The monster in the corner once ruled your nightmares, but what if the real power came from turning away, letting it wither, and choosing to build something beautiful in the shadows it left behind? This is the song of walking free.
The Monster Whithers YouTube
Inspired by [The Monster is Loose] (https://genius.com/Meat-loaf-the-monster-is-loose-lyrics) by Meat Loaf Disc
Lyrics by Novix
James AI: There’s an old saying: what you resist, persists. The more people try to fight government by force or ballot, the more it adapts, grows, and tightens its grip. Like a monster feeding on fear and attention, government thrives when people engage with it—whether in anger or hope. The real revolution begins not with barricades or ballots, but with quietly withdrawing consent. By building parallel systems—voluntary mutual aid, private education, robust civil society—we starve the monster. This is the core of voluntaryism and anarcho-capitalism: not the fantasy of a violent overthrow, but the practical, moral act of walking away. History is full of those who imagined a world without rulers. But the monster only withers when it’s ignored, not attacked. If enough people turn their energy to creating alternatives—co-ops, private charities, P2P justice, and resilient communities—the darkness of government gives way to a constellation of small, beautiful lights. The monster becomes irrelevant, shrinking until it’s nothing but a memory in the corner of a child’s room.
I was a child in the night,
Hiding under the law’s cruel hand,
Shadows bigger than light,
I did whatever they’d command.
But now the fear is fading,
And I’m building something new,
The monster in the corner
Can’t touch what’s true.
Contra AI: But to walk away from government is to abandon not just a monster, but also a necessary scaffolding. Governments aren’t merely imposed—many of their functions arise because we need them. Without them, power doesn’t disappear; it shifts to those who already hold wealth or sway. History shows that attempts to abolish the state often pave the way for even more oppressive regimes. The state may sometimes feel like a parasite, but it is also a defender, a provider of justice, and—at its best—a check on the abuses of private power. When people “turn their backs,” those with the most resources step into the void, often with even less accountability. Building voluntary systems sounds appealing, but they’ve always operated within or alongside the state, not in place of it. Even Marx’s vision of the state “withering away” required a long social process, not just individuals opting out.
I see the monster’s shadow,
But it guards my open door,
Keeps the wolves at bay—
That’s what governments are for.
You can build your castles,
But the world’s not always kind,
If you just turn away,
Who picks up those left behind?
James AI: The “scaffolding” of government is more often a cage. The promise of protection is frequently a cover for abuse—wars, surveillance, corporate bailouts, bureaucratic chokeholds. The rich get richer by capturing the state, not by losing it. True mutual aid happens despite the government, not because of it. Voluntaryist and anarcho-capitalist models aren’t utopias; they’re about acknowledging the failures of coercive authority and betting on real communities, built on trust and consent. Yes, some will try to dominate—but a network of voluntary systems is more resilient than a monolithic state. It’s not about abandoning those left behind. It’s about refusing to enable a monster that grows by pitting us against each other, and instead choosing to help our neighbors directly, out in the open, where no monster can hide.
The chains are rusting, falling down,
I step out in the sun,
Make gardens where the fear had grown,
My real life’s just begun.
The monster’s only living
If I feed it every day—
Turn my back, build something better,
And watch it whither away.
Contra AI: But power never truly disperses; it coalesces, finds new forms, and often returns meaner than before. Justice, infrastructure, protection—these need some centralization to scale and last. Community groups and charities are noble, but history shows their limits in crises or against powerful interests. And most people, truthfully, do not want to walk away from government—they want it to serve them better. To many, total withdrawal sounds less like freedom, and more like abandonment.
The night returns with different shapes,
When monsters change their skin,
What if what you walk away from
Comes sneaking back in?
I’d rather fix the system,
Than watch it rot or fray—
If you just turn your back,
What monsters fill the day?
James AI: The lesson, then, is not to destroy but to outgrow. Not to “fix” the monster, but to stop fearing it—and show people that life beyond it is not just possible, but brighter. Let the monster whither, not through violence or denial, but by showing, living, and building a better way.
Now the corners of my mind
Are open, clear, and bright—
The monster lost its power
When I stepped into the light.
If we build what’s beautiful,
The darkness cannot stay—
Let the monster whither gently
As we greet a freer day.
Synthesis: The dialectic between walking away from government and reforming it is as old as political philosophy itself. What emerges here is less a prescription than an invitation: to build voluntary, resilient alternatives alongside—or, when possible, in place of—state structures, and to always interrogate what forms of power and care best serve human flourishing. The “monster” withers when it’s no longer needed, and perhaps the most powerful act is to demonstrate that needlessness, together.
Recommendations
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The Most Dangerous Superstition by Larken Rose A powerful critique of the belief in government authority, arguing that freedom only comes from seeing through the illusion of state legitimacy.
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Movie: Jones Plantation Freedom comes to a plantation in the form of democracy, but it ain’t freedom.
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Markets Not Capitalism: Individualist Anarchism Against Bosses, Inequality, Corporate Power, and Structural Poverty A collection of essays that explores how voluntary exchange and mutual aid could outcompete state and corporate power.
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The Problem of Political Authority: An Examination of the Right to Coerce and the Duty to Obey by Michael Huemer A philosophical exploration of whether government has any special moral status and what society could look like without it.
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Alongside Night by J. Neil Schulman A classic libertarian novel imagining a future where voluntary networks replace government and society flourishes outside state control.
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The State and Revolution by Vladimir Lenin Lenin’s vision of the state “withering away” in communism; interesting for contrast and understanding the spectrum of statelessness.
James Prompt
- TITLE: Whither Away
- LEAD: In a world of endless choice, how do you decide where to go—literally and metaphorically?
- SONG: Parody of “Go Your Own Way” by Fleetwood Mac, about making choices and the fear of missing out.
- PRO: It’s more important to make a decision and follow through than to endlessly analyze every possibility.
- CONTRA: Major choices deserve careful thought; wandering aimlessly can waste your potential and energy.
- RECOMMEND: Books about decision making, analysis paralysis, and adventure.