A Free Man

I've searched through the active threads, and I noticed that, while there were many specific topics centering around what the word "inspiring" means, I didn't find one devoted to listing examples in a general sense. That being the case, I would like to suggest the following: I would welcome other people discussing what they find inspiring, what "gets you through your day" when you're feeling tired and discouraged by the persistent irrationality in our culture and the world. Here are a few examples of artists/writers and works that I have thought of; at first some of these choices may seem strange, but I will explain my reasons behind them: 1. Claudio Monteverdi's "Ecco Mormorar"- This is a fascinating example of a work celebrating the beauty of reason and the limitless acheivements possible to Man. Note how he invokes "Aurora", the Greek Goddess of the dawn in a misguided(religion)but touching gesture. 2. Katy Perry's "Firework"- This is an artist I had my doubts about. In the beginning of her career, she released several songs which properly belong in the "moronic pop-music" category; I still have some doubts about her character, given her marriage to the "ex-drug addict" Russell Brand, so I can't offer an unequivocal endorsement at this time, but this song was a shining example of exactly the type of selfish Rationality and Individualism which Ayn Rand wrote about, and although Perry makes several errors(naming the Heart as the center of human emotions)the song goes against the dominant Philosophical trend fostered by Altruism and its belief in perpetual suffering and disappointment as inevitable. 3. Terry Goodkind's "The Sword of Truth" series- His main characters Richard and Kahlan both stand, repectively as briliant examples of what it means to be a Rational Man, and a Rational Woman, remembering of course an obvious fact which many people choose to forget, that in terms of fundamentals, the virtue of Rationality, as other virutes are not, is not one determined or limited by gender. P.S. I would like to hear an opinion from a moderator on whether or not posting the lyrics of the above songs would constitute copyright infringement.

I would say from personal experience that whether or not one can change one's sense of life is the wrong question. Let me explain; as a deluded person's sense of life is the sum of the type of things like art music, etc. that they remain to loyal to on a purely subconscious level, for a person lacking a conceptual understanding of the issues involved,they won't be able to say why they remain loyal to that which brings them pleasure. The easiest way to understand this is to think of an innocent, confused person, who consciously holds values like a belief in the mystical or supernatural that conflict with, say a love for classical music which centers around the rational creation of a musical work in an ordered, meticulous fashion. But for a person who has once held rational values but has betrayed them, all that remains is what might be termed a "sense of death." For this reason I would not seek advice from Mr. Branden. I have skimmed Barbara Branden's unauthorized bio of Ayn Rand, and found the writing and schclarship to be of such a consistently low and inaccurate quality that I put it down after a few minutes in sheer disgust. Given this, and the fact that my understanding of Ayn Rand is such that I do not believe that she would not have distanced herself from the Brandens without cause, and that she would not have done so without rational cause I am willing to give her the benefit of the doubt regardless of the errors she may have made(possible affair,etc.). From the evidence I have seen so far, and I am still pursuing my evaluation(will soon read "The Passion of Ayn rand's Critics"), Mr. Branden is even worse than his wife. To return to the first point, when a conflict exists between what one finds enjoyment in and the values one embraces, meaning when one values something beautiful and vibrant and inspiring on a subsconsious level, but embraces consciously "values" which attempt to destroy what one enjoys, then to correct that error, one must examine one's premises,learn the cause of the disconnect, and bring one's values into accord with one's sense of life.