I want to explore anarchist ideas and lifestyle more. I’ve felt drawn to it ever since I happened to meet a staunch anarchist in person and found that I vibed quite well with what he talked about, that it seemed to closely match a lot of my own thoughts. The anarchist discussions I’ve seen here and on Reddit have also seemed remarkably reasonable and well thought out, a glimpse of actual human discussion on an increasingly dead Internet.
I want to dip my toes in. Not just with the ideas, but moreso the actual practice of it. I’d also like to chat & hang out with anarchists, see how well we’d get along. The trouble is that in my current living situation, I can’t really drive anywhere to meet people in person, so it’d have to be online. I do have a Matrix account I made a while ago but I guess jumping to a new platform which I don’t really understand scares me. I would join something if it’s vouched for, I guess, but idk what to expect or how much I can trust anyone. As for taking part in direct action / mutual aid, again all I think I can do right now is online/digital stuff. My energy level is usually pretty low, but if there’s something I could do sometimes to actually help people a little bit, I think it would be meaningful for me.
I have been told all my life that I have to work for money to survive and that “you get what you pay for” and all that, and I have always hated it. I want to work to help other people because I care, and they need it or it’s meaningful to them, and to know that I’m a part of something where people work to help me because they care. Not because everyone is on the tether of money. I’ve seen it happen naturally, almost on accident, when it was allowed to, and I want to experiment with doing it intentionally.
Joining your local IWW branch would put you in touch with anarchists in your area. You may not be able to physically help them but you may be able to design flyers, or various admin tasks
Anarchism is both an international and hyper local endeavour at the same time. Helping out your local area, your community, puts you in a better position to help nationally and internationally in the long run.
Start small, start local, don’t burn yourself out, speak to people. Good luck!
https://www.iww.org/
I live as a nomad, so I don’t really have a “local” for more than a few months at a time (at most). Without putting all my lifestyle details on the internet, it’s a large part of why I’m hoping to find ways to help people directly that are online. I have no fixed location, no local community, and usually not much means of local transport. I guess my “local community” is whatever parts of the Internet I frequent? Makes me wonder if there’s something out there for remote workers, I’ve sure seen some BS in the industries where I’ve worked.
To be frank, I do not want to make flyers or do admin tasks for a political organization I’m meeting for the first time. My goal is to help people directly. I will take your advice though,
The first anarchist I met suggested I write a list of all the resources & skills I can offer, and a list of all the people in my social circles (I feel like I should include online communities as well), and just start with mutual aid on a small direct scale like that. There was a term he had for doing this that I can’t remember :/
Thanks, I feel like I might need it.
You seem nice.
Just be that way, and if you find yourself moving on from an area, ask if people have friends where you are headed.
If you have skills, you might end up getting sent to places on a suggestion.