ConorJames Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 Once upon a time, I was a socialist. I see no reason not to admit it, even here. I won't bore you with my reasons for believing in socialism, mainly because it would bore me to write even half of them down, but essentially, I was taught to. I accepted it without question or protest, even though some points didn't quite ring true and (though I wasn't fully aware of it at the time) it went against all my natural instincts; I've always been a selfish person at heart, even when preaching selflessness. Since I'd grown up believing that selfishness was immoral, I concluded that I was nothing more than a hypocrite and felt secretly ashamed of myself. Then, one day, I bought a copy of The Fountainhead. I was vaguely aware of the controversy surrounding Ayn Rand and Objectivism, and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I thought I knew what I was in for when I started reading - I'd be amused at best, offended at worst - but I certainly wasn't expecting to have the socialist ideals I'd held so dear torn down and exposed for the lies they were. Nor was I expecting to start thinking of my ego and my once-shameful ambition as the infinitely valuable things that they are. Since reading The Fountainhead I've read a handful of articles and essays by Ayn Rand and Leonard Peikoff, I've watched one of Rand's TV interviews and I've started reading Atlas Shrugged (a book which, I've noticed, is large enough to be used as a serviceable weapon, though I won't let that keep me from finishing it). The more I learn about Objectivism, the more I feel as if I'm on the right track for the first time in my life. In making the transition from socialist to objectivist, I kind of feel like I've recovered from a long-term illness: I'm still a little shaky on my feet, but knowing that I'll only get stronger from here feels damn good. So, with that little preface over and done with... hi there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zip Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 Welcome... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluecherry Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 Yup, Welcome to the forum. Stick around. Make yourself at home. Look around. Enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCizzle Posted June 12, 2011 Report Share Posted June 12, 2011 Nice to meet you. Nice to see an Objectivist brother in Ireland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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