Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law.

[sobrique]

Chap named Alistair Crowley is expounded the philosophy of "do what you will shall be the whole of the law". He's widely recognised as being one of the key figures in witchcraft and magic in occult texts.

The wiccans adopted this, and added "An' it harm none...".

And I've heard it again more recently:
"The only rules that really matter are these: What a man can do and what a man can't do."

(Incidentally, that was Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Carribean)

One of my current favourite authors (Ken Mcleod) actually expanded on this a little, in one of his books. It seemed to make an odd kind of sense.

You see, it's not "do what thou wilt" so much as "do what you can". And it's not as anarchic as it sounds. In life, humans work together in groups, social and professional. And it's got nothing to do with rules imposed upon them, it's because it's the most effective way of doing things.

They major point would seem to be that there are no absolutes. There's just a general consensus about right and wrong. It is _that_ from which we derive our code of laws. One voice saying what they think, and a lot more going 'yeah, that sounds reasonable. I don't like all of it, but in general I think it'll be better than the alternative'.

And such is the way of all things. If you want to go and kill someone, you can. Nothing will stop you, except the power of those who think that doing so is wrong.

Those who think this, are in the majority, so they have a lot of ability to prevent you from doing so. And have an organised force to prevent/punish, known as the police. The majority think that murder is wrong, and have the power to do something about it.

The area becomes grey around things like taking drugs. Some think it's right, others think it's wrong. But for a selection of drugs, it's illegal. There's still a large number of people who take drugs, because they _can_. The consequences of their action may be that they become addicted or ill. The consensus group that believes that taking drugs is a bad thing may try and impose their will upon them, through the tool of the police force.

At the end of the day, there's nothing to stop _you_ from organising, and trying to impose your own rules. Just don't think that morality comes into it at all - it'll carry as far as the sound of your voice. It may be supported by others, who can add their power to yours. A team effort, bringing greater power, and weight behind the opinion.

Waiting for someone else, because "it's not my job, it's not my problem" is an option. To choose to do nothing is none the less a choice. But in doing so, you are forfeiting your power over it. And someone else might come along and do what they can.

This is how our society works. If you have the power (be it financial, political, military) to emphasise your opinion, then you have the power to change the world. That's why we have political parties. That's why we have pressure groups. That's why we have activists. That's why we have terrorists.

If you truly believe in something, then all you have to to is reach out and make it happen.

Do what you can.


(Comments appreciated and solicited. Tell me what you think)

Comments

[sobrique.livejournal.com]

Actually, I don't see it that way. People _aren't_ intrisically good. And if you look at the world, you'll see exploitation all over the place.

In this country, our society has moderated the tendancy somewhat, by imposing a system of laws, police and politics. It's still power, but the majority are using their power to keep the status quo.

The idea I'm aiming for is that it won't ever change unless someone chooses to do it. If you're greedy and want to rip someone off, then there really is very little that can be done to stop you. Just consequences for your actions.