Thanks to Luis Areizaga for his recent comments on the Mises Institute:
Today I was at LibertyCon watching the panel discuss the value of university in the modern era. One of the speakers was Jeff Deist, President of the Mises Institute, an organization that has provided great value to me in my life. After a very active and interesting debate between employers and academics, I got the chance to go up and introduce myself. This conversation, among others that I had with a few members of the Institute that day, led me to want to write about the Mises Institute’s mission and the positive impact it has had on my life.
The Mises Institute was founded in 1982 with the mission of promoting and seeking a society based upon the principles of free-market capitalism, private property, and voluntaryism. It rejects the coercive use of force and the monopoly of violence the state holds. To achieve this, it employs the use of one of the most powerful tools there is, education and dissemination of information. Through its posts, free library, research, and educational programs it has helped spread the message of liberty to an untold number of individuals. The institute stands firmly and proudly as a bulwark against the forces who seek to rid us of our hard-earned liberties and freedoms.
I discovered the institute through a friend who I frequently had discussions of political and economic nature with. He had recommended me the articles as counterpoints to my arguments and as a tool which I could use to learn the arguments of the Austrian School. After a period of reflection, I recognized the logical arguments presented and conceded to their superiority. I have personal experience growing up in a socialist country where, among many other problems caused by state intervention, power outages and water shortages have become increasingly common due to the state monopoly on utilities, so it was not difficult to recognize the truth once I saw it.
The Institute gave me hope and taught me that there were solutions to these problems and that if we empower the individual to pursue innovation and competition in the marketplace we can solve the ills of society and create a better future. Today I seek to take these beliefs and act upon them in order to build a freer world. I have embarked upon a more entrepreneurial path by joining Praxis, an apprenticeship program, where I will be honing my skills and working with like-minded folk in the startup sector. I hope in the future to take these skills to build and develop ideas that innovate and empower the market forces which provide for so many of our needs.
Looking back, I realize that if not for the Mises Institute I might have never learned of these ideas, questioned that which so many take for granted, and taken the steps to reorganize my life in a way where I can contribute towards the cause of liberty. For that, I thank the Institute and implore them to continue their mission in which they have had such outstanding success. I would like to share a quote that I believe carries a greatly important and hard truth but which we must recognize nevertheless “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty”. Never waver, the Mises Institute and the greater libertarian movement pays that price every day.
