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I used to think Barack Obama was just extremely ignorant and irrational, but today, I flipped through his book "The Audacity of Hope" for the first time, and I am deeply disturbed by some of the things he wrote. For example: In other words, he was clearly aware of how dangerous the deficit was even when it was MUCH smaller, and he clearly understands exactly what is going to happen when foreigners realize we can't pay out debts without debasing our currency. This suggests, to me, that he is not a well-intentioned liberal idiot, but an intelligent man who is deliberately raizing America to bring about misery and death. Do you think my inference is tenable, and is this what Peikoff means when he calls Obama a nihilist?

Their premise is likely that appearance only involves other people evaluating your look as good or not. To care about how you look would then indicate you are a vain person and only want the attention of other people. Why not be happy with how god made you? Don't be so narcissistic and try to grab the attention you don't need. As long as you're healthy, you don't need to alter how you look. It's what's on the inside that counts! Such a premise is not true. How you look can be about yourself, *expressing* your values. Caring about how you look means you care about your body, because you'd be acknowledging that there is no mind/body dichotomy. The above paragraph is a great example of advocating a mind/body dichotomy. As long as you're mentally well, why care about going the extra mile for your body? That's all sorts of wrong, because your appearance is a manifestation of your mental well-being anyway. While it is true that not all people value working out, there are many ways to show how you value your appearance, whether it be makeup, clothing, or whatever other form of styling. Looking your best needs to be explained as valuable in terms of putting yourself as the standard of value. People often define "looking your best" as some standard defined by popular media, which is a narcissistic standard if anyone pursues beauty by that standard.

"To live, man must hold three things as the supreme and ruling values of his life: Reason—Purpose—Self-esteem. Reason, as his only tool of knowledge—Purpose, as his choice of the happiness which that tool must proceed to achieve—Self-esteem, as his inviolate certainty that his mind is competent to think and his person is worthy of happiness, which means: is worthy of living." Reason: I know that healthy dieting and exercise will increase my health in the moment, my life's longevity, and my physique. These are metaphysical facts. Chocolate in excess makes you fat. Being a couch potato in excess makes you fat. I choose to increase my quality of life by working hard at the gym, and choosing healthy "fuel" for my body. Purpose: I want to live life to the fullest, looking my best, feeling my best, so that I may achieve my career goals, pursue my love interests and attain happiness on earth. Self-Esteem: I love myself. I love living. I love doing. I know that my life has value and that I am competent and worthy of living. If that is considered narcissistic than it is a virtue.

I have always considered Kira's admiration for Leo a bit misguided. When I read the book, I thought that possibly Kira projected onto Leo characteristics which were not there. He was handsome enough to be a model but ultimately weak in character and turned out to be unworthy of what Kira did for him. He allowed his environment to destroy him and although I am somewhat sympathetic (considering his circumstances) there is not enough there to evoke respect in me. Kira, in my opinion, had to face much harder challenges in life, much more difficult decisions than Leo did and yet her spirit, her values, her morals and her ideas remained intact. She was a survivor! She remained a fighter for her values, for the kind of life she deserved, for the person she loved, until her last breath. For that reason she has always been a source of admiration and inspiration for me. Kira is my favorite Rand's female character.