My Proposal

Okay in this previous blog post I ended with saying "Are you in?". At OO.net here I was asked by forum members Zip and Capitalism Forever what exactly I was proposing. To be truthful I didn't have a clear picture at the time, just a vague idea. I have been doing some thinking and had a few discussions on my current thought process in the chat room there, along with seeing how various people respond to different kinds of arguments.

At an Objectivist forum where most members take ideas seriously, one is dealing with a whole different set of people than when one deals with the general public. In general, this can be a good thing, however I have found that the bar of what is needed to "win" an argument is usually set too high. One simply can't take Objectivist principles as a starting point at such a forum because most people are just trying to "prove" how "intelligent" they happen to be by how well they can argue each argument starting from first principles each time, as if the context of an Objectivist forum is irrelevant. They try to give non-Objectivists the benefit of the doubt because they believe--usually incorrectly--that "discussions" on each piece of trivial nonsense that the non or even anti Objectivists can lead to some sort of "meeting of the minds", such that the interested will learn the correct ideas via long and sometimes annoying "discussions". This rarely happens. The only reason I bring this up here is because it shows how out of touch most self-proclaimed Objectivists are with how ideas are actually transmitted amongst the general public right now, not in their version of an Objectivist utopia. It shows how most do not know how to successfully promote change to our ideals in the short term, their arguments are only valid in the long term when the ideas have finally trickled down from the "intellectuals" and/or thus need to be preserved.

This is done twofold. First mainly, most people are social metaphysicians in the sense that their respective ideas of right and wrong, and most of their political stances are not developed on rationally held principle, but instead, via what the general consensus of what their various friends and/or relatives spout to be true. Leftist ideas are running rampant among the average Joes of the world, they hear them from just about everyone around them, so that these bromides become to this majority of people the "truth". This is why we have an election in a few days between an explicit socialist versus a fascist. It is why we are daily accelerating towards a dictatorship in this country.

Second, as a corollary of the majority's social metaphysics we also have the mass media essentially telling people what to think. This is usually not always done explicitly, instead the ethics of Altruism are simply accepted as the given not to be questioned on not only the news shows, but also most television shows period regardless of the content. They don't go through some altruistic argument from first principles, or usually any arguments at all on television, the ideas are simply taken as the given, and the show goes on from there as if the basic ideas behind the content are simply beyond argument.

This brings me to my proposal(s). First, I would like to say that I think the work the ARI is doing is excellent, we absolutely need the spread of ideas from the top down. We need our "New Intellectuals" to spread them and once spread continue teaching our ideals to prevent their eventual fading, but this is a long term approach. We need to open a second front in this war of ideas, a front that works from the bottom up simultaneously.

We need to also use the mass media and the Internet to hasten the spread of our ideas to the common man that absorbs his ideas and values this way. Remember it is he who does the electing of the policy makers in this nation. We need to start a buzz that makes Objectivism and Capitalism the new thing that everyone is talking about. No that will not hold these ideas in place long term as the ARI's work will, but it creates a positive environment such that the "intellectuals" will be more willing to examine and/or accept the good instead of the irrational status quo that most do now.

What I am proposing is using television the way they use it. Create at least one, if not a few, programs--initially at least--on channels such as MTV, Discovery, USA, or similar stations, that begins by taking our ideas as the given. Make something edgy, cool, hip, and interesting. I'm thinking something like a cross between The Daily Show, Fox News, an MTV reality show, a Discovery "science" show like "Mythbusters", or the now defunct TechTV, and maybe something a little like that kids show iCarly. I'm thinking cool graphics, jump cuts, things that hold the interest of your average 15 to 40 year old person. Make it interesting, have "pretty and hip people" doing the hosting, keep the segments relatively short to hold the target groups interest, but most importantly--take the ideas and principles of Objectivism, egoism, and Capitalism as the given.

"They" do this everyday it; is our turn to do what they do, but turn it on it's head to work for us. This is how we can spread our ideas rapidly, and achieve those ideals in our lifetimes. And, no, we don't have to "take over" a cable station or something similar to do this, just market the idea to as many different station as is possible. These networks are always looking for new, edgy programming shows to increase viewership, and many will try just about any new type of programming as long as it's different and interesting. Yes, I know no one is stopping me from doing this myself and I am in talks with a producer friend of mine; whatever happens with that happens. But, I don't think I have all the connections and funding to personally pull this off.

Another idea would be doing something similar to this in the form of an Internet viral video, at least to begin with. That would be like today's version of those shows that used to play on local cable channels back in the 80's or whenever, but with the potential to create a much more vast audience. This would also have the advantage of being much cheaper, if unfortunately not as mainstream to begin with. But, it would be a start. I might try this myself, and I would definitely be interested in collaborating with any interested parties on such an idea.

In conclusion, I want to reiterate that I fully think that the ARI's top down approach is the correct one to take long term, but there are other ways to win battles in this war--in the short term--and I have listed a few above, that can hasten our victory in this war for the minds of men.

I haven't went into all the details, of what I have been thinking lately this is just the gist of it, but I would love to here your comment on the subject. Even if I personally don't have the wherewithal to bring these ideas to fruition, I wouldn't even be that upset if others did. I want freedom in my lifetime. And if it requires others acting on my ideas, then it is what it is. I would always know where the ideas originated and seeing them put into action and working would make me extremely happy.

Black Friday

I don't want to continue to beat a dead horse, but just as I expected the market is continuing to get worse by the day. Each day seems to be bringing us closer to economic collapse and increasing levels of socialism. I want to be wrong, but I am starting to think we may actually be at the beginning stages of a real life version of the events of Atlas Shrugged. This is somewhat of a cliche' among Objectivists, but it really seems to be happening. What we need to do is increase our level of activism of the right ideas at this time. But I am annoyed that there is only so much I can actually do because of my limited writing skills. But it is what it is, and I can only do what I can do.

It's Funny That They Just Don't Get It

This is more of a short commentary on the reaction to the market crash yesterday than anything else. It was sort of funny, in an ironic sort of way, watching the talking heads on Fox and elsewhere completely baffled when the the market took a dump yesterday rather than rising like they expected in the wake of the "bailout" legislation.

While what happened is exactly what I expected, since it is really the only thing that can happen when the government interferes with the economy on a nearly trillion dollar level, all they could talk about was why the "bailout" wasn't doing what they expected it to do--fix the "markets". It was just amusing watching people who claimed to be both "economic experts" and "fiscal conservatives" baffled that the plan wasn't working as they expected it should. It just shows how little even the so-called "experts" really understand how Capitalism actually works, and also why such a large intrusion into the economy can only cause the disastrous result that it has actually caused. It's also kind of funny, also in an ironic sort of way, that they now think that it will just "take time" for "positive" effects from the "bailout" to be seen.

It's funny, but it is also an extremely serious situation, because nobody seems to see that what is actually being created is a Depression not an economic recovery as they expect will occur. We need to use this disaster as an opportunity to advocate the right ideas--now. This is how we will eventually win this war of ideas and eventually stop this nonsense from ever happening again.

Justice is Finally Served

The following quote is good news, although it of course it should have happened in the 90's. This thug is finally going to probably spend the rest of his life behind bars as he has deserved for a long time.

The Hall of Fame football star was convicted of kidnapping, armed robbery and 10 other charges for gathering up five men a year ago and storming into a room at a hotel-casino, where the group seized several game balls, plaques and photos. Prosecutors said two of the men with him were armed; one of them said Simpson asked him to bring a gun.

This all I have to say on this for now, it's justice that this man is finally going to prison

Now We Are In Deep Shxt

I just read that the "bailout" bill has passed in the House, now all that it needs to become law is Bush's signature. We are in deep shit. Pardon my language. But this level of government intervention in the economy can probably only lead to one thing--a Great Depression, 21st Century style.

I don't want to sound like Chicken Little, but I'm afraid this time the sky is falling. What we need to do is use this horrible event as a chance to forward our ideas. From now on whenever the inevitable bad news on the economy hits we have to be out there countering it from all possible angles. We need to use this government created crisis to explain to the average non-philosophical citizen why it is the government that caused this mess and that it's actions are making it exponentially worse by the day.

We need to turn this national tragedy into an opportunity; an opportunity to advance our ideals of a better Capitalist and egoistic society.

To Defeat the Growth of Government it's Time to Win the War of Ideas

Many have written recently about the looming financial "crisis". While I have wanted to comment on this subject, what is there to say without echoing the chorus of our intellectuals that it is the government to blame for this mess and that any further intervention will only make the situation worse--much, much worse? This is, of course, true; but just because something happens to be true doesn't mean that it should be repeated ad infinitum.

So what new insights do I have to add on this subject? This is the question I have been asking myself. The answer in this case is none. The ARI and especially Yaron Brooks and Alex Epstein have this subject covered as well as can be done, in my opinion. This however does not mean that we--the advocates of Objectivism, Capitalism, individual rights, and rational egoism should keep our mouths shut.

We do live in a unique time in these early days of the 21st Century, my writing this post and your reading it is proof of that assertion. What I mean is, literally at all of our fingertips we have the power via our writing and the vastness of the internet's reach to convey our ideas and values nearly instantly to virtually anyone on earth.

So while, we have the luxury of relying on our movement's intellectual leaders to get ideas our ideas "out there" and they are doing an exellent job at ARI we also have the power to do it ourselves.

I am not going to repeat the mantra of the government creating this "crisis" via it's immoral intervention into the economy by way of regulations, the FED, Fannie Mae, Freddy Mac, etc. because all that is obvious to "the choir". I am not going to mention that any "bailout" legislation that finally gets passed will probably lead us to the 21st Century version of The Great Depression and a huge jump to full-blown socialism because all that goes without saying if one accepts and understands the concepts of Capitalism and it's philosophical underpinnings--rational egoism and Objectivism.

What I want to suggest is that we all learn to use this amazing technology at our fingertips, known as the internet, to pass on our understanding of these truths to the general public. It is time for us to complete the American Revolution that was primarily a revolution of man's mind. It is time for us to learn to use all the available technologies available to us to spread our ideas of freedom.

First each of us needs to live our lives as best as we can, selfishly persuing our own goals, to serve as points of light that other rational men will want to emulate. Second, you must learn that it is in your rational self-interest to use the internet to share your ideals with the world, whether it's via blogs such as this, letters to your local newspapers expressing your views, or even just normal conversations with your friends and co-workers along a similar vein.

We have a great opportunity to show why are ideas are right--why the are the good. We now have the technology--the means--to do this on a scale previously unimagined. All we need is enough people willing to fight for the future--to fight, intellectually using today's advanced technologies--for freedom in their lifetimes.

We all seem to acknowledge the fact that to win at all this and to stop this march towards tyranny that seems to be accelerating almost by the day we must first win the war of ideas. We are involved in a philosophical war in which the American people are not completely at odds with us. For example, notice how the "bailout" plan failed a few days ago because of the vast numbers of people writing to their respective Congress members in disgust. We have the audience, we have the means, all that is left is the will--or more precisely, the productive effort of us ordinary men and women of the mind--to win this war of philosophical ideas. How many of us are ready to step up and use this oportunity to finally change the tide of this war in our favor? It won't be easy. Nothing worth doing usually is. But it is the right thing to do, and now is the time to do it.

Are you in? I am, because I value freedom and want to see the world as it could be and ought to be--in my lifetime. How about you?

It Changed Everything

With the 7th anniversery of 9/11 in a couple of days, I thought I would say a few words about what was essentially the event of the century, and without a doubt changed my life forever along with the course of history. It is now somewhat of a cliche that September 11, 2001 "changed everything" but it is definitly true with regard to my life.

First off, the events themselves affected me at the deepest level of my soul. I knew nobody that died in the attacks, but I felt (and still do to a degree) each and every death deeply that day. Before 9/11, I only understood the nature of evil in the abstract. That completely changed that day, as did I.

I will never forget people jumping from the windows of the Twin Towers and realizing with horror that that was the most rational choice that they could make at that time. To quote Ayn Rand from The Fountainhead, "When I see the city from my window--no I don't feel how small I am--but I feel that if a war came to threaten this, I would like to throw myself into space, over the city, and protect these buildings with my body." I wonder how many silent heros did just that on that horrible day?

We know of the hero's of Flight 93 who fought to their deaths to stop the hijackers from carrying out there mission that day when they discovered their intent. This is but another example of the heroism that lies within even an "average" free man when his life and freedom are endangered.

And as I now understand it is because we are free men that we were attacked by this enemy. It is because of our virtues that we are hated. It is because we are a country of men who are in general free to use their minds, and to make money that we were attacked. The World Trade Center wasn't choosen by accident. Our enemies attacked the symbol of our society's greatest virtue--the ability of free men and women to make money and persue their own happiness as they see fit.

While in general I understood the greatness of America and the virtues of Capitalism and persuing my own self-interest prior to 9/11 it was that event that lead to my explicit understanding of these issues and specifically why they are issues of morality.

At the time I was attending a university and within weeks the Left was already out protesting our "imperial invasion" of Afganistan which was actually a direct response to 9/11. This is when I first explicity saw evil here in the United States trying to destroy the good by the use of unearned guilt. To say the least this also rattled me at a deep level, because these people were essentially blaming us for the deaths and defending Islam as the "religion of peace".

So I first turned to the Conservatives at my school because at least they supported justice and retribution against the enemy. However I quickly learned that I wasn't a Conservative. For one, I've always been an atheist and that of course doesn't jive with them to well. LOL. Second I have always been much more of a Capitalist even though I had no idea what laissez faire was at that time they kept telling me I supported it (which I did without knowing) and must be a Libertarian. (Yeah right! ) Finally one of them brought of that I sounded a lot like Ayn Rand. I was like who, went to the internet and the rest is history. ;)

Since then not only have I learned that I was right about how evil the enemy and it's worldwide Leftist supporters are, I have learned why. At the root they all hold an anti-mind philosophy which requires sacrifice. It requires the sacrifice of the good to the evil, the producers to the worthless, the mind to God or others, sacrifice for the sake of sacrifice. It is this code of sacrifice that must be rejected. 9/11 lead me to understand completely that men are NOT sacrificial animals but that everyman is an end in himself and not the means to the ends of others.

9/11 lead me to learn about the morality of life--egoism. It taught me that evil exists but that it can be defeated--by force. It taught me that this force--retaliatory force against the initiators or force is not only proper logically--but is the moral action that free men and proper governments MUST take if they want to live and have the ability to persue happiness.

Yes, 9/11 changed everything for me, and much of the world. But it is now the time to share this change with the world. All lovers of freedom, Capitalism, and the good should take this time to decide how best they can further this goal, whether it be intellecual activism, blogs like these, letters to the editor, or just living your life to its fullest potential. Now is the time to take action to defeat this enemy which took it's ugly form on 9/11 in the form of Islamofascism but which is really the morality of death in all its form, the morality of self-sacrifice--altruism. This is what must be defeated if the world we want is to be ours.

We live in a time where ideas can move around the world at nearly the speed of light via the internet. If there is one main thing that should be understood in light of the events of 9/11, it is that when an idea's time has come it's nearly impossible to stop. Use this technology to help spread our ideas and maybe we can stop the next 9/11 before it has to happen again. The future's now in our hands.

I Don't Normally Write Poetry, But I Did Write This, Though I Know Not How Well

I Just Don't Know


I just don't know what there is left to do?

Whatever it is I do, it's your love that will never just be mine.

But yet it has never, ever, fully left my mind.

Like a distant beach, you are always just out of my reach.

The whole world is the wager I would have bet, that one day mine you'd be, if at it, always, I just had kept!

But it was me, that without contradiction, I had to first learn to be.

What I what do just to convince you! For the chance to show my value of who's equal there is no other.

Yet, still, you always want another. Sometime's for that reason alone, I wish I had never been just "her brother".

Because then maybe you would have always seen me as the One instead of always searching for another every where else under the sun.

Back I stepped for several years just so that you'd have the freedom to search the whole of this wide kingdom.

Because sometimes when the one that should be yours is has alway been too near it is that voice that you just can not clearly hear.

From familiarity breeds blindness to what has always been seen.

Oh my god, what could have been!

If only you had always just seen, what it is that to me, you alone mean.

Bad Beats

I won't elaborate, but in my last post I stated that I pushed in all my chips--metaphorically. My hand while strong and expertly played failed me in the end. But, it did not break me. I can not be broken. One can NOT fail completely when one plays life's game with full awareness and a sense of purpose. Hand's can be lost. People can be lost. However as long as you played your best with the limited information that you had at the time--as long as you did what was right given the context you weren't completely beat because you learned knew knowledge, and you won't make the same mistake again.

This post was mostly for myself, but there is one other person in the world who could read and understand its full meaning.

Poker's Similarity to Capitalism

I think poker is the ultimate game of the Capitalist. More than that just like Capitalism correlates with mans needs qua man so does the game of poker.

When men trade via Capitalism they use money as the means of exchange, and the agreed upon price represents a sum of a nearly limitless number of value judgments of each trader. In poker chips perform the exact same function of money. A man can only know a limited amount of information of his transaction in either poker or trade, therefore money or chips quickly set an agreed upon value to every transaction. If you think you are going to profit you buy at the price you or the other person sets given an infinitude of factors. The same principle follows in poker. Given your limited knowledge of what the other person is selling and other factors, (marketing ;) ) you either buy what he's selling or you raise the price or drop out depending on the whole context of your present knowledge. The degree to which you appropriately acquired knowledge in either case usually directly correlates to your degree of profit or loss in regards to either one.

I'll admit that this line of reasoning might seem to be a bit random to an outside observer, but it does represent my current thinking if that is enough of an interest for anyone, reading.

I would also say just as poker correlates to Capitalism and Capitalism to real life, i.e., ethics, poker has its correlation to real life instances.

There are times in you life that you decide to play the hand you were dealt to the best of your ability because given the context you think it is the best hand you can play on a given day or period of your life. So you do a careful study of all the circumstances and knowledge available and you make the best decision that you can given what you know to be true and what you know of the strength of your hand. You decide to move all-in. After the chips fall you have done all that you can up to that point given the current context and what happens next is up to your opponent and/or chance. You made the best choice you could. You played your best game. You put all your chips in and all you can do is wait to see what develops.

I recently moved my chips all-in. What happens, happens. A is A

EC

This is Retarded...lol

Now the New Left is attacking the Hollywood Left. This is just too funny. The following quote from the article is an example of what would happen in this country if the New Left ever get's full power.

"The protesters held up signs with slogans such as 'Call me by my name, not by my label' and chanted phrases like 'Ban the movie, ban the word.' "

Umm...bye, bye right to free speech.

Suffice it to say, a proper rights protecting government would protect all speech (given normal context) even of the "offensive" variety.

To quote Voltaire: I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.

That is the statement of a rational man and implies the actions of a moral government or any other organization of men.

It is what it is, though.

EC

Purpose as Essential to Man's Life

The most depraved type of human being ... (is) the man without a purpose.-- Ayn Rand


Every man requires a purpose for his life, and to quote Miss Rand, "[T]he achievement of his own happiness is man's highest moral purpose". But while that is one's highest purpose there are many other goals and purposes that can further one's ultimate purpose.

Everything a man does should be done with purpose. That statement thus applies to the creation of a blog. A blog (like anything else) without purpose is simply a waste of everyone's time, including its creator's.

So, what is my purpose in the creation of this blog? That's simple; it is to share my ideas and thoughts on whatever currently interests me with others who can appreciate my views, regardless of their agreement or not with them. I am a trader by nature, and that includes the realm of ideas. The trade between myself and my readers will be thus, I will share my unique insights and ideas, and my payment in return will be the knowledge that I have personally engaged the mind of my reader, regardless of his opinions of my views. That is what I will gain and that is my purpose with regard to this blogs creation.

I had wanted to start a blog for quite some time but had previously lacked a central purpose. I know that purpose now, and what I will receive in return. My return is the increase of my own happiness via sharing the nature of the good--as I understand it--with any interested thinking individual, and my knowledge that I have engaged their mind will result in the increase of my happiness as my payment.

The following is from the online version of The Ayn Rand Lexicon available here ~~> http://www.aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/#P_index

Purpose

The three cardinal values of the Objectivist ethics—the three values which, together, are the means to and the realization of one’s ultimate value, one’s own life—are: Reason, Purpose, Self-Esteem, with their three corresponding virtues: Rationality, Productiveness, Pride.

Productive work is the central purpose of a rational man’s life, the central value that integrates and determines the hierarchy of all his other values. Reason is the source, the precondition of his productive work—pride is the result.

“The Objectivist Ethics,” The Virtue of Selfishness, 25.

A central purpose serves to integrate all the other concerns of a man’s life. It establishes the hierarchy, the relative importance, of his values, it saves him from pointless inner conflicts, it permits him to enjoy life on a wide scale and to carry that enjoyment into any area open to his mind; whereas a man without a purpose is lost in chaos. He does not know what his values are. He does not know how to judge. He cannot tell what is or is not important to him, and, therefore, he drifts helplessly at the mercy of any chance stimulus or any whim of the moment. He can enjoy nothing. He spends his life searching for some value which he will never find . . . .

The man without a purpose is a man who drifts at the mercy of random feelings or unidentified urges and is capable of any evil, because he is totally out of control of his own life. In order to be in control of your life, you have to have a purpose—a productive purpose . . . . The man who has no purpose, but has to act, acts to destroy others. That is not the same thing as a productive or creative purpose.

“Playboy’s Interview with Ayn Rand,” March 1964.

So, this initial post is more of a statement of purpose more than anything else. I will try to update the blog at least once a week, probably on Sunday's, but that will depend on my interests, events and ideas that interest me, and my ability to devote the time. The range of topics will be large--from politics, art, science, television, film to whatever I find interesting and believe others will also gain some value from reading.

The purpose here will be my revealing the essence of my soul, so that others may appreciate it, gain from it, and--possibly-- they will share a piece of their's with me. I will increase my own happiness regardless, and we shall both profit from it.

Till next time--Go out and make some money!

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

EC