Hazmatac

Ok, ok, I know what the word I means! The thing is, I rarely if ever use it in my head. I was laying in bed recalling something I read in a book about meditation about people attaching a lot onto that concept in their heads, and also recalled how most meditation instructors say how there are countless thoughts running through peoples heads all the time. Well, I thought there might be a connection. Anyway, I thought the thought "I" two times, and upon hearing it I knew two things: it was MY voice, and it meant me. Well, I stopped thinking it as I was just trying it, but it felt pretty natural. I was just "trying" the thought and I think I cut it off prematurely. In the future if I get the chance again I won't "cut it off" so quick. I felt a connection to the thought, and got the impression that it is something that is easy to get used to, and as those meditation books say, make you think a lot.

Yeah, I don't think its really a big deal, but good for practice. Not exactly life or death I would say

I agree with you that being healthy and fit is a material value, and regard working out at the gym as being productive, but I do not think that rest is creating a value, any more than a girl isn't being productive by "creating" a baby. It is a natural process. And remember, that all virtues are traced back to thinking.

I second Greebo

Yes, I think I should have attributed more survival value to spiritual values, you're right. The virtue of pride leads to a spiritual value which is as vital as creating material values, for example.

Because material values is what is necessary for survival, not spiritual values. You can be happy, but that is not going to help you physically SURVIVE. Even if you are living as a parasite, you still need material values made by others to sustain your life. That is why it is one of the essential parts when describing the virtue of productivity.

I know you didn't, which is why your argument is invalidated, since the standard of productiveness is the creation of material values.

I never said that you said rest creates values, I said that that's what you would have to argue to make your claim that sleeping or inactivity is productive. And if that's not the standard of it being productive, what is? Materiality is part of the definition of productivity which I have stated earlier but will restate here. As stated in "Loving Life," productivity is "the process of creating material values, whether goods or services."

That is horrible

No, rest here is defined as sleep. And during that time, there is no creation of material value. For you to make your argument, you would have to argue that in all instances of sleep a material value is produced. So I ask you, exactly what material value is produced by sleep?

I was wondering, what are your thoughts on enlightenment? Real? Fake? Achievable? Have you had any enlightening experiences? I am referring to the concept of enlightenment in any tradition, such as Buddhism, or Yoga.

No, rest may be vital for productivity, but it is not the same thing as productivity, by definition.

My bad, I was tired when I wrote my original post. I didn't mean living as a parasite permanently. But would it be wrong to be a "parasite" by say, living temporarily at your friends house while you get back on your feet? Or is this not an instance of taking the undeserved due to the friendship? So essentially what I am asking is, is it okay to get help from someone temporarily?

Well, I was flipping through a book by Craig Biddle called "Loving Life" which is has a lot of basic Objectivist morality in it and found the right definition for productivity: "the process of creating material values, whether goods or services." Therefore, relaxation is NOT being productive. Case closed!

Sorry if I am asking a basic question here. I have heard this before but never asked about it or read where it origionated. Is there a principle that states you should not take the unearned? And if so, why? Obviously you should not force someone and take what they do not give you, so that leaves parasitism. And honestly, I don't understand why this is a bad way to live your life. Any thoughts?

JASKN, http://www.yoism.org/?q=node/120 That portion of that website deals a lot with neuroleptic medication and mental illness And these are some good videos from youtube:

Why does capitalism need a philosophical base to be defended properly? What if self-interest is not brought up when mentioning why capitalism is the proper social system, and what does that lead to? My guess is that it is the individual rights that must be upheld through the philosophical base. Is this what happened in the 19th century when we transitioned from a lot of free market to gradually less and less? I ask because I never came across why this is so in my reading of Objectivism, and frankly if there's not a good reason than Objectivists shouldn't have a big deal with Libertarians, but they do and I am left in the dark as to why. Could someone turn on the light? Is the opposition to Libertarians valid? Also, what IS the philosophical base that must be explained to defend capitalism? Is metaphysics and epistemology necessary to explain Morality and Self-Interest, and thus Capitalism? What are the important points that must be brought up in the more basic branches to defend capitalism? What is the likely conclusion of the philosophical base being left out in a newly free and free market society? Can philosophy bring the free market back to a statism if the free market isn't defended on a philosophical level? Alright, that's about all the questions about this issue I have, and I think it is an important aspect of Objectivism which ought to be understood to really understand the idea of Capitalism and what makes it work, so thank you for your responses.

One of the best videos I've seen on Youtube about the truth about psychiatry: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIydrSMyNq0 And this is one of the most interesting I've seen of plants:

2 videos featuring Peter Schiff: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I0QN-FYkpw...feature=related

Amaroq was right, A1 A2 and A3 are STILL the same entity, because even if they are SLIGHTLY changed molecularly through a given course of time, the change is only SLIGHT and you are still talking about the same entity. For example, say you drive across a bridge, which has changed slightly on a molecular level several times since you've been on it. Would it be accurate to say you just drove across 10 bridges, or one that changed slightly? To give another example, lets assume you are cut by a knife, which SLIGHTLY changes your form. Are you a different person, or are you the same person but just slightly altered? So therefore, A1, A2, and A3 are still fundamentally the same entity, A. It does not become B because it is slightly changed, it becomes B because there is a MAJOR change to it. Peace

I just randomly came across this while looking up things on hulu. If you skip ahead to the 4th section, it does a short miniversion of The Fountainhead with Maggie as Howard Roark: http://www.hulu.com/watch/72418/the-simpso...-and-a-manicure

So it seems that purpose in this case means any purposeful activity, rather than a 'central life purpose.'

I'm not sure of the exact quote, but it goes something like this: "To live, man must hold 3 thing as the ruling and supreme values of his life. Those values are reason, purpose, and self-esteem." Now, I understand reason. If you don't go according to reason, you have no guide to action. Poison becomes edible. Gravity no longer is real. Etc. So, you need reason, otherwise you WOULD die. The other two values I'm not so clear about in regards to living. My guess is Rand meant that you need these as mans life qua mans life, and not just qua living (simply eating and breathing). Man's life means all that you can get out of it, and you won't be fulfilled unless you have a purpose and self esteem. So what is the answer? Why must you hold purpose and self-esteem as values to live?

I think your problem is you apparently still value your ex even though you consciously don't want to, thus masturbate and long for her. What you need to do is change how you view the situation. Either you left her for the wrong reasons and you actually still have a valid desire for her, or there is no reason to still desire her and you need to recognize reality.