered the move, announced at a press conference in February 2016, during the First in the Nation Primary, followed by an iconic Liberty Forum with Edward Snowden as our keynote.
I’d just handed the reins to Matt Philips, who was taking over as FSP president. I’d told the board, for the first time in five years, I would not be checking in at all for the week I was in Prague.
Drama!!! Much drama ensued, which you can read about in my next book.
The point of this post is about CHANGING THINGS YOU DON’T LIKE.
In order to do that, you need:
- An honest reckoning with yourself
- An expressed desire to change
- An understanding about what to change
- Knowledge on how
- Focus on smaller goals
I’m in better shape, healthier, and happier now than I was 8 years ago.
There are many reasons for this, first and foremost an incredible, supportive (and competitive) partner, Louis Calitz.
Together, we changed our diets and lifestyles, including both independently quitting alcohol by December 2017.
Once you eliminate the low-grade malaise that proliferates your life on alcohol (it’s a neuro-toxin and depressant), other things become illuminated.
Things like Individualism.
And Individualism within a group.
Building a community of individuals is hard.
Building a strong community of strong LIBERTARIAN individuals is harder.
Everyone’s heard the joke, “It’s like herding cats.”
Some of you have heard my corollary, “Sometimes, you want to put those damn cats in a pillowcase and drown them by the river.”
But, of course, you don’t, because ultimately, we subscribe to the Non-Aggression Principle.
But you do need a coping strategy for when the collective, the whole, the wild and undefined group, lumped together as “Free Staters” gets blamed for AN INDIVIDUAL’S behavior.
Here’s the truth: I am NOT responsible for another person’s actions. And neither are you. And you should never let the enemies of liberty get away with demeaning a whole group for the acts of an individual. For example: You never see newspaper articles identifying murderers by their political parties, so why would we tolerate the media painting us all under one brush when an individual libertarian does something heinous?
It took me a long time to fully internalize this. Whenever “a Free Stater” does something you don’t like, it is an opportunity to talk about INDIVIDUALISM.
If you don’t like the brand, ask yourself, what are YOU doing to build a better one? How are YOU spreading the message of liberty? How are YOU showing up in the world?
Are YOU wearing a clean shirt today?