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Book Name: Nansen - The Point of DeparturePrevious     Next
 

An anarchist is one who does not believe in government, who believes that every government is a slavery and unless we are free from all governments, man will go on living in slaveries, changing slaveries and thinking he is free, his idea of freedom being just a dream.

But when I said, "I am something more." He was at a loss what to do with me.

He said, "What do you mean by `something more'?"

I said, "I mean that before governments can be dissolved, man's unconsciousness has to be dissolved. I am not an anarchist. But anarchism will be the by-product of my whole effort."

He said, "You seem to be very difficult."

And from that moment for five years continuously I was in a fight with the American government. And we were not wrong. But their prejudices! I said to a jailer where I was jailed, "Do you consider that you are also a foreigner here?" No American is American; all are foreigners. The natives, the poor Red Indians, are the Americans. Americans have even changed their name; they are Red Indians and America belongs to them.

I said to the jailer -- because he had become friendly during the three days I was in his jail -- I said to him, "You or your father or your grandfather at the most must have come from outside America. And I at least have a valid passport. Your parents entered America without any passport. Your parents entered America as invaders; I have come just as a tourist.

"And you have killed almost ninety percent of the Red Indians. The ten percent that have remained alive you have left half-alive and half-dead. You have forced them into reservations, into deep forests, and you go on giving them pensions. For what? Because you don't want them to enter the society and work and be part of society. To separate them you go on giving them pensions without any work. Naturally when you get money without any work what will you do? Then you will be into alcohol, drugs, gambling, prostitutes. What else will you do with your money?

"So those Red Indians have been completely destroyed. They cannot even fight for freedom because to fight for freedom means losing the pension. And it is so good to have a pension!

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