James C. Scott has this great concept called Anarchist Calisthenics, and it’s basically about keeping your resistance muscles strong through small everyday acts of disobedience. The idea comes from something he observed in Germany—people standing at empty intersections, waiting for the light to turn green, even when there were no cars in sight. A professor joked that people should deliberately cross against the light now and then, just to make sure they still can.
Scott’s bigger point is that obedience is a habit, and like any habit, it gets stronger the more you practice it. If we always follow the rules without question, we risk losing our ability to push back when it really matters. Small acts of defiance—breaking an unnecessary rule, challenging an unfair policy, standing up for someone in trouble—are like warm-ups for bigger moments of resistance.
This idea fits right into anarchist traditions of direct action and mutual aid. Real change rarely comes from just following the rules. It comes from people refusing to accept injustice, acting on their own values instead of waiting for permission.
So, what’s your act of Anarchist Calisthenics today? Maybe it’s ignoring a pointless rule, helping a neighbor in a way the system discourages, or just questioning an authority figure who assumes they don’t need to explain themselves. Whatever it is, consider it practice—because one day, that muscle might need to lift something heavy.
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