Goal
This week, I discuss society’s limitations: what they are, why they exist, and how to break them.
Learn strategies for challenging norms, breaking free from societal vices, and promoting individual growth.
Table of Contents
- How Should Society Function?
- In An Ideal Society, The Individual Is Not A Slave To The Whims Of Others
- How Does Society Function?
- What Do I Mean By Society’s Limitations?
- Societal Vices Lead To Societal Limitations
- The Four Best Strategies for Overcoming Limitations
- 1) Recognize and Combat Societal Misconceptions
- 2) Choose Virtue Over Societal Dysfunction
- 3) Create The Path to Financial Independence
- 4) Choose Personal Integrity Over Blind Compliance
- Break the Chains: Overcome Societal Limitations for True Individual Growth
- Actionables
How Should Society Function?
Society is a collection of individuals bound together through shared economic, cultural, geographical, and political values and commonalities. Society also encompasses the institutions and infrastructures that assist with stability, progress, and conflict resolution, such as laws, government, businesses, churches, familial units, etc.
Ideally, the individuals in a society will be strong and honorable. A morally upright society, in simple terms, protects the innocent, virtuous, and productive.
For example, in a just society, debts the government incurred would be paid in a set time. The citizens and leaders would not “kick the can down the road” and force their children to pay for their spending.
Unfortunately, in today’s world, societal pressures and vices can often hinder our individual growth.
In An Ideal Society, The Individual Is Not A Slave To The Whims Of Others
Lastly, the wants and needs of the individual would not be subjugated to the whims of others. Conversely, the individual would not be able to abuse the goodwill of others. Your neighbors shouldn’t have a say if you want to raise chickens. But it would be best not to reward their flexibility by playing loud music at 3 a.m.
The balance between individual sovereignty and positive societal obligation is difficult to achieve, especially on a large scale. But I’m foolish enough to believe it is possible.
Unfortunately, we don’t live in a utopia. We are stuck with our boring but dangerous world.
How Does Society Function?
Society should serve the virtuous ends of the individual, not force him to pay for its vices.
“Function” is a generous word.
Society currently exploits the productive, virtuous, and innocent: we tax productive people into oblivion; we mock the heroes and saints of our country’s history; and in the present day, we exploit our children through national debt or mutilation.
In short, our society is a flawed place, full of lewd ideas, inconsistent rules, and abuse. We are trapped in a society of hedonism and collectivism.
Our hedonistic culture is drowning in vice. And vice limits everyone, no matter who you are.
What Do I Mean By Society’s Limitations?
“Always listen to experts. They’ll tell you what can’t be done, and why. Then do it.” – Robert A. Heinlein
Man pursues comfort, even though such a pursuit and obsession only feeds the worst aspects of himself. These aspects turn into vices, constantly breaking down the individual and, eventually, his society.
For example, people like the comfort of sugary foods. Overeating sugary treats may feel good in the moment. However, people develop oral cavities, obesity, and other health issues. Additionally, these treats are not cheap and require money, diverting resources from other, more crucial things. Poor health and bad monetary decisions lead to a society of high healthcare costs and stressed individuals.
Societal Vices Lead To Societal Limitations
Individual and societal vices create limitations. When you indulge in stupid activities, you erode your abilities and opportunities. If you engage in laziness and overeating, you will gain weight. When you gain weight, you erode your ability to walk up stairs, play with your kids, and have reduced healthcare costs.
Society is no different. When voters and politicians engage in poor spending, we have a national debt, inflation, and other horrible realities. These consequences create limitations, similar to how obesity creates limitations.
Inflation limits the amount of goods you can purchase. This limitation comes from poor decision-making from the Fed, voters, and politicians. It comes from greed and overspending. Such a limitation is the direct result of societal decisions. Thus, this is society’s limitation.
No one individual is responsible for things such as inflation. Inflation and other societal vices and consequences require scores of weak and predatory individuals to make and enforce these decisions.
And the result of such limitations is a diminished standard of living for everyone, good and bad alike.
The Four Best Strategies for Overcoming Limitations
You overcome your limitations through aggressive self-control. You must become your own tyrant.
You should be free of these limitations because your life has value and purpose. Despite what the collectivists say, you are not your brother’s keeper. You are not a slave to his stupid decisions.
Unfortunately, the reality is thus: the government has the guns. This violent and short-sighted institution will punish you severely if you do not follow its arbitrary, unjust mandates and rules.
The mob will demand you foot the bill for their stupidity. The ruling classes will gleefully ruin your life to their power. The elites will demand your attention to their charades and madness.
As much as you can, you should fight back against the limitations society places on you:
1) Recognize and Combat Societal Misconceptions
We must always start by denying the lies. People will tell you many lies: that vice is good on a societal scale; that societal vices are not limiting, damaging, or immoral; that the limitations you experience are not the result of mass consumption of vice; and so forth.
You have to remember that people are lying to you. For example, inflation is a popular example of societal limitation created by the vice of greed. Many “economists” will tell you a few lies about inflation:
- That printing money is a good thing, and we can’t have a society without it
- That inflation is caused by corporations and other institutions that are not the government
- That inflation isn’t a moral injustice that reveals how corrupt our society is
You can respond to the corruption if you never accept the lies. If inflation is morally evil, I won’t waste emotional or mental power legitimizing printing money. I can direct my resources to overcoming inflation by learning new skills, reducing my spending, and earning more money.
Always reject the lies so you can use what you have to escape society’s limitations.
2) Choose Virtue Over Societal Dysfunction
“Human rights’ are a fine thing, but how can we make ourselves sure that our rights do not expand at the expense of the rights of others. A society with unlimited rights is incapable of standing to adversity. If we do not wish to be ruled by a coercive authority, then each of us must rein himself in…A stable society is achieved not by balancing opposing forces but by conscious self-limitation: by the principle that we are always duty-bound to defer to the sense of moral justice.” – Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn
Vice controls you. Once addicted to a vice, you cannot quickly leave without severe mental and physical pain. The ruling classes, elites, and mob want you addicted to drugs, distractions, and demons. Don’t listen to them when they offer you advice or justification.
Do the exact opposite. Many widespread vices limit you when you engage in them. Recreational sex, for example, is a widespread vice. This vice creates adverse outcomes such as STDs, unwanted pregnancies, broken hearts, and sexual abuse. Such results are limiting to the individual and society: no one benefits from rampant single motherhood, healthcare costs skyrocket because of drugs for STDs, and our country’s mental health crisis has to be linked to sexual liberation.
Despite the clear downsides, what does our popular media show? People have one-night stands with little to no consequences. What does the mob sing about and engage in? Fleeting sexual encounters that produce nothing but dysfunction. What do our laws solidify and support? Single motherhood, birth control, and other aspects of sexual liberation, so the costs are nonexistent for those who create dysfunction through sex.
Don’t listen to the ruling classes, elites, or the mob. Their justifications for societal immorality are nonsense. Do the opposite of what they’re telling you to do.
Pursue virtue so you are not stuck within the limitations or contribute to the dysfunction our society is drowning in.
3) Create The Path to Financial Independence
Independence comes in many forms. Massive wealth frees you from economic upsets; being physically strong grants you freedom from avoidable health problems; growing your own food frees you from an arbitrary supply chain system.
Independence means freedom, and your enemies cannot have you free. When we are independent, we can escape society’s limitations because we have resourcefulness. If I build wealth and opportunities, I escape the effects of inflation.
Of course, schools, churches, governments, corporations, families, and other institutions do not want to teach us independence. As soon as we can provide for ourselves or improve our well-being, we lose the desire to associate with dysfunctional institutions and people.
Here are a few things to get you started:
- Establish an independent food supply – grow your own food in hydroponic units and stock up on canned goods. Small investments in your food and water supply give you freedom from supply chain issues caused by society’s addiction to safety and regulation.
- Improve your health – The better shape you’re in, the less you have to fear. Healthcare is expensive because of society’s addiction to regulation and poor health decisions. You can avoid the limitation of expensive healthcare by caring for your body so you don’t need the doctor as much. Start with the basics of 7 hours of sleep, exercising for 15 – 30 minutes a day, and eating healthier food.
4) Choose Personal Integrity Over Blind Compliance
You owe society nothing. It has taken your time, money, and energy and has nothing to show for you. We are taxed at ridiculously high levels, yet our police are corrupt, our potholes remain unfilled, and the most vulnerable continue to suffer. But politicians never seem to miss a payday.
So why follow the rules? Why do everything the ruling classes, elites, and mob tell you to do?
I urge you to do everything above board and keep it legal. Not all rules or customs are unjust. I’m not encouraging you to go 50 in a residential neighborhood. Endangering others is a foolish way to fight the man.
But you should do it if you can skirt laws or exploit loopholes. If you can help people without the government meddling, then do so. If you can earn money off the grid, then take it.
For example, you don’t have to eagerly pay taxes to “support the poor” or help others. The government blows most of your tax money on garbage. Therefore, you should find every legal way to pay as few taxes as reasonably possible. And not feel bad that you’re doing so.
And such skirting also works for your relationship with your family and the elites. Regardless of what others say, you don’t owe abusive family members your resources. You don’t have to watch that show or buy that product to keep up with the Joneses. Ignore such social pressure.
Break the Chains: Overcome Societal Limitations for True Individual Growth
Our society is a leviathan of short-term pleasures. People are addicts, desperate for one more hit.
These are not serious people, but they are dangerous. Zombies are stupid, but gather them in a group, and they will prove your downfall. This is similar to your average person.
The average person does not consider the limitations he places on himself and others. His vices grant him comfort that makes his mediocre existence tolerable. He will never part from his wickedness until he dies.
So what should you do? Improve yourself. Overcome your addictions, vices, and trauma. From there, you gather the strength needed to improve physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Recognizing and challenging societal norms pave the way for personal independence and true individual growth.
The world is a boring but dangerous place. Society will delve into its vices, and everything will be lost. But their limitations do not have to hold you back.
Become an individual and break free.
Actionables
Effort within the mind further limits the mind, because effort implies struggle towards a goal and when you have a goal, a purpose, an end in view, you have placed a limit on the mind.” – Bruce Lee
- What limitations do you notice in society? In what ways can you overcome those limitations? Do you need to make more money? Change your attitude? Take better care of your health? Be deliberate in your solutions and think critically about what can be used to improve your well-being.
- Society’s greed has made money less valuable. Inflation destroys your spending power. A huge thing you should work on is making more money while reducing what you spend. I suggest creating a budget and eliminating spending where necessary. From there, think of ways you can earn money. Consider every avenue, from earning a raise to working off the grid. Create a list of the actions you need to take to accomplish your goals.
- I strongly suggest looking at my reading list if you’re looking for more positive, uplifting works. Other resources, such as Everything Great About and Out Of Frame video series, can give you insight into good works.
Please remember it’s important to do the actionables. You’re not on this earth to simply read but to do. To become an individual, you must act more than you consume.
*Image credit to Unsplash.
