k.lode Posted January 10, 2016 Posted January 10, 2016 Hello to everyone! It is a wonderful feeling to be interacting with the community for the first time. The "K" is for Kyle, and I am from Utah. My journey from where--and who--I was, to the FDR community started in Afghanistan. It began when my TF (Task Force) commander refused to allow a medivac to transport a six month-old little girl to the nearest hospital. His original "justification" was that because US forces had not been the cause of the infant's injuries--a junk camp stove being used by her mother had exploded--we were not "required" to provide any assistance, and he would not order a helicopter crew into possible danger if he wasn't required to. When a crew volunteered to save the baby, career-ending threats were used to force the team to stand-down. After this I read an article online about a relatively easy was to leave the military as a conscientious-objector: the non-aggression principle and a logical understanding of government violence. The problem was that I would loose all those "benefits" associated with military service, like free college tuition. I decided that if I had worked for almost a decade to perpetuate state-sponsored violence and coercion, that fact would not be negated by giving up the resources that I would get in return. When I exited the military in 2014, my wife and I moved back home and I began working on a degree in history. At this point I rediscovered the NAP through Adam Kokesh's work, which also led me to Stephan's work. Since starting in college I have read and argued for UPB in philosophy, slammed contemporary academic historians for being apologists and glorifiers of democide, and then switched to the pursuit of a business degree. I am currently building an online business in order to get as far removed from government money and statists as I can, and I plan on systematizing whatever process I come up with to help others live a government-minimizing, peaceful, prosperous and free-market oriented life. 1
gemccarty Posted January 13, 2016 Posted January 13, 2016 Hey Kyle! I'm new to the boards as well. I have found that the greatest move towards happiness is through shedding bad personal relationships (personal freedom). Who you spend your time with has much more power over you than the state ever will, and I fear you are focused more on the state than your own relationships. I could be way off here, just going from instinct based on what you decided to include in the post. I would argue that the story does not start in Afghanistan, but back at home. Let me know what you think!
k.lode Posted January 14, 2016 Author Posted January 14, 2016 Hey Kyle! I'm new to the boards as well. I have found that the greatest move towards happiness is through shedding bad personal relationships (personal freedom). Who you spend your time with has much more power over you than the state ever will, and I fear you are focused more on the state than your own relationships. I could be way off here, just going from instinct based on what you decided to include in the post. I would argue that the story does not start in Afghanistan, but back at home. Let me know what you think! I think that's a good call. I know that--for me--the story really began when I was about four or five and I saw my dad physically and verbally abusing my mom. I'm not exactly sure how that began the chain of events/thoughts that led to me enlisting. I feel like it had to do with a desire to be a protector, but I haven't delved into that enough to be sure. The beginning of the end of my time in the military may then have been the realization that my organization was hurting and not helping people. I'll have to spend more time on this, thanks gemccarty!
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