Hello from Anarchapulco,
For the first time in a long time I have been here more than a week and am loving it. Not necessarily because I am in Acapulco… although I do love it here… but just being in one place for more than a few days with all eight of my favorite things: my strong, anarchist wife, my 7 year old anarkid Acapulquena, my 9 year old anarkid from Germany, my 1st chihuahua, Bruce Lee, my 2nd chihuahua, Luci, Rango the loyal cocker spaniel, Lara the year old boxer and our newest addition, Jerry, the third chihuahua we found abandoned in a box on the street a few months ago.
All eight of them sleep in my room but only my wife and the chihuahuas are allowed in bed.
I like to live life as spontaneously and as unplanned as possible and all of the above came to me… I didn't go to them. Even when I met my wife at 4am at local beach disco, named Paradise, when she gave me the two finger, "come over here," I didn't choose her, she chose me. At least at that moment. After a day or two together I chose her… something she wasn't even really looking for. She had just recently divorced from an eight year marriage in Germany (although she is from Acapulco) and was just looking to have some fun.
Turns out I had other plans.
I was 39 and I guess you can say the clock was ticking. I didn't even know it at the time but I did know that I was getting a little tired of random, casual encounters… or even long-term girlfriends (with numerous random, casual encounters on the side). I never wanted to get married as I viewed it as an anachronistic custom… but after being with my wife-to-be and having met my newfound daughter through her… and soon after my first chihuahua, I just felt it was right.
Then when she brought her son over to Mexico from Germany… the nicest, most peaceful human being I had ever met, I knew it was right.
We ended up getting married, more as a ceremony than anything and I didn't realize how much it changed everything. Both my new son and daughter all of a sudden were much closer to me. I suppose, to them, it showed that I had made a pledge in public in front of a lot of people that I wasn't just going to leave.
From there, nearly every year we have added a new dog. The house is full of life. It can get chaotic, of course, with that many individuals all in one space with all their different wants and needs… and nearly nightly fireworks in Acapulco Bay that drive my dogs totally insane.
But I love it. This is my team. Mutually chosen, all voluntarily. They want to be with me and I want to be with them. And, living in a place where nobody or no government messes with your life just adds to the enjoyment.
Everything is anarchy in our lives. My son loves video games and tells me how he loves to kill the cops in the video games because they are welfare criminals. I always make sure to mention, "It's just a game you would never do that in real life unless they used violent force for no reason against you, right?"
He responds, "Sure, Papa… it's just for fun. But in the games the police always aggress against you for no reason… so I kill them."
"Good, good," I say.
WELFARE FASHIONISTAS
Meanwhile, both of my kids are still in the best private school in Acapulco ($300/month). I don't like the idea as I am an unschooling advocate but my wife is like many people and thinks they at least have to have some schooling. We have reached a negotiation that if they don't want to go anymore that they don't have to.
And, dammit, my kids love it. It really is an amazing school. Acapulco has a lot of very wealthy people and the school has countless billionaire kids… and my kids love it. But, as with any school there are bullies and just this week my daughter came home and looked sad.
I asked my wife, "What's wrong?"
"A few girls at her school made fun of her because she didn't have top brand name clothes," my wife said.
I saw my daughter later in the day and asked about it and she confirmed it to be true.
I said, "First of all, #1, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks of you. No one."
She nodded.
"Secondly," I said, "The next time they say that to you ask them how they paid for their clothes."
She looked confused.
"Ask them how they made the money for their clothes," I said.
She still looked a bit confused. She is just seven.
"What I mean," I said, "Is if they didn't make the money for their clothes then why are they so proud of their clothes? I know you are going to make a lot of money with whatever businesses you start… they are actually quite poor. They just get charity from some rich people. They are on welfare and proud of it."
Her eyes started to open.
"Pride is a dangerous thing," I said, "But if you are ever even going to feel proud about anything it should be only about what you, not others, have done," I completed.
I think she understood what I was saying as she forced a smile and wandered off.
I was actually quite "proud" of her. She didn't cry… she just felt distressed that some people had tried to demean her over a ridiculous thing and she didn't fully understand why they did that.
A few hours later my wife came home with top brand name kid clothes for my daughter. I grimaced a bit but also understand her protective, motherly nature.
She had them in a gift box with a bow and she gave it to me to give to her.
I looked at my wife, a bit confused, "Why don't you give it to her?"
She said, "Little girls look at their fathers as their protectors… it means more if you give it to her."
I was still unsure of whether this was the right thing to do or not but I did it anyway, trusting my wife's instincts.
My daughter came in and opened the box and we told her this is the best brand of clothing. I gave it to her and she tried to hide her gigantic smile.
But then I told her, "If anyone asks you about these clothes, just say, ´What, these rags?´ and walk away."
I then told her, "I am not buying these for you… this is a loan. Whatever you choose to do in life you can make some money and pay me back, that way it isn't welfare."
She understood and agreed. I was kidding, of course, but trying to instill in her that nothing is free and you have to produce things to have things.
She went to walk away when I slipped in, "Wouldn't that be amazing if you created the clothes that all those other slaves want?"
She smiled back at me, "Yes, papa!"
Another anarcho-capitalist in the making.
UNTIL NEXT WEEK
I am currently seated at my usual weekend haunt and office, Mangos, on the beach and TDVer, Alexander Jousse, a recent transplant from Italy to Acapulco has just walked in. A few other TDVers are in the area and I might take a few hours off this evening and enjoy some drinks and conversation before I am back here to do it all over.
