Journey towards Objectivism

Introductions and Personal Notes
1

Hey there! I finished reading Atlas Shrugged when I was 17 years-old and “fell in love” with it. Then I read The Fountainhead, Anthem, Night of January 16th, and Objectivism by Leonard Peikoff. I decided that I would do anything I to model and be like Howard Roark, John Galt and the other heroes. This may seem silly, but in the day of my 18th anniversary I took the same oath as John Galt did in the novel: that I would never live for the sake of someone else and never let someone else live live for mine. (i`m 18 years-old by the way.)

Although I may have some knowledge about Objectivism, I still feel like something is missing. I came here so I can learn from those people who were able to make a shift in their lives towards objectivity and clarity. Sometimes I wonder if living a life like Howard Roark or John Galt is possible. As I said in the other thread, sometimes I still catch myself thinking about people, thinking about what they think of me, gossiping and thinking other stuff that I know are unreasonable, but they happen so naturally.

Those of you who have been students of objectivism for a while, I please ask you to tell me what to do next in my journey. I know I have to study more and learn more about objectivism, but if someone with a greater experience got a special advise or recommendation that would make my life easier, I`ll be glad to hear it.

Im kind of introducing myself on this thread, since I consider this time in my life (18 years old) the start of my journey and of my adult life. One thing is for sure, ill never stop trying until I live my life 100% objective. Sorry for any grammar mistakes, I live in Brazil and English is not my first language.

That is it my friends.

Ferris.

2

Sometimes I wonder if living a life like Howard Roark or John Galt is possible. As I said in the other thread, sometimes I still catch myself thinking about people, thinking about what they think of me, gossiping and thinking other stuff that I know are unreasonable, but they happen so naturally.

Be very careful here. Living a life like Roark or Galt means living in accordance with their philosophical principles. It does not require emulating concrete psychological or physical details of their lives and character. There is nothing non-objective in thinking about other people and caring about what they think of you. Rand herself was often very interested in what other people thought of her, and said so explicitly. If you repress parts of yourself in the name of fidelity to Objectivism you will wind up rejecting Objectivism in the name of self-expression.

If you’re young and struggling with how to properly apply Objectivist philosophical principles to the concretes of daily life I strongly recommend listening to Leonard Peikoff’s podcasts. He spends a lot of time answering questions about exactly those kinds of issues and it’s very illuminating. Diana Hsieh’s “Rationally Selfish Radio” podcasts cover similar material and are also worthwhile.

Above all, remember that Objectivism is a philosophy for living on Earth. If being an Objectivist isn’t making your life better then you’re doing something wrong.