THE SLAVERY OF OUR TIMES PREFACE / INTRODUCTION

and, above all, they maintain governments, taking part in them by paying taxes and
by direct service, and thus they enslave themselves.
In order that the state of things may be improved, both the well-to-do classes and the
workers must understand that improvement cannot be effected by safeguarding one's
own interests. Service involves sacrifice, and, therefore, if people really wish to
improve the position of their brother men, and not merely their own, they must be
ready not only to alter the way of life to which they are accustomed, and to lose those
advantages which they have held, but they must be ready for an intense struggle, not
against governments, but against themselves and their families, and must be ready to
suffer persecution for non-fulfillment of the demands of government.
And, therefore, the reply to the question, What is it we must do? is very simple, and
not merely definite, but always in the highest degree applicable and practicable for
each man, though it is not what is expected by those who, like people of the well-to-do
classes, are fully convinced that they are appointed to correct not themselves (they are
already good), but to teach and correct other people; and by those who, like the
workmen, are sure that not they (but only the capitalists) are in fault for their present
bad position, and think that things can only be put right by taking from the capitalists
the things they use, and arranging so that all might make use of those conveniences of
life which are now only used by the rich. The answer is very definite, applicable, and
practicable, for it demands the activity of that one person over whom each of us has
real, rightful, and unquestionable power -namely, one's self-and it consists in this,
that if a man, whether slave or slave owner, really wishes to better not his position
alone, but the position of people in general, he must not himself do those wrong things
which enslave him and his brothers.
And in order not to do the evil which produces misery for himself and for his brothers,
he should, first of all, neither willingly nor under compulsion take any part in
governmental activity, and should, therefore, be neither a soldier, nor a field-marshal,
nor a minister of state, nor a tax collector, nor a witness, nor an alderman, nor a
juryman, nor a governor, nor a member of Parliament, nor, in fact, hold any office
connected with violence. That is one thing.
Secondly, such a man should not voluntarily pay taxes to governments, either directly
or indirectly; nor should he accept money collected by taxes, either as salary, or as
pension, or as a reward; nor should he make use of governmental institutions,
supported by taxes collected by violence from the people. That is the second thing.
Thirdly, a man who desires not to promote his own well-being alone, but to better the
position of people in general, should not appeal to governmental violence for the
protection of his own possessions in land or in other things, nor to defend him and his
near ones; but should only possess land and all products of his own or other people's
toil in so far as others do not claim them from him.
But such an activity is impossible; to refuse all participation in governmental affairs
means to refuse to live, is what people will say. A man who refuses military service
will be imprisoned; a man who does not pay taxes will be punished and the tax will be
collected from his property; a man who, having no other means of livelihood, refuses
government service, will perish of hunger with his family; the same will befall a man