The term ‘Reactionary’ is a useful one to describe that which we have in common. It’s not to say our identity is underpinned by our opposition to modernity. However, it denotes the foundation of our philosophy. We begin with the assumption that the trajectory of the Western world is a vast, materialistic emptiness. When I use the term reactionary, I am pointing to those who seek a serious answer to this problem. A new trajectory. One that seeks to understand where things have gone wrong. Not to ‘go back’ as such, but to learn from the past.
Those who identify broadly with the term Reactionary are in an invariably difficult position. First of all, they feel alienated from the society they wish to swear their allegiance to. This makes us feel dirty. To oppose our own people’s order has been rightly named ‘treason’. Alongside this alienation we are met with intense persecution for our beliefs, especially by those in the public sphere.
Therefore, we must accept that we are about as ‘countercultural’ as you can get. This is an absurd position for us to be in, but that doesn’t make it any less true. We need to be incredibly intelligent going forward. We need to take steps which are difficult but worthwhile – and that takes intense thought. I am going to speak about how a 21st century reactionary should engage with politics, civil society and their personal lives in order to maximise the effectiveness of their worldview.
Activism
One benefit of reactionary thought is that it begins with Hierarchy and Order. Therefore, we are very capable of clarity when considering activist movements. I hope it comes as no surprise to you that ‘grassroots’ and ‘organic’ activism performed on the Left is nothing of the sort. Political waves are made by elites, money and institutions. Activism is the result of those things, rather than the causal factor in societal change. This explains why Reactionary activism in the last decade has been catastrophic. When the media, state and academy hate you, the public eye will be contorted by their lens.
Activism is, for the most part, a dead end for us. However, I do not wish to squash the youthful energy present in most reactionaries. Therefore, it must be channeled to productive ends. Rather than public protests which can end one’s career and livelihood in minutes, we must be incredibly wary to present our ideas to the media or in the public eye. We must share our views in private or through pseudonyms. The greatest feats of reactionary activism in the last decade have been accomplished with minimal public communication.
Networking
This leads me to offer an alternative to activism: Networking. Networking means generating spheres of likeminded people with very high standards to entry. The best networking is done in single geographical locations – and is centred around a cornerstone of the people’s lives. For example, making a community around intellectual ideas, nature, physical training, Church or community service are excellent. This is because they are tangential to the directly ‘political’. There is nothing controversial about a bunch of youthful people helping out a community – in fact this is an attractive thing. Attractive enough to bring new, high quality people into the fold. But those high quality people are bound to share similar resentments about the modern world.
This method of acting works so well because it naturally filters out the people we disagree with. The people who do not believe in community, God, physical excellence and nature. Once they enter your spheres, you can have honest conversations about what you believe. This is the most effective way of spreading your ideas, because it doesn’t rely on some kind of materialistic marketplace to ‘sell’ your philosophy. It fosters genuine and meaningful connections with other people and manifests your beliefs as a result.
However, there is more to networking than this. It requires gatekeeping. All reactionary institutions suffer from a tendency to degenerate without high standards maintained. That’s because we occupy an age of decay. To even wish for order is defiance. Leadership is vital and drive is needed. These are the exact values which I believe readers of this might possess. But I will go further. I believe that such a drive is the perfect replacement for the dead end of activism. Therefore, take seriously the notion of building high quality networks around valuable traits and activities.
Personal Improvement
By now, this should be uncontroversial. But gatekeeping means looking for people who strive for self improvement. People who set high standards for themselves should have virility and energy for life. They should be directed toward higher principles and enact those principles every day of their life. This is another reason why networks should be built around traits rather than ideas. Action is infinitely more valuable than words. Networks built solely for the sake of action weed out the corruption of endless chatter. Such chatter kills Action.
In this piece, I have diagnosed a common problem. That problem is an innocent, but dangerous one. It is to assume that our ideas should be forwarded in a democratic, liberal framework: Ideas > Politics > Activism > Change. We must reject this framework as reactionaries. We must concern ourselves with a traditional means of change. To act as a vanguard of personal and communal change in the real world, with a laser focus on high quality, valuable and put together characters.
An Appeal To Heaven 