Aquila

Ayn Rand's opinions and writings are not the measuring unit of Goodness, Rightness, Morality. Nor is the opinion of an Objectivist, nor the opinion of someone you respect. Ideas and paradigms are tools that you hold in your hand. Objectivism is one such tool. I would argue that it is the best tool, and if anyone has a better one, I invite them to show it to me. When someone asks "Is Objectivism against drugs" or "Is abortion wrong", the first question I ask is "What does it have to do with you personally?" Unless you are presently faced with or are somehow affected by the problem, why are you thinking about it? I will assume one that asks if Objectivism is "against drugs", that they do drugs recreationally. I have done drugs in the past, and certainly they are fun. But the fun comes at a cost, and there are better ways of having fun. Unless you can produce your poison of choice on your own, you must associate with the dregs of society. Metabolites found in your urine can lose you your job quicker than any amount of incompetence. And last but not least, there are negative consequences on your health and state of mind. If you deny any of the above, then so be it. Enjoy your poison. When good ol' reality gives you your "reward", don't expect me to waste one moment feeling sorry for you.

I think people who need an abstract mathematical formula to justify their being alive are dead inside, and should seek therapy or seek a change in worldview. Goodness knows I know from my own experience why someone does this.

"The ability to do work" Another way of saying acting, or doing. Is that not how de facto rights work? They are decided upon in some fashion, then enforced.

The non-sentient atoms swirling about the vacuum are each de facto moral nihilists. Arguments derived from the doctrines of people who believed that rodents and pests materialized magically out of garbage wrote thousands of years ago is absurd, and further more, stupid. Therefore, we as rational human animals must decide upon an moral coming as close to objective as possible, a moral that people as individuals agree upon without compulsion. Even if a fetus is a human life, what makes human life intrinsically sacred? The right to life is not an absolute. The moral that human beings ought not to do violence against one another is one that rational people agree upon in self-interest. Most sane humans, as most sane animals, do not want to constantly fear for their lives and material property. Not every individual of society agrees. Our more is objective enough when they are executed for murder. But the fetus posseses no power. The rights of the living mother, a human who already has rights, trump the rights of the unborn child by default. Whenever a collectivist contemplates the morality of abortion, I ask them: "How does it pertain to you personally?" and they usually stammer then hee-haw on about how abortion is taking life, and the constitution guarentees the right to life. The rights of the mother, or the negative manifestations of the "Abortion is killing, lets punish women who abort" are ignored. Rights are nothing unless Power backs them up. The philosophy of ethics is about what mores we as rational human animals should support with our Power.

On hindsight, that doesn't make much sense to me either Well, I just began applying Objectivism today, and i've been reading and studying a lot for the last few days, my mind is all jumbled.

The external world, the atoms swirling about, do not care what you do. The world is nuetral, it butchers and it hugs in accordance with the laws of physics. Objectivism points out that there exists a world externalized from the individual, and that within the parameters of human interaction, that it is moral to free men from other men. That one should not sacrifice himself to others, or anyone to him. Objectivism is a philosophy. It is an idea, a tool. Being an Objectivist does not mean that you are Objectivism: it is only a tool in your hand. Is using drugs in your best interest? Weigh the pros and cons. Don't obey something just because someone who claims to be an Objectivist says it's wrong, BUT THINK FOR YOURSELF, USING YOUR RATIONAL MIND! Whatever you choose, remember deep down that the laws of physics, not all of which humans yet know, determine Right and Wrong. If you wish to smoke Marijuana, then do so.. I hope it makes you happy. But I also won't care if you suffer fir your choice. Think for yourself, do not be an Objectivist Collectvist.

Ah, I apologize for the confusion. Thank you

I will order Who needs philosophy from Amazon right away, and look at How To Improve Your Self-Esteem's reviews and consider it. Thank you. I am not under the delusion that learning and applying Objectivist philosophy will instantly make everything in the world good and right, that all of my problems will disappear. Indeed, it is my goal to enter the medical field, so Objectivism would only make me raise the proverbial difficulty bar higher, so to speak. But what is more difficult for a person? To work hard and be proud of who and what you are, or hating yourself every moment of every day, and wishing your life to end? Objectivism will give me a mindset so that I will obtain all of my goals, or feel damn good in the attempt. In some ways, it already has helped me. Your advice is not at all bossy, and I am not offended at all at motherly advice. Usually, depending on the mother, it is the best kind. If I can afford some flurescent bulbs, perhaps I will give it a try if I can afford them. My negative attitude seems to have grown worse as winter came in, and perhaps this will help. I plan on doing all of my exercising in my room. Even if it isn't much help, the placebo effect alone might come into play. Oh, and I am male by the way. Aquila is latin for eagle. Thank you for your advice I'll order tVoS too. Depression is abundent in my family, but I am of the opinion that although genetics can make it more likely, that depression is mainly psychological. I am not omnipotent, however, and maybe it's counter-productive pride that makes me believe that, so I will not rule it out completely. The last time I visited a professional was years ago. She seemed like a pre-programmed robot with pre-programmed "answers" to my problems. The only real benefit I obtained from attending was having someone to talk to who would actually listen. My mother isn't the best listener, as she has problems of her own. I'll seek one again if I feel I need it. Nietzsche was right when he said that Nihilism leads to defeatism. Ever since reading Rand's book, I have been feeling much better, and now that I have a plan the stress is for the most part gone. For the first time in my life, I am feeling good. There's another emotion in my head too, and the best way I can think of to describe it would be to use the mental picture of a man "squaring his shoulders for the task ahead". Time to kick ass. Thanks to everyone for your recommendations. The books are in the mail now, via One-day shipping.

I have been depressed for most of my life. I blame a number of things for my current state, most of which are failures on my part. I am not physically fit, nor do I have many social skills to speak of. A great deal of my insecurity stems from how I believe other people perceive me. My depression affected my mental state, to the point where if if I encountered any kind of difficulty, be it academics or anything social, I would give up. I was so afraid to go to school that I faked sick. Towards the end of my school career, I picked the easiest courses possible. I received my High School diploma; big deal. A piece of paper is not an accomplishment. My coping methods have been a detriment, and continue to be a detriment. I went from "recreational" drugs to living in the fantasy worlds of video games and daydreams. I gravitated from religion to religion with what I now realize as the intention of finding acceptance within a religious community. I now know that all the sympathy of all the people of the world can not salve my internal need for external approval. Another of my coping mechanisms is to read things my peers are confused by, as something as an ego-boost. I clung to the illusion of a "tortured genious", something I now think of as extremely hilarious considering the fact that attempting to factor simple algebraic equations make me want to cry with frustration. It's not that the material is difficult, but that I find it so hard to concentrate with my mind so miserable, if that makes any sense. I have read The Fountainhead and see a lot of myself in every evil metaphorical character within the book. I saw what Howard Roark had and decided I wanted that for myself, or at least to strive for it. Oh, what it would be like to never feel concern over what other people thought of me. To actually feel good. I drove out an hour to the mall to buy Atlas Shrugged, the book I had seen listed on a list of Ayn Rand's other work. I started attending a community college last fall. I am not doing as well as I would like to. I don't get enough sleep because I am working full-time and going to school full-time, and I allocate great amounts of time to playing video games to comfort myself. So, I have made a decision: I am going to take one year away from school and just work. The word "work" here has three meanings: A paying job. To strive on self-improvement, to conquer my depression on my own. I also intend on studying my academics on my own to prepare myself for college. Of Ayn Rand's non-fiction, what might be the best place for someone such as me to begin learning the Objectivist philosophy?