Don Werkheiser

Many persons are aware that the major trends today are away from peaceful harmonious pursuits and methods. Some feel that it is hopeless to reverse these trends, and consequently submit regretfully. Others picket or boycott exploitive, coercive agencies. Some withdraw to a self-subsistent homestead. These methods are something a person can do on his own, but they do not by themselves substitute peaceful institutions for the objectionable ones. Homesteading takes a family a good ways out of the exploitive cash-and-tax cycle, and lessens their exploitation of others.

But homesteading does not protect one from the intrusions of those who resort to governmental coercion to impose their own ill-considered values upon others. Homesteading and picketing do not change the exploitive land, money and legal systems which harm and burden everyone.

In the June 17, 1915 Issue of Instead of a Magazine, C. F. Hedges wrote:

“All forms of association and cooperation in which compulsion enters are necessarily bound to result in inequality and dissatisfaction (to some persons). Compulsion cannot operate unless some individuals be elevated to positions of authority over those whom they rule. And it has been the rule that those to whom power is granted will use it to the detriment of those they pretend to serve So long as power is delegated, with force as the uniting agent, so long shall the laborer be mulcted of his product. On the other hand, voluntary association has afforded ample experience to show that along no other line can be reached that condition of economic equality which the intelligent individual desires.”

Insofar as our present societies are working peacefully and harmoniously they are doing so largely because of voluntary associations. Even in this day of pervasive governmental encroachments, we have in some places volunteer fire departments, mutual insurance groups, hospitals, clubs and mutual aid societies. Peaceful persons naturally resort to voluntary associations as a means to accomplish together what they cannot do alone. Only when we are in a dangerous state of mind do we resort to coercion of others.

Those who want to carry out their goals by voluntary association will have two principles of action clear:
1) each individual acts at his own cost,
and
2) ease of dissociation.

In voluntary association each individual chooses his own goals, carries them out with whomever shares his values and purposes. Each individual does what he wishes, so long as it does not harm another's person or property. He can be held accountable, responsible, answerable for the consequences of his actions. He will join and work with those who observe this principle.

This calls for the second principle, disassociation. When anyone finds his own goals are not being furthered by a combination with others, he is free to leave that group, to work "on his own," or to join others who are working for his purposes. In other words, no majority can determine his actions. Coercion does not exist.

I suggest that we begin to contrast voluntary and involuntary associations. Whenever we see a problem being approached via government (which always involves an unwilling minority), let's try to see if it might be possible to solve it by voluntary associations. This includes the producer and consumer cooperatives, as already practiced by the current co-op movement. But this principle should be greatly extended into areas not yet in the cooperative sphere.

The following list suggests some of these areas.

I. Voluntary Adult Education Association or School of Living.
A wholly new approach to education is needed. Public schools are devoted to maintaining established values, not to cultivating new ones, so it is doubtful whether they can be the source of a new education. Current adult education programs are, for many people, too much devoted to trivia. Controversial issues and real problems of living should be the main emphasis for adults. A staff of resource leaders who are trained to analyze, counsel and educate members in their real problems of living should be available to all persons through a cooperative, community School of Living or Adult Education Association. Specialists in different areas of living – as indicated by other voluntary associations listed below – should constitute the staff of the School of Living. An itinerant circuit of resource leaders on major problems of living moving from one community to another, could be arranged. Adult seminars and even college level courses in major aspects of living are conceivable.

II. Voluntary Intentional Community.
A group of persons who share values not readily acceptable in the current pattern, can, associate to form a community in which they may establish their own practices and mores. There have been many such “intentional” communities in the past. Those which have continued for the longest time have usually been unified by some religious ideology or authority. However. a cooperative School of Living could serve as a unifying institution, and perhaps should precede the community, or be the first voluntary association formed by the community members. Many of the following voluntary associations could be implemented in an intentional community. However, individuals anywhere may organize and develop them.

III. Voluntary Land Holding Association.
The land on which people live, and on which they produce goods, along with the exchange medium by which they exchange these goods, are essential for cooperative, voluntary association. Since they are now both governmentally and coercively dealt with, persons living in a particular area – especially in the intentional communities – would find it to their advantage to purchase or receive control of the land, to agree on a range of accepted usages, and then distribute the land by common agreement to those who need and would use it according to such commonly agreed standards.

IV. Voluntary Exchange Association
Exchange began as a simple barter of commodities. This involved no promise, no risk and no usury. The limitations of barter were removed by complex barter, in which one selected commodity was used as a medium of exchange. However, the owners of the mediating commodity have a valuable monopoly and can charge tribute or interest for the use of the exchange media or money. In voluntary, mutual exchange associations this tribute can be eliminated by letting all products serve as medium of exchange. The effect is to use any wealth (goods) as basis for money. The title to the wealth (money) is exchanged and the actual wealth is thus transferred from one person to another. Such methods have been worked out in Proudhon's People's Banks, Greene' s Mutual Banks.

V. Voluntary Arbitration Association
When two parties to a contract are in disagreement; when dispute arises as to when or how much harm has been done to one's person or property, the disputants can settle the dispute out of courts intelligently; amicably and cheaply by voluntary arbitration.

VI. Voluntary Association of Mutual Understanding
When the dispute or disagreement between two parties involves psychological offense (as distinguished from actual damage to person or property) the parties can have education, counsel or therapy available through an association of mutual understanding. Members would commit themselves to submit grievances and conflicts to such a procedure. This would involve helping members to become aware of the feeling processes behind words and actions; to improve communication and relating with other persons. It could set up standards for judging the relative maturity of the impulses and intellectual methods of the disputants. Those commonly understood and agreed upon standards could also be used in voluntary arbitration.

VII. Voluntary Trust Association
A way to by-pass courts, law and government for conveying property and, executing wills and peaceful intentions.

VIII. Voluntary Health Association
To educate its members in nutrition, posture, etc.; to purchase and distribute health foods or supplements at cost; to own organic farms, hire experts to work them and handle produce; hire a staff of acceptable doctors to diagnose and prescribe remedial and preventive measures.

IX. Voluntary Demographic Homestead Associations
An association of married couples who recognize that a stable environment depends upon a balance between people and the usable land available: who recognize that title to and use of their own land insures the survival of their offspring: who therefore agree to match their reproduction to their available land and the method of cultivation: who will consider the possibility of gamete substitution from superior donors; who hold their soil in trust and transfer their land to their offspring as these are able and willing to use it. By practicing replacement reproduction and adequate homesteading, such an association might do much toward establishing an environment immune from internal population pressure and able to stand against external pressure

X. Voluntary Building Association
Individuals could cooperatively exchange labor and labor equivalents in building and construction. Recent developments in solar and wind energy, new materials and a newer approach to living termed “bio-technic” are now available.

XI. Voluntary Tool Sharing Association
Costly tools and rarely used equipment can be shared by cooperative purchase, and by rental arrangements for use and maintenance.

XII. Voluntary Holding Association
Elderly persons with savings may invest in the physical equipment of a community. These assets become their basis for membership and old age insurance. Younger and more vigorous members could build up equity in a community by investing their labor. The physical assets could be the basis of issue of voluntary scrip or exchange media to pay for this labor.

XIII. Voluntary Defense Association
Benjamin Tucker said, “Force of offense is the principle of the State, while force of defense is the principle of liberty.” Cynics sometimes say that 'might is right,' and moralists often reverse the statement. Laurence Labadie has pointed out more accurately that “The idea of right prevails of him who has the might.” Thus it behooves the peaceful persons to combine, to develop their defensive powers. Usually peaceful persons abandon the whole field of might to the non-peaceful. Thus, unconsciously, the peaceful ones become in effect the voluntary or reluctant slaves of those who would inflict a satisfactory amount of trouble on those who don't submit. An intelligent appreciation of might should be substituted for the emotional interest which has usually prevailed: Peaceful persons can associate in a voluntary defense association, which would include patrolling and inspection. With land, exchange, and other economic activity carried on by non-exploitive voluntary associations, the major causes of military aggression would be eliminated. Voluntary defense associations could become adequate to likely aggressive incidents. Members would pay for the defence service they want, and not pay for services they don't want and don't get.

XIV. Association of Voluntary Associations
A federation of voluntary associations could replace the political State.