ASKING WITH INTENT.

ASKING WITH INTENT. Listening Without Excuse, Acting With Courage


In the last few blog entries, I've talked about reason, purpose and self-esteem as primary principles.

The next few entries will discuss the next wording of my mission statement that has to do with how to practically apply these principles in determining proper choices and implementing them.

As I move through the different parts of my mission statement, I must emphasize that I can only take credit for my mission statement as a collage if you will of principles and ideas of the original authors who have influenced how I think and who I am today. Ayn Rand, of course is underlying virtually all of it, but others such as Stephen Covey have also been a significant influence and Covey is being quoted verbatim in the subject line.

The subject line contains three distinct but inseparable parts of what I believe to be requirements for rational behaviour. Not only are they inseparable but the order in which they are presented also cannot be altered.

First of all, the question being asked (ASKING WITH INTENT) of one's self is "what should I do?", and the intent refers to the fact that I am not asking rhetorically; I am asking because I truly want this knowledge in order to fulfil my obligation to take action once I have determined what the proper course is. Anything less than acting once I've determined the proper course of action, can only be described as evil, and I will deserve whatever consequences come my way because I will not have failed to act due to ignorance but by conscious choice.

The only acceptable ignorance would be if despite asking the question, due to insufficient facts or erroneous assertions, I am left with no definite answer, or with an honestly mistaken one.

I can be forgiven honest errors but not conscious choices to avoid actions. (Or worse, the refusal to ask the questions in the first place.)

When I speak of being forgiven, I am not referring to any actual person's forgiveness per se, but as reality itself being the judge.

For example if I was lost in the wilderness, and I refused to ask myself what I should do, (thinking being my tool of survival) or if I did ask and didn't like the answer and refused to take action, then reality as my judge would surely condemn me to death.

You could likely guess where I will be going with the next part, LISTENING WITHOUT EXCUSE, but hopefully I will be able to add some interesting distinctions and not be overly redundant.

What I will finish with is that, while some of the above may seem harsh or inflexible, I stand by it.

For me, it would be very easy to avoid the harsher aspects of reality as I have been shielded from them my entire life, never having been involved in a war, known starvation or any real economic hardship but I am quite conscious of the fact that this has only been made possible because of other rational men who have come before me who asked, listened and acted in accordance with reality and I am the grateful benefactor of their accomplishments.

Personally I would argue that all that is good in my life and in the world is a direct result of rationality and that almost all suffering (almost because some things are inevitable) is caused (or made worse) by irrationality.

Thanks again for reading!