“Babylon is everywhere. You have wrong and you have right. Wrong is what we call Babylon, wrong things. That is what Babylon is to me. I could have born in England, I could have born in America, it make no difference where me born, because there is Babylon everywhere.” - Bob Marley

Bob Marley has frequently talked about the evil that is the babylon system, he has even written songs with babylon mentioned specifically; to Rastafarians babylon is a term which refers to human government institutions that are established in the world today.

Rastafarianism has not only been classified and seen as a social movement but also a religious one, it's a movement that Marley joined in the 1960s. Marley has been called a prophet within the Rasta movement but he didn't refer to himself as such, and admitted that he wouldn't consider himself a prophet.

Marley openly denounced human government institutions as we know them today, asserting that all individuals who participate in running that system are essentially corrupt.

He didn't think that they were looking out for the people and their best interest, especially since the government criminalizes cannabis.

In his eyes, those government institutions were against God's law, they were man's law and they turned what should be free people into slaves.

Was Bob Marley An Anarchist?

Rastafarians and anarchists have a lot in common, as far as how they view government institutions today that have been established through coercion; seeing them as organizations of violence which abuse and violate natural rights and consent.

Marley preached a message of self-determination, peace, freedom, and liberty. He encouraged people to recognize their own natural rights, to flee from hate, embrace love, and to stand up for them in the face of oppression.

His message might not have been a political one neccessarily however, as Marley himself admitted that he's only dealing with life and nature. Although, he did see that essentially everything could be construed as political, though he would never be a politician of any sort.

When there is an institution that can potentially weave itself through every crevice of life, infecting society with its violence like an unstoppable disease in any area of human existence and exchange, then quite literally everything can eventually be linked to the political swamp. Marley wasn't trying to win votes though, he was trying to plant seeds with his art and encourage people to wake themselves up.

Through his music and words Marley inspired thoughts of liberty, and he pushed people to consider the true nature of government as it stands today. Daring people to call a tool of violence out for exactly what it is, and nothing less. Through his feel good music he encouraged people to think about and acknowledge their own slavery.

Marley inspired people to stand up for themselves, to embrace their natural liberty, and to question those in authority around the world today.

Aside from self-determination and natural rights, Marley also encouraged people around the world to not only live for themselves but to live for others.

To make the choice to walk in love and to fight the temptation to give in to hate. He also affirmed that his message wasn't one rooted in prejudice, he wasn't on or rooting for any side.

Living For Others By Serving Others

You can witness such kindness in the act of serving others which takes place trillions of times every day in the market. Serving others could be said to be the driving energy behind the free market, which should not be confused with the swamp of corporatism that we have today.

What we have today is a web of privileged, exclusive, and monopolistic organization, which violates consent on a broad scale and prevents many acts of love and service from ever taking place. It infringes upon natural liberty by seeking to make our decisions for us, taking away our right to peaceful self-determination.

As Marley rightly noted, living for yourself doesn't get you anywhere. But by bringing value to other people's lives by serving them, imagine what a higher quality of life that might inspire.

When we peacefully cooperate we are both better off at the end of the exchange.

It's hard to believe that if he were alive today he would already be in his 70s. He had a wisdom beyond his years, an undeniable talent, and the world lost a bright light when he died at such an early age. Still, his art and his message lives on though, inspiring many people around the world still today. The work that he created is still contributing value to many people even years after his death and will go on to do so for decades to come.

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