MoralParadise
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Posts posted by MoralParadise
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Please comment and answer this. Everyday the pleasure I feel contracts... I'm 19.
Dr. Peikoff,
There exists an anti-concept which I have long ago internalized but cannot name. Everyday I find that if I am not constantly challenging myself to the brink of my potential, I sabotage my productivity. Ironically, the only thing that seems to temporarily alleviate the psychological horror of not living up to my ideal is evasion of some kind in the form of self sabotage. Since I was a child I have always wanted to do great things and as I find I cannot reason with myself or eliminate the aftertaste of the view of the Naturalists which is that life is pointless, I am in conflict everyday with myself. At times I stumble upon a new idea from you or Ayn Rand, and do temporarily believe it to be a psychological cure. It usually brings me to be more productive for that day. Having to rely on constant motivational nuggets of Objectivist wisdom does not seem like an effective way for me to live - I eventually forget and stumble upon old principles as if they are new and spin circles. I would like to know how you incorporate your benevolent world view in general including what system of checks and balances you use to keep you productive and happy everyday. It appears as though my whims drive my life and I would appreciate any advice on how to realize the hierarchy of reason and emotion in one's life and solve the aforementioned problem.
Clayton
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Granted, you don't want job security or salary alone to determine your career path and I agree that you need to find something you love or like to do; however, it's important that you choose a career keeping all three in mind so that you will #1) have a job/work to do and #2) receive an income sufficient to support a lifestyle that you will be happy with.
My ex loved graphic arts, but the jobs were few and far between, didn't last very long and he didn't get paid enough to sustain his lifestyle during the periods which he was unemployed. It was a financial disaster and neither of us were happy, that's for sure.
Very interesting and true. I know in terms of personal experience when I have had an injury and seen a doctor they generally have done the worst thing possible for me in the worst way possible. I can only imagine how bureaucratic neurosurgery might be, though it might have a better chance than say heart surgery in terms of that. Also, with Medicare on the fritz and the salary of the doctor on the decline, it is hard to say whether or not that job security will even yield the salary needed to pay back the medical bills. And then it could dry up in terms of innovation and become completely socialized.
You are giving me a different perception on things to some degree. lol
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Alright, I checked my premises and clearly was not consistent in them. Instead of finding fault, I was looking for the capacity of human suffering - not responding rationally. Inconsistent premises will produce inconsistent actions. Objectivism is life saver- it's always there to be understood or not - and the great thing is that you will know when you aren't understand it.
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I'm 19 - and have been "trying" to do business for roughly two years now. I've pretty much made a list of everything I hate about it. Someone stole money from me, setting me back. I worked pretty much for free for another person, and now he wants to sue me for bullshit because his project didn't get financed and a bunch of people stole money from him who I have no relationship to. I see a couple other people my age "making it", by what ethical standards I don't really know (reference the acai berry/colon cleanse mom testimonials for "free trial" products). All I want is to be able to do my work well - and it seems like I have to pull a rabbit out of a hat everyday to even make it in business - unless one is sitting on a real estate portfolio - everyone wants to sue each other, no one wants to follow through, and everyone wants to steal from each other in this mixed economy. The people on top of fortune 500 companies somehow get away with stealing, and innovation is basically no longer a value in business. It's weird - I originally thought it would be fun because I like innovation - but everyone just steals from each other, and no one really innovates. Innovation requires early adopters and a significant time period overall to adopt that innovation, so it is not always easily marketable immediately. I realize I'm speaking in general examples, but I'm just trying to illustrate the environment as I see it.
So I'm pretty interested in going to med school and using my smarts in that sense to become a neurosurgeon. From there I can innovate in a quiet field. Sure, patients sometimes sue doctors, but compared to the everyday irrationality I put up with in business, I believe it would be so refreshing being in a respectable field where your work actually matters. I am not about to hate on the business people that actually produce value, but it seems like majority in today's age don't produce value- as Ayn Rand also defines the difference between the two. It's total dog eat dog. And I don't even see companies here in the future hiring "marketing execs" or what have you here for $200+k a year. I wouldn't even want a job like that. There is no job security in the corporate ladder scheme of things. The only thing I can visibly see is being an advanced specialist in medicine. Sure, Medicare has huge debt obligations, but I'm confident that people in short supply like neurosurgeons will always have work and good pay.
I basically could have made more money working at target since I have lost and made some. That's disheartening and I don't know where to pinpoint the problem. I came into this with the idea that I could shine - as I am a creative thinker, but it seems like more so the ability to play a 24/7 chess game in your head and account for random things is more of what it takes. Maybe I'd be better at medicine where I'm in a more structured environment, and am guaranteed to be paid for the work I do.
To top that off - the Federal Reserve is constantly devaluing the sanctity of the dollar and driving this country in the ground, which makes even making money and doing business here look like a short term party. I don't mean to sound pessimistic, but when I see the "mixed economy" environment's self fulfilling prophecy and the characters that so exist as a product of it, I just wonder if this type of "business" is really where I want to be. I'm not looking to abdicate the responsibilities of business, as even doctors are businessmen to an extent. It just doesn't even seem like they have a use in this mixed economy but to rip people off on my level. On larger levels I'm sure they provide housing - whatever - existing products that people need - but I can't stand trying to pull myself up in this case any longer.
How does one not keep a malevolent world view from my perspective here? lol Get in another field...
Any ideas or similar opinions?
Maybe I need to learn to maintain the benevolent universe premise... since I was raised with the belief in god like many, maybe when that left so did that premise...
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Thanks, softwareNerd. I'll try again to send a couple of PMs just leaving a time delay between them and get back to you.
Why can't I post new threads in the other sections of this forum?
Sub-Basement Premises
in Questions about Objectivism
Posted
Ayn Rand wrote about these in her published journals, albeit briefly from what I have read off the snippet views at amazon.com. I found very interesting thoughts, which basically said that someone can accurately understand objectivism on a conscious level and yet function irrationally by means of holding sub-basement premises, or psycho-epistemological errors.
The one mentioned in her journals was the idea that people can process information based on emotions as a primary of judgment. Their brain therefore remembers information in the same fashion like a rat or any other animal conditioned through emotional response, making logical deductions contingent upon emotional responses and therefore very unclear if not impossible.
The journal appeared to be a letter to Nathaniel Branden, who was of course giving talks on objectivism at the time and possible seeing private patients as a psychologist (I do not have this information and am not sure of when he started his practice). In her journals, Ayn mentions front and back seat driving as sub-basement premises, though she did not define them there from the snippet I read.
I would be very interested to hear from anyone who has read Ayn Rand's published journals or who has information pertaining to this they would like to contribute. I was going to post on the other objectivist forum where Barbara Branden hangs out but it does not look very active.
Oddly enough, I went to the website of Barbara Branden, and found references to front and backseat driving in a book review on her site of her book - so clearly she must have an idea of this.