Friend nor Foe

"I am neither foe nor friend to my brothers, but such as each of them shall deserve of me (96)." Equality believes that to have freedom, you must be completely free of your brothers. A blank slate to begin with. From here, you may decide whether you want certain people in your life or not. Too many people today decide if someone is their friend or foe before they even meet them. Equality, similar to the Golden Rule, shall regard people as they regard him. If they do something to make them an enemy, they shall be labeled as such. Likewise, if they do something to make them a companion they deserve such title. Equality believes that once you are free from your brothers, you can then form communities of people who share the same values. These communities will prosper as neither wants to remove the freedom of their brother. Like all humans, they simply want someone to talk to and call their friend.

Thursday Randian Quotes

It is freezing outside. Luckily I have the wise words of Miss Rand to keep me all snugly warm.
"If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing." If you are putting time in effort into doing something, go all out! Make whatever you are doing the absolute best it can be. Leave no regrets so later you can look back with pride upon your work. I always loved doing projects and things because I enjoy finding ways to make mine unique and original and the best it can be. There is no greater feeling than knowing you preformed at your highest level and reaping the rewards your energy has sown. And there is no worse feeling than a remorseful soliloquy full ways you wish you had done better.

"...It's the hardest thing in the world-- to do what we want... I mean, what we really want." Think of something you really want. Now think of why you want it; this should be easy. Now think of what would happen should you try to get what you want; this is harder. Now go out and get it; this is the hardest of them all. I find it increasingly difficult to say the things I want to say and do the things I want to do. So I don't. I wish I could live my life in such a way that I hold nothing back but I am just too worried of what I may mess up. So yes, the hardest thing in the world is to do what we really want. It may even be next to impossible. I applaud those who truly live their lives doing what they want, and encourage people to try it at least once. After all, life begins when we step out of our comfort zone.

Our Friend, the Earth

Our dear, dear pal Ayn Rand opens her mouth once more on a controversial subject- ecology and environmentalism. She feels that environmentalism, the act of saving our Mother Earth, is anti- man. That is, by saving nature we are sacrificing ourselves. Ayn's philosophy can be countered by the rampant hippie philosophy of the 1970's; an era in which the Peace Corps grew substantially and everything was "green." Many people would condemn the hippies for being too liberal, and for not knowing enough to make a well informed, educated decision. However, maybe the best ideas do not always come from where you'd expect. Without Earth, and until we can find a way to live on other planets, we need environmentalism. Plain and simple. Now, I am not proposing we put scientific and human development on the back burner while we clean up yet another oil spill; I am proposing a compromise. It's actually not a small world after all- a fact not even Disney deny. Earth is huge. Humans have built enough, and most of our buildings are no longer functioning. Think of the last time you saw a condemned building or an abandoned factory. Let us stop venturing into new areas until we fix up the areas we have already built. That way humans have the space they need to expand while protecting the aesthetics of nature. Sorry Ms. Rand, I just don't see your reasoning.

That Which May or May Not Exist

"... we all know the things which exist and therefore the things which are not known by all do not exist." This quote is found in Ayn Rand's Anthem, a book which creates such a dystopia that everything in it seems absurd. But how absurd is it really? How absurd is it that people cannot accept what cannot be proven to them? Look at religion. Entire followings based upon blind faith in an entity that in some people's eyes does not exist. To the believers, there is no doubt their God is their. They can believe without seeing. To the non-believers, they cannot accept the fact that a God can exist unless given tangible proof. I end this entry with a quote from Yann Martel's Life of Pi:
     I can well imagine an atheist’s last words: “White, white! L-L-Love! My God!”—and the deathbed leap of faith. Whereas the agnostic, if he stays true to his reasonable self, if he stays beholden to dry, yeastless factuality, might try to explain the warm light bathing him by saying, “Possibly a f-f-failing oxygenation of the b-b-brain,” and, to the very end, lack imagination and miss the better story.

All About MEEEE

Ayn Rand questions what makes an individual individual in her novella "Anthem." In her fictional world, collectivism dominates. All pronouns used are collective pronouns. No me, we. No him/her, them. While confusing at first, it makes sense. Collectivism robs an individual of his/ her personality. Which begs the question, are we robbed of our personality? Think about it; everything you love someone has already told you about. A favorite TV show, band, book, etc. You did not create it- someone else did and someone else told you "Oh, you'll like it!" Fight me on this all you want, you are not who you think you are. You are not an individual, you are a person made up of all the people you let into your life. And this is a fantastic thing. This means that you value these people so much that you let them become a part of you, and you in turn become a part of them. Isn't this collectivism? Borderline. But it is collectivism by choice, not by mandate. And I think it is great that your characteristics are shaped by those you admire most.

Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand believes that all of men's actions are motivated by other men. She believes that man has no true personal desires, all desires are affected by those around him. Whether he is doing something because others have told him it is the right thing to do, or because he was simply raised to already strongly believe what the correct next move is. I'm not sure how I feel about this quote. I guess it depends upon the man. Weak men are prone to want to please others, strong men seek to only please themselves. It takes great knowledge to find out exactly what you want, and extreme courage to pursue your dreams. It is understandable how so many people never achieve what they truly want for themselves; it is extremely difficult and risky. But stick with it, because the reward of knowing that you stayed true to yourself feels so much better than the bitter regret of what might have been.