Everyone gets to choose their own anarchy. Sure, we have convenient labels, such as anarcho-communism and anarcha-feminism, but at the heart of our frameworks we are at the helm of deciding the vision we choose to dream. I’ve thought a lot of about my anarchy, the ways in which it complements me and how I mold it. The implications of this are both personal and emblematic of how we choose to deal with the social and the political. Here is how my anarchy manifests currently.

My anarchy is unfinished, like a wooden carving begun but far from complete. I hope it is always like this, because anarchism is always evolving, always specific to the time and place it finds itself. I like to consider myself a learner; a student interested in the world that surrounds me not to manipulate or gather power, but for its own sake. Some people are fighters, or thinkers, or creators, or revolutionaries, perhaps a mix of these things, but I can only be myself, and that is a learner.

My anarchy is unassuming, like a small child taking in their surroundings. If I know anything, it is how little I know; I come from specific material and demographical conditions, and these have largely shaped my perspective. Let’s be honest: My life has not known war, famine, disease, or oppression. When others view things different, I feel it is better for me to listen. How can anarchism ever hope to succeed if we cannot hear the voices of others? Of course, I am far from perfect in this regard, but as a learner, it is something I continue to work through daily.

My anarchy is centered on the people. For a framework that declares itself of the masses, we spend a lot of time furious at those who don’t agree or understand our point of view. If you cannot trust the people, why put up a fight at all? I believe we still underestimate the social aspect of how oppression and power operates, and this manifests in continuing vitriolic attacks on individual behavior. Individuals produce the social, and the social influences in the individual. Oppression may take place by and towards individuals, but it only exists due to the social nature of our species. We must take the people, warts and all, if there is to be liberation.

My anarchy is based on love. I have tried to hate, tried to use my anger to fuel life, but it just doesn’t suit me. At the same time, I know that this isn’t the way for everyone, at least not at the same time. So many people have suffered, knowing only of the atrocities in their lives and the perpetrators responsible. I cannot tell these folks how to feel; everyone must find their own way. I only know that the feelings of friendship, comradery, collaboration, and intimacy are preferable to building a better world. Destruction and even violence have their place in our world, but if it is all we know then we’ve only figured out half the equation.

I hope that my anarchy can meet yours, and we will see if they can dance together.