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Betraying Your Own Values



In response to my e-mail yesterday about the upcoming "Escaping the
Myth" event (in Troy, Michigan), I received an interesting e-mail
from someone who didn't think he'd be interested because he
expected the event to be "anti-God." I think it's worth sending a
word about that to this list.

As it happens, "Escaping the Myth" starts with me explaining that
the purpose of the event is NOT to try to change people's values,
ideals, priorities, moral codes, religious beliefs, etc. The event
is not about me trying to bludgeon people with my values and
morals, until they abandon their own in favor of mine (as if that
would ever work anyway). Instead, a main theme of the event is that
almost everyone betrays and forsakes his OWN values, as a result of
a fundamental misunderstanding about reality. Almost everyone--
Christian, atheist, Jew, Muslim, whatever--acts directly against
what he says he believes in, and does so on a regular basis. Almost
everyone says he is on the side of truth and justice, almost
everyone says he wants peace and freedom, and then almost everyone
inadvertently does things which constantly undermine those ideals.

The average person would insist that he already does (for the most
part) live in accordance with his stated beliefs, but almost no one
actually does. Let me be blunt: if you're a conservative, liberal,
republican, democrat, socialist, constitutionalist, moderate,
progressive, or of almost any other political position, you are
routinely betraying the most fundamental principles that you say
you believe in, to the detriment of yourself, your neighbors, and
mankind as a whole. Don't believe me? Most people don't, not at
first anyway. If you were accidentally hurting innocent people,
wouldn't you want to know?

The problem with the world is not that everyone is genuinely evil;
it's that literally billions of basically good people unwittingly
cause evil to occur, and on a massive scale, as the result of
certain superstitions and assumptions. Of course, no one thinks
that HE is condoning or assisting injustice. I didn't, for the many
years when I was doing so. If you don't think that you are actually
helping to destroy the values and ideals you believe in, you should
definitely be at "Escaping the Myth."

Ask the average person if he is one of the good guys, ask him if he
wants truth and justice to prevail, wants the innocent protected
and the bad guys stopped, and he will say "yes." Well, if pretty
much everyone answers "yes" to that, why are there still so many
problems in society? If only the perceptions and actions of the
average person matched his stated desires and intentions, then this
planet would almost be a utopia. And that's what "Escaping the
Myth" is all about: uncovering the inherent contradictions which
reside inside the heads of almost everyone, and removing those
contradictions, so that people stop accidentally supporting the
exact opposite of what they say they believe in: truth, justice,
peace and freedom.

For more information, or to get tickets, go here:
www.larkenrose.com/store.html



Larken Rose
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ESCAPING the MYTH - tickets now available

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. .
. ESCAPING the MYTH

At last, here are the details of the event that will be happening
up in Troy, Michigan the weekend of July 21 and 22. It will be
called "Escaping the Myth," and will be a first-of-its-kind event.
It's not just a series of lectures, but an interactive process for
getting people to rethink some of their most basic assumptions
about society, morality and politics, in a relaxed, non-
confrontational setting. I am confident in saying that the average
person who attends this event will have his world view dramatically
altered. Even most people who already consider themselves ardent
advocates of freedom will be pleasantly surprised. The event
consists of five main sessions--three on Saturday, two on Sunday--
designed to be interesting and entertaining, in a format which can
be easily followed and understood by almost anyone. Whether you
already know anything about science, history, religion, politics,
or anything else, makes no difference.

The event will take place at the Somerset Inn in Troy. The first
session will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, and the last session
will finish around 6 p.m. on Sunday. Because of the interactive
nature of the event, total attendance is limited to 50 people.
Between sessions there will be ample time to dine, visit with
friends, whatever. And between the main sessions I'll be hosting
several optional, informal discussions for whoever wants to hang
around. Again, this event is specifically designed and tailored for
"normal" people, who have NOT spent tons of time (or any time)
pondering political philosophy. While I think even long-term
subscribers to my e-mail list would get a lot out of it, too, I'm
really hoping that voluntaryists and "recovering statists" will do
their best to bring along a current statist or two. I believe this
event will be able to wake people up in a way that nothing else I
know of--including my own books--can.

Tickets can now be purchased online. If you buy multiple tickets
(following the directions given at the link below), the cost per
ticket gets cheaper. (If you happen to be a paid subscriber to the
"Iron Web" thing, you get a pretty huge discount; fling me an e-
mail for details.) I've been putting in a lot of time, thought and
effort to make this event as powerful as it can be. But that won't
do any good, if YOU don't find a way to get your statist friends
and family to be there. If you lead the proverbial horse to water,
I bet I can persuade it to drink. I don't think you'll find a more
personal and effective, yet less confrontation and argumentative,
way to introduce people to the concepts of self-ownership and
voluntaryism anywhere. Tickets are now available here:

http://www.larkenrose.com/store.html

Sincerely,


Larken Rose
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(P.S. Yes, I do plan on doing this event in other cities.
Pennsylvania and Florida are both possibilities for August and
September, but I'll let you know details about that as soon as I
have them.)

Eeeek, an Anarchist!

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Dear Subscriber,

The control freaks have done a great job of making people scared of
the term "anarchist," duping people into thinking that NOT having a
parasitic, violent ruling class means automatic death and mayhem.
As a result, a lot of people don't use the term "anarchist"
anymore, but always say "voluntaryist" instead, because it doesn't
have the scary, negative connotation. As for me, I'm not yet
willing to surrender the term "anarchist" to the megalomaniacs of
the world. So I just posted this, for those who think "anarchist"
is a dirty word:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdDCaGQAU9U



Larken Rose
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Two Paradigm-Smashing Events

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Dear Subscriber,

1) It's only a couple weeks until this year's Porcupine Freedom
Festival (a.k.a. "Porcfest"). I'm scheduled to do two talks, a talk
titled "Monitor This, Fascists!" and a very unusual "sermon" on the
last day. I'll also be around for most of the week, selling books
and chatting with radicals. And I suppose some other stuff will be
happening there, too. (That was a joke.) If you've never been to
Porcfest before, it's a very unusual, relaxed and friendly
atmosphere for learning stuff, doing stuff, or just hanging out
with people who have no desire to enslave you--which all by itself
is very unusual. For more info, or to get reservations, go here:
http://happyporcupine.info/

2) It looks like my seminar in Troy, Michigan will be happening the
weekend of July 21st and 22nd. Mark your schedule, for this first-
of-its-kind event. Basic admission for the weekend will probably be
$95, but I want to give a decent discount for any voluntarists who
manage to drag along a statist. As I've said before, I really hope
to get a lot of people there who HAVEN'T already thought much about
political philosophy stuff. The thing is designed to take people
from basic statist indoctrination status, to fully comprehending
and endorsing self-ownership and peaceful coexistence (a voluntary
society), in two days flat, and to do that WITHOUT making them feel
attacked, uncomfortable or defensive. Sound unlikely? Bring along a
statist, and see for yourself. I'll have more details soon, but at
least the date (July 21 and 22) and the city (Troy, Michigan) are
decided.

Sincerely,


Larken Rose
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Top Secret Seminar

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Dear Subscriber,

A few people, who don't live anywhere near Troy, Michigan, have
asked me if I would videotape the seminar thing I'm planning, so it
can be shared with others. Sorry, but for now, the answer is a
definite NO. And it's not just because I'm too lazy to do it.

1) The way the seminar is designed, being interactive, I think the
impact of getting it via video would be a lot weaker than getting
it in person. (Again, it's not just lectures, or a video would work
just as well.)

2) I don't want people who decide to go to the seminar, which I
hope will happen in a lot of different cities across the country,
to know what to expect ahead of time.

3) To have the interactivity of the seminar work right, I don't
want attendees being on tape, as I think it would influence their
ability to concentrate and participate openly and honestly.

Now, it's hard to say why these matter, without trying to describe
in detail what the seminar does, which I'm not going to do.
Incidentally, I hate being "put on the spot" myself, so I make it
really easy for attendees to participate as little or as much as
they want. So it's not like each person gets dragged in front of
the group and interrogated or anything. The whole thing is designed
to be comfortable, casual and non-confrontational.

So in short, if you want to know what the seminar is all about,
you'll have to find a way to actually be there. Again, the FIRST
one will be in Troy, Michigan, this July, but I hope to do many
more. I don't want to get melodramatic, but I think it may very
well be a life-changing event for a lot of people.

Sincerely,


Larken Rose
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Outside the Cage, in Troy, MI

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. .
. Outside the Cage, in Troy, Michigan

This July, I will debut a very unusual two-day (Saturday and
Sunday) presentation/seminar/event thing, the first one in Troy,
Michigan. It will be more than just lectures, and it is
specifically designed for a wide audience, so that it doesn't
matter how much a person knows (or cares) about politics. I expect
it to be fun, entertaining, and non-confrontational, no matter what
beliefs people may have going in.

Unfortunately, it's not easy to explain what all it's about, or why
someone should want to do it. I'm sort of stuck having to tell
people, "I can't really tell you what you'll get out of it
beforehand, but if you do it, you'll be glad you did." While I
think even long-time subscribers to my e-mail list would get a lot
out of it, I'm really hoping to get people who still hold more
"mainstream" political viewpoints (left or right). But that makes
it even more difficult. At least the people who already like my
books, videos, or articles, can have some expectation of getting
something out of it, but mostly I want people there who don't know
any of that, and haven't even really thought about such things
before.

That's where I need your help. Those of us who escaped our own
statist indoctrinations know how difficult it is to try to get
others to take the "red pill." Well, consider this seminar a tasty,
chewable version of the red pill--though just as potent. Again, I
can't say a whole lot about the event, except that I'm putting in
tons of time and effort in the preparation, to make it "way
awesome."

Remember, almost all of us were trained to accept bogus "political"
mythology. So, as frustrating as it may be trying to wake people
up, keep in mind that the real problem is not that everyone is
malicious or stupid (though some are); the problem is that what
most people were taught about "government" and "authority" tricks
them into betraying their own values, and violating their own moral
codes. It's akin to some tribe that usually lives by the Golden
Rule, but once a month throws a virgin into a volcano to appease
their imaginary gods. Cure them of their misguided superstitions,
and they would be perfectly capable of having a rational, moral
society. So it is with statism. Most people are quite capable of
living moral, rational lives, if only their distorted view of
reality can be corrected. And that is what this seminar will do,
for a lot of people. Of course, you can't force anyone to wake up,
but based upon many years of experience, I think this event will be
by far the most effective way--better than any book, article or
video, including my own--to get people to reconsider the false
assumptions they've accepted for all of their lives.

Know anyone in need of deprogramming? I know what you're thinking:
"Well, I know someone, but he won't listen; I've already tried."
The sad truth is that whether someone accepts an idea or not often
has little to do with whether the idea is true and rational, and
more to do with how the idea is approached and presented. I've
accidentally learned a whole lot about human psychology, just by
spending a couple of decades trying to get people to reconsider
things they've always taken for granted. I've seen first hand how
the human mind--including my own--does all sorts of strange
evasions and contortions when confronted with new, unfamiliar
ideas. And I think this seminar will be a more effective way to get
people to understand and embrace the concepts of self-ownership and
true freedom than anything else I've ever done, or anything else
I've ever seen anyone else do.

One final thing worth mentioning: the concepts and ideas that will
be covered at this event are actually quite simple and fundamental,
and it doesn't matter if the people who attend know little or
nothing about history, philosophy, science, law, or anything else.
As long as someone can comprehend English, and can sit in one place
for an hour or so (which only just barely includes me), the event
is designed to be valuable and effective for all ages, sexes,
income levels, education levels, races, religions, political views,
and so on. Ironically, about the only group I would slightly
discourage from attending are people who have given up statism
entirely. I won't quite go so far as to put up a "Voluntaryists
need not apply" sign, but I think the event will do a lot more good
if it's full of "normal" people (statists). Incidentally, terms
like "statist," "anarchist," "voluntaryist," and most other
political terms don't even show up for most of the event. In fact,
very little of it will be "political" at all.

I'll give more details soon. Just wanted to give this early warning
(for once). Plan to be in Troy, Michigan this July. And if you're
not a statist, bring one along.



Larken Rose
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