Many of us have a visceral reaction to the word anarchy. When we consider it’s just a label, we might wonder why we have such a strong reaction. And we might also ask ourselves, does our reaction stop us from looking more closely at what’s behind the label? I’ve been noticing in myself how often I’ve put people or ideas in boxes which I unconsciously assign to various mental categories of ‘Interesting’ or ‘To be Ignored’, among others. Could I be missing out on some great stuff this way?

We might notice that the word ignorance is an active verb. It takes effort to ignore something. Probably many of us are ignoring that wise voice inside that guides us to take positive action, to care for ourselves and others, to speak up in certain circumstances and to stay quiet in others. We might ignore it because it goes against how we’ve been taught to live, especially if it contradicts ‘authorities’ — whether external figures or internalised voices from our past.

So, we might be afraid of the word anarchy because we’ve been taught it means the end of all order, of our very humanity, and of life as we know it. But what if it also means something else? What if it means something really interesting and exciting that might frighten those who are invested in maintaining a certain kind of order for their own selfish ends. Those people might want us to be scared of the word, scared of questioning, scared of finding our own genuine inner authority.

For those who are still with me, still curious, the word anarchy comes from ancient Greek meaning no (an) ruler (arche). In the dominant culture of our world, we are taught to believe that without rulers, there will be chaos. But if we look at the rich diversity of human cultures throughout history, there have been many who thrived without needing rulers. And if we look at our culture we might ask, is it thriving?

So the word anarchy might invite us to consider, could it be possible that human beings, given the right conditions, support and encouragement, might be capable of self-organisation, self-rulership, self-governance. Do we actually need government as we know it to organise our lives? Are other forms of governance not only possible, but perhaps even healthier, more sustainable and more enjoyable?

When I was a young activist 30 years ago, I asked these question of myself and others. Mostly people seemed to believe that of course we need rulers. And yet today, things seem to be different. As we watch the governments we were told were bastions of democracy, including the U.S.A. and U.K., sliding towards fascism (sorry to say), more and more of us are asking, what kinds of systems do we want. And as we watch the unfold meta-crisis of ecological collapse, mental health pandemic, increasing polarisation of society and so much more, perhaps more and more of us willing to open our minds and hearts to ideas and ways of being that we were told were impossible, dangerous or unworthy of serious attention.

Perhaps now more than ever is the time to explore in a new way what we’ve been taught to fear.

If you would like to learn more about my journey from anarchist scholarship and activism to yoga philosophy and heart meditation, you might like to listen to this podcast episode from Everyday Anarchism with my friend Graham Culbertson.

Some anarchist(ic) thinkers I have found inspiring and that you might like, too. I may not agree with everything they say, but they’ve all taught me something important about living well.

Ursula Le Guin, author of The Dispossessed among many other inspiring novels, poems, short stories and essays.
adrienne marie brown, writer & podcaster, organiser and facilitator, and all around inspiring human being
Emma Goldman, an anarchist feminist who was called the ‘Most Dangerous Woman in America’ by J Edgar Hoover. Doesn’t that make you curious?
David Holmgren, co-founder of permaculture and originator of the 12 permaculture design principles
David Graeber, anthropologist whose work encourages us all to question what we’re told is ‘normal’
Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Workers movement who care for the homeless
Starhawk, a permaculture teacher and author of the visionary novel The Fifth Sacred Thing among many other books and articles
Gustav Landauer, a great philosopher, mystic and revolutionary thinker who saw love as the foundation of all