Anarchistbanjo's World

Our parents teach us the difference between right and wrong. We try to do the right things and God help those who are doing the wrong things. We are on their case in an instant. As children we tattle and as adults we turn others into the authorities. We feel a strong desire for reward and recognition because we are doing the right things. We also fear the pain and humiliation of punishment when we do the wrong things.

This happens to us as children. We learn the fundamentals of becoming an adult and what is expected of us. When we have learned enough we take our place in society as adults through ceremonies such as confirmation baptism or even graduation.

But that is what happens to us as children. Later as teenagers and adults we take a totally different perspective.

Culture, religion and philosophical concepts are very confusing. In our youth we are very naïve. Everything seems to go against our inner nature and our best interests. We are told how to think and how to act and we resent it. We rebel and reject external authority. Society is wrong, it doesn’t understand what it is to be an individual.

These are all healthy reactions to the social pressures that confront us early in our lives. The trick is finding a path that belongs to us while avoiding direct conflict with society itself. It takes us a while to figure that out.