VcatoV

edited for spelling

I have two bits of advice.

The first is-move out. Living with your parents is like living in a nest-most everything you need is given to you, and reality is (for the most part) not staring you in the face. So stretch your wings and try it out. It will suck, speaking bluntly. You will have very little money. Once common items will become treasured treats (I remember when it took me almost a month just before I had enough money to casually afford myself a nice latte from Starbucks. Then again, I am pretty averse to spending anyway). Do not be surprised when the smell of Ramen Noodles makes you sick, but you eat it, because you could not afford the pork roast at the grocery store. This is reality, and this is what you need to face. Your priorities will change.

The second is-do not burn the bridge with your parents. I understand that you do not want to be "bothered" because of their emotionalism, and maybe giving it awhile before you tell them where you live will help things "cool down", though I certainly do not think so. Just get into the habit of asking yourself this question ever single day: "Why do my parents feel as they do?". Either way, you'll learn something.

Ayn Rand has stated explicitly that homosexuality was not normal homo sapien behavior. I support that view. It appears as though, in terms of morality, too many proclaimed Objectivists of this generation take the anarchist/subjectivist approach. This line of reasoning is simply not in line with the philosophy of Objectivism that that Ayn Rand created, Peikoff maybe, but not Ayn Rand. That being said, I don't think she would have an issue with someone choosing to be gay, but she would certainly not endorse it as Objectivist approved morality. The Objectivism of today seems more concerned with a libertarian approach to subjects that Miss Rand stated were contrary to her philosophy. Will the defenders of Rand's work and beliefs please stand up?

This.

Funny but full of conviction, so I respect it. But are you telling me that it's okay for my work to be stolen from me so that more people can die in wars not of my choosing than the terrorist act on 9/11?

I think what you need to analyze is how wars are begun in the first place. It was never the baker in New York who declared war on the Car Salesman in "Nazi" Germany. Wars are always begun by governments, never people, and have historically never accomplished the goal of "security" that they promised. Of all the wars the US was in, tell me which one was justified in the innocent death of individuals? Wars will never end until government ends.

Of course, most Objectivist will critique this argument, stating that the proper role of government is to protect the individual from harm, both foreign and domestic. But 9/11 did nothing to me. I have no qualm with Iraq or Afghanistan. This is not an argument against justice, but rather an argument that the government can never be an instrument of justice: never has been and never will be. We captured Osama in Pakistan, where he has been in 6 years. We are still in Iraq and Afghanistan...

[Edit begins here to qualify]

I don't want to come across as a peace-loving MLK "hippie". I was merely trying to point out that justice stems from an individual, not a "national" or "collective" level. Once these artificial bodies take up the cause of justice, they automatically will use and abuse individuals in such a "pursuit".

Funny but full of conviction, so I respect it. But are you telling me that it's okay for my work to be stolen from me so that more people can die in wars not of my choosing than the terrorist act on 9/11?

Hello Eric and welcome to the forums!



Don't be so hard on yourself. Your 40 years of life allowed you to become the person you are, which led you to Ayn Rand. You've already done most of the work, she just put it into words for you .

If you are looking for some things to light the fire (depending upon what you read), I'd suggest a few of the following as primers:

"The God of the Machine" --by Isabel Paterson. It is a non-fiction, but really cuts to the chase in beautiful prose when it comes to individualism and our modern society. Plus, she was the mentor of Ayn Rand.

"The Histories" --by Polybius. This is an ancient history written by a Greek philosopher/historian who wanted to explain to the Greeks how Rome came to power. The best part about reading this history is the discovery of real-life people, an entire society, who exhibited many of the traits described in Rand's novels.

"Stranger in a Strange Land" --by Robert Heinlein. I hesitated at first with this one. Heinlein is undoubtedly a wonderful and enjoyable read (these are fiction novels)who has the tendency to project wonderful ideas in a refreshing way. The other one by him that you should read, if you don't like this one at first, would be "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress", which tends to be his most popular. "Stranger", though, affected me personally like no other novel except those by Rand.

First let's preface with this fact: Zinn is a Marxist who desired to whitewash history by presenting a [Marxist] "People's" History of the United States. So always be on guard.

Secondly, this is quite simple: justice is justice. What is just for a poor person is not different than what is just for a rich person, as opposed to a black or white person, gay or straight, etc. As a rational human being, our commitment is to justice regardless of who is "suffering".

Hello Eric and welcome to the forums!



Don't be so hard on yourself. Your 40 years of life allowed you to become the person you are, which led you to Ayn Rand. You've already done most of the work, she just put it into words for you .

If you are looking for some things to light the fire (depending upon what you read), I'd suggest a few of the following as primers:

"The God of the Machine" --by Isabel Paterson. It is a non-fiction, but really cuts to the chase in beautiful prose when it comes to individualism and our modern society. Plus, she was the mentor of Ayn Rand.

"The Histories" --by Polybius. This is an ancient history written by a Greek philosopher/historian who wanted to explain to the Greeks how Rome came to power. The best part about reading this history is the discovery of real-life people, an entire society, who exhibited many of the traits described in Rand's novels.

"Stranger in a Strange Land" --by Robert Heinlein. I hesitated at first with this one. Heinlein is undoubtedly a wonderful and enjoyable read (these are fiction novels)who has the tendency to project wonderful ideas in a refreshing way. The other one by him that you should read, if you don't like this one at first, would be "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress", which tends to be his most popular. "Stranger", though, affected me personally like no other novel except those by Rand.