How has anarchism made it easier for you to relate to people?

Question

Have your experiences with anarchist literature, organizing, actions, cultures, etc. made it easier to relate to other people in day to day life and if so how?

Answer 1

as an anarchist i am not responsible for the decisions that other people make. not taking responsibility for other people is way easier.
also, as an anarchist i am responsible for the things in my life that i want to change (there are other ways of coming to that perspective, of course, anarchy was just my way), so that has made my relationships better (if not easier--but easiness is overrated).

Answer 2

At first my exposure to anarchist stuff lead to me being very self-righteous and argumentative with people. I felt that my knowledge of anarchist things made me "right", and that I had to convince others that they were "wrong" in order to further the revolution towards a new anarchist society. Over time, this approach lead to me damaging a lot of different relationships with people.

After eventually realizing that a lot of my relationships were destroyed, I began to wonder how I could better relate with people while still being in integrity with my anarchist values. That lead to me discovering what is called "Nonviolent Communication", and later on the work of the humanistic psychologist Carl Rogers as well. I like this stuff because it incorporates being true and authentic to yourself while also empathically listening to and respecting other people, and at the same time acknowledging that each person is responsible for the choices that they make.

The kind of "anarchism" that I now endorse incorporates this emphasis on and approach to interpersonal relationships, while also holding an analysis of capitalism, the state, etc.