What do you think of when you hear the term “black market?”
Most of us have been trained us to visualize sneaking through the shadows to procure goods that may not be available through legal channels.
In reality, the black market in our communities is much more benign.
It’s about acting without official permission
It can consist of a person who cuts their neighbor’s hair for pay but without having a cosmetology license.
It can include kids who smuggle salt and pepper to school to spice up otherwise bland school lunches.
It could be a neighbor who barters unpasteurized milk or honey from their own cow or beehive in return for piano lessons for their kids.
Each of these activities could be construed as illegal at some level.
Yet none of them have caused objective harm.
So why do some grind their teeth in frustration that people are solving one another’s problems without government permission?
It’s because we have been trained to believe that we must ask permission first.
Think about how many things require us to seek government permission before we can safely act.
It would take a lot less time to list the few things we don’t yet have to obtain permission to do.
Which brings us to the question at hand: How willing are we to act without waiting for official permission?
Bureaucratic permission isn’t necessary to live self-governing and productive lives.
We’d likely surprise ourselves with how innovative we can be if we simply started believing this once again.
Share this post