How do you look out for your own in the People’s Banana Republic of Amerikistan? Proficient rebellion.

Rule #7 of The Church of Splendor is: Look out for your own. Another way of saying the same thing is: What’s in it for me? Yet another: How will this advance my interests?

Political movements are dominated by hotheads: Incandescents with no control over their emotions. Their outraged insistence is that your only hope of escaping the old boss’s dominance is to submit yourself to the new boss’s dominance. This is a poor idea.

And yet as the once-free world descends apace into ever-uglier Banana Republic corruption, judicious rebellion becomes steadily more important. Practical anarchism is egoism in action. Accordingly, this week’s Church of Splendor homily concerns the art of proficient rebellion: How to look out for your own by rebelling against Cautious tyranny to your own advantage:

The Rules of The Church of Splendor can all be thought of as a guide to proficient rebellion – actual egoism in actual action:

1. I don’t go to your church.
2. I am not arguing with you.
3. Don’t be an asshole.
4. Butthurt is not contagious.
5. Never play the other man’s game.
6. Keep your own counsel.
7. Look out for your own.

The goal of the hotheads is to goad the bad guys into shooting – at you, not them. You don’t have to be any would-be boss’s stooge, but if you don’t look out for your own, no one else will do it for you.