Hi all

Introductions and Personal Notes
1

Hi all,

Yet another lurker here who’s been wondering whether to join or no . . . I guess I’m taking the plunge.

A lil somethin’ about me: I’m a fiction writer, although it still feels weird to say that, as I am unpublished and have only the vaguest plans for a novel in the works. Perhaps aspiring novelist would be more appropriate, although I do have a growing collection of short stories that I am rather proud of (most days, anyway). Or maybe it should be editor by day, writer by night . . .

In addition, I have an obsessive-compulsive passion for buying attractive books, a fire-breathing, man-eating cat I love almost more than life, and only one friend worth mentioning. If you can believe all that, my family has disowned me for my radical stance on friendship with my dishonest, irrational dad: I won’t do it. It’s a grand life.

I, too, hail from the ever-lovely “happy to pay” welfare-state of Minnesota, although I don’t think I know RationalEgoist over there.

I’ve been an Objectivist for round about seven years now, since I greedily gobbled up all of Ayn Rand’s fiction in high school and much of her nonfiction in my first year of college. My favorite part of any of her books is to this day the last bit of Anthem, the part that starts: I AM. At age 18, 3 AM, I sat on my bed one night and cried my heart and soul out as I read that chapter. I’ve never been the same since.

And that’s the essentialized me . . . Glad that such a thing as this exists. Thank you to all involved in creating it.

As for my name: R is for Rachael, A is for Ann, and Mare is just Mare. It’s my pseudonym for now, but I plan to change my name to it as soon as possible in future. Feel free to call me Rachael or Ramare.

2

Hi Rachel, nice t’meet ya! :smiley:

If it helps, I’ve found that the higher I set my standard for who I want as a friend, the more friends I have. Conventional wisdom would predict the opposite.

3

My favorite part of any of her books is to this day the last bit of Anthem, the part that starts: I AM. At age 18, 3 AM, I sat on my bed one night and cried my heart and soul out as I read that chapter. I’ve never been the same since.

That sounds strangely familiar… :wink:

Welcome to the forum, Rachael!

4

Thanks, Ash. It means a lot.

Bearster: It’d be pretty hard to get any higher. I just don’t get out much, that’s all. Too much time at home creating worlds of my own. :rolleyes: (That part of the post was a little tongue-in-cheek, too . . . )

5

Welcome to the forum

And as Ash said, that sounds very very familiar.

I wished to know the meaning

of things. I am the meaning. I wished

to find a warrant for being. I need no

warrant for being, and no word of sanction

upon my being. I am the warrant and the sanction.

dinesh.

6

Strange, but my reaction to that chapter, and most of Ayn Rand’s more brilliant passages, was laughter.

Welcome, Rachel! B)

7

Welcome!

I hope you find this place as valuable as I have.

VES

8

My reaction - complete and utter tears of Joy. About the friendship thing, and maybe I should start my own thread, but I’ve been grappling with this one for a few months, wondering.. what to do with the long time friends I have now, they are good people.. but hold.. illogical views. I want to be their friend because they are good people, smart, funny, I want to talk to them and keep talking to them and help they realize they just need to take responsibility for their life. Stop trying to evade the law of causality.. and at the same time wondering if nothing I say will ever help. Blah. :unsure:

9

I’ve been grappling with this one for a few months, wondering.. what to do with the long time friends I have now, they are good people.. but hold.. illogical views.  I want to be their friend because they are good people, smart, funny, I want to talk to them and keep talking to them and help they realize they just need to take responsibility for their life.  Stop trying to evade the law of causality.. and at the same time wondering if nothing I say will ever help.  Blah. :unsure:

The world is full of people with mixed premises, and some of them make great friends – especially those we grew up with and shared important parts of our lives with.

The first thing to do is for YOU to decide what you want from your old friends. You say they are good people and you enjoy doing things with them. That’s a real value.

Then you say you want to help them be more responsible, teach them, etc. Why? Do THEY want to change what they think or do YOU? If they never change, is there still value for you in being their friend? There often is.

You may disagree with them, but whatever mistakes they may make, or even character flaws they may have, are not your responsibility. You don’t have to be their therapist or parent. Their ideas are no threat to you. You can go on being rational, responsible, and hold onto your correct ideas even if they never join you.

So what do you do with them? If they offer value to you, respect and enjoy them for it. Discuss or joke about your differences, agree to disagree when you hit an impasse, and otherwise continue as you always have.

10

Strange, but my reaction to that chapter, and most of Ayn Rand’s more brilliant passages, was laughter.

Yes, that too!

11

Thanks Betsy. :lol: In fact, you are incredibly accurate in your depiction of my mental state. I do care for them, but it seems as though I want so much more from them than they are capable of giving me. It is only in those moments when they ask you in all honesty for your personal opinion of their situation.. as a friend, to tell them what you really think, it is in those moments when I want to shout, “Just THINK!!” But they are really good people and I truly respect them for that.

12

Ramare,

Just curious about your name. You say you intend to have it legally changed, will it just be “Ramare” or do you plan to have two names (a first name and a surname)? Doesn’t really matter, I guess, just wondering.

It’s interesting, because I am also an aspiring novelist who intends to change my legal name. We seem to have an awful lot in common. :slight_smile: