Welcome to Libr8.org, a networking, information, and media site for those seeking (or just interested in) libertarian change to build a better world. A brief overview of our philosophy can be found below, the Library page contains essays and writings both by Libr8 members and others, and free posters, pamphlets, comics and other materials can be downloaded from the Media page.
One of our major intentions with this site is to make it available in multiple languages, our first priority being translation into Spanish. We hope to eventually translate the site into as many languages as possible; if you are fluent with another language and would like to help us, please let us know!
This site was designed to be viewed at 1024x768 or higher resolution, and should be compatible with all major web browsers.
///About Libr8
The Libr8 network is a project several years in the making. Like so many other efforts, it is a form of activism; the result of ordinary people looking around them and seeing a situation in need of change, and seeking the means to bring about that change. However, we also recognize (and have experienced firsthand) the impotence and self-rigtheousness of "traditonal" activism, and have decided to take a different route. The Libr8 website is a first step in that route, one which is focused on achieving real, substantial change rather than the symbolic actions or begging for reform that form the bulk of present-day activism.
The first step in our project to help build a better society is, of course, simply to tell the world who we are and what we stand for. We are individuals committed to bringing about a world based on real freedom, where no one has the power to oppress others and everyone has an equal opportunity to live and succeed, not merely the rich and powerful. We are, in a word, anarchists. The philosophy of anarchism is based around four simple, positive ideals, and it is these ideals that we ultimately stand for: LIBERTY---EQUALITY---COMMUNITY---SOLIDARITY
"Wait...You Guys Are ANARCHISTS?"
///The Four Ideals
Liberty: We believe that all people should be allowed the opportunity to lead their lives in the way that they see fit. Imposing unnecessary rules and restrictions on people benefits no one and is harmful for both the individual and society; so, we want all people to have the maximum possible liberty in their lives. This does not, of course, mean allowing murder or rape; it means living by the simple rule that human beings should be allowed to live as they please, so long as they do not interfere with anyone else's ability to do the same.
Equality: We believe that all human beings are fundamentally equal, and should be given an equal opportunity to succeed in life. No human being, anywhere in the world, should have to be born into poverty or oppression; no one should have to struggle and fight for the necessities of life while others are born into indescribable wealth and luxury. No two human beings are alike, of course, and enforcing identical lives for all would destroy human liberty, but everyone deserves the opportunity to rise or fall based upon their own talents.
Community: Community is the basis of civilization. It is when people come together as communities and cooperate that cities are built, technology advances, food is grown and distributed, and the conditions of life improve. We are convinced that, since it is cooperating individuals that do all of the real work of the world, we can and should abandon the mentality of constant competition and the capitalist system that creates it. The world is only "dog-eat-dog" when we make it so, and people can accomplish more and be more free by being part of a larger cooperative community, instead of viewing all others as rivals to be conquered.
Solidarity: Since anarchism is a global philosophy and movement, we seek to stand alongside oppressed people wherever or whoever they may be. That includes everyone from political prisoners and victims of "ethnic cleansing" half a world away, to minorities oppressed by cultural attitudes in our own communities. We oppose all forms of oppression, including sexism, racism, heterosexism, and every other form of bigotry, and will fight against it at every turn. Though we respect freedom of speech, we will not accept nor allow that speech which denies liberty and equality by placing one class of people immutably above another. None of us are truly free until we all are.
Where We Stand - A brief listing of Project Libr8's positions on various issues.
///Out Into the Real World
Of course, no set of ideals, no matter how well-intentioned, amount to anything if they are never carried out into the real world and enacted with real people. Many activists and ideologues are fine with simply holding ideas that look good on paper and never getting out to work with the individuals those ideals were designed to benefit. We are not satisfied with this. So, the Libr8 website acts as an information clearinghouse, a tool to help us spread our anarchist beliefs to the world and find ways to act on them in real, concrete ways so as to better our own lives and those of the people in our communities.
Only by keeping our eyes on the prize and actively working toward our goals, not allowing ourselves to become distracted or bogged down by methods that have already proven useless, can we accomplish anything of significance. Together, we can and will help to build a better world for all.
Click here for a listing of all of our current major projects.