Self-esteem.
I will keep those first things first in my life, every day by choosing to think and act in accordance with reason, purpose and SELF-ESTEEM.
Do you feel that you deserve to be happy?
Do you feel guilty about wanting to be happy?
If you need to ponder those things, in any way, shape or form, then your self-esteem is not where it should be.
Of course, if you do not value REASON as an ultimate value, then your lack of self-esteem may in fact be warranted, because you recognize, at least subconsciously that you are avoiding your responsibility to think and act rationally and as a result you have mixed feelings about yourself.
On the one hand, you may actually gravitate towards feeling like a victim of circumstances beyond your control, because you are not comfortable with facing the reality of your own responsibility for your situation.
This may seem harsh to some but the inevitable result of not clearly and rationally choosing and defining your own values is perennial self-doubt i.e. low self-esteem.
A lot of pop psychology admonishes you to love yourself and use positive affirmations, and while these may have some benefit, they lack the underlying prerequisites of REASON and PURPOSE that are the foundation of self-esteem and like any structure built without a proper foundation, it will surely crumble at the first true challenge.
As a rational human being, which it is your choice to be, you will realize that your highest moral purpose is your own happiness. Note that I am NOT talking about hedonistic pleasure or any false value that would be obtained at someone else's expense. Neither of these have anything to do with true happiness.
Armed with this certainty of purpose and the self-esteem that helps you to be secure that you deserve to be happy, you will be optimally aligned to achieve your true potential to be the HERO OF YOUR OWN LIFE.
Showing posts with label philosophy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label philosophy. Show all posts
Jun 12, 2013
Jan 15, 2013
PURPOSE = Empowerment.
PURPOSE = Empowerment.
I will keep those first things first in my life, every day by choosing to think and act in accordance with reason, PURPOSE and self-esteem
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Reason is the tool that we must use to navigate through the many choices that we need to make throughout our lives in order to first survive and then to achieve happy lives, the latter being, or should be everyone's ultimate PURPOSE.
Happiness, as an end however, can only be achieved once an individual has taken the time to carefully and thoroughly do the introspection to determine specifically what it will take to make them happy.
The defining of this PURPOSE is perhaps one of, if not the most empowering things that anyone will ever do, for many reasons, not the least of which is that they can stop wasting time on things that don't serve this purpose.
In previous writings, I have suggested that the secret to happiness is, simply to "do and be your best", and I still believe this to be the case, albeit, this may be incomplete as a concept.
Truly doing your best will actually be far less of an effort and actually become pleasurable, without the need for huge amounts of self discipline if you are properly aligned with a clear purpose.
The saying goes, "find something you love, and you'll never have to work another day in your life".
I compare this alignment to water flow. Misalignment is like a kink in the hose. You can get water through it, but it will require a lot of discipline, perseverance and just plain hard work which will result in the water getting through IF you don't get too tired or discouraged first.
With no kink in the hose... well it just "flows". (In fact there is a book entitled "Flow" with the term being used to describe the fulfilled happy state that someone experiences when they are doing something they are so passionate about that they are completely "in the moment".)
Likewise, with clarity of purpose, we stop operating with one foot on the gas and one on the brake, and we achieve far beyond what we could without this clarity, but more importantly we are happy in the process and not just the end result.
In closing, on the subject that it should be self-evident that our own happiness should be our ultimate purpose, note that, for many that is not the case, and in my next entry, I will show that this is a result of lack of SELF-ESTEEM due to buying into the altruistic philosophy that self sacrifice is a virtue.
Thanks again for reading. Comments are always welcome!
I will keep those first things first in my life, every day by choosing to think and act in accordance with reason, PURPOSE and self-esteem
*******************************************
Reason is the tool that we must use to navigate through the many choices that we need to make throughout our lives in order to first survive and then to achieve happy lives, the latter being, or should be everyone's ultimate PURPOSE.
Happiness, as an end however, can only be achieved once an individual has taken the time to carefully and thoroughly do the introspection to determine specifically what it will take to make them happy.
The defining of this PURPOSE is perhaps one of, if not the most empowering things that anyone will ever do, for many reasons, not the least of which is that they can stop wasting time on things that don't serve this purpose.
In previous writings, I have suggested that the secret to happiness is, simply to "do and be your best", and I still believe this to be the case, albeit, this may be incomplete as a concept.
Truly doing your best will actually be far less of an effort and actually become pleasurable, without the need for huge amounts of self discipline if you are properly aligned with a clear purpose.
The saying goes, "find something you love, and you'll never have to work another day in your life".
I compare this alignment to water flow. Misalignment is like a kink in the hose. You can get water through it, but it will require a lot of discipline, perseverance and just plain hard work which will result in the water getting through IF you don't get too tired or discouraged first.
With no kink in the hose... well it just "flows". (In fact there is a book entitled "Flow" with the term being used to describe the fulfilled happy state that someone experiences when they are doing something they are so passionate about that they are completely "in the moment".)
Likewise, with clarity of purpose, we stop operating with one foot on the gas and one on the brake, and we achieve far beyond what we could without this clarity, but more importantly we are happy in the process and not just the end result.
In closing, on the subject that it should be self-evident that our own happiness should be our ultimate purpose, note that, for many that is not the case, and in my next entry, I will show that this is a result of lack of SELF-ESTEEM due to buying into the altruistic philosophy that self sacrifice is a virtue.
Thanks again for reading. Comments are always welcome!
Dec 9, 2012
REASON: A spiritual principle.
I will keep those first things first in my life, every day by choosing to think and act in accordance with REASON, purpose and self-esteem
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People often draw a separation between material and spiritual realms.
If I understand what people imply by this, it seems as though what is being suggested is that there are two separate dimensions of reality, one that is concrete and one, supposedly on some sort of higher plane (whatever that means), which is above reality. (something above reality or supernatural makes no sense to me, as, if something actually exists, then it is by definition, part of nature, if I understand nature to be 'everything that exists')
Other people will say, "I'm not religious, but I'm 'spiritual', but any definitions of spiritual I've seen in this context seem nebulous at best.
In my view, spiritual and material values are simply two different aspects of one reality.
First of all, I don't think accepting spiritual principles requires any type of blind faith. Spiritual principles are simply aspects of reality that are not corporeal but which self-evidently exist and have profound effects on our quality of life. You can't touch, feel, smell, or draw a picture of spiritual principles such as honesty, willingness, courage, REASON, happiness, enthusiasm, etc. and we may even debate their exact meanings, but no one will suggest that these principles do not exist, or that one needs to accept them on blind faith.
And material objects, those created by men, are simply the material embodiment of those spiritual principles. I consider a Ferrari, an elaborate financial plan, an iPad or a well built home to be profoundly spiritual. They are the direct result of what Stephen Covey referred to in his second habit, "Begin with the end in mind", in which he asserts correctly that there are always two creations, first in one's mind, and then the actual material product.
To the degreee that a material result is good, in that it represents excellence and quality (two other spiritual principles)is the degree to which its creation was aligned with proper principles.
Note the contrast between a beautiful, well designed, and properly maintained home and a crack house, and you will see how proper spiritual principles differ from the lack thereof, or from deeply negative principles.
Note the financial/material result for clients of a well executed financial plan vs. the result produced for Bernie Madoff's clients, and you will see the same contrast.
REASON, is first and foremost the spriritual principle that leads to optimum results, in that it is the principle that is required in order for us to deal with reality properly, (choosing to think from my last post) and to achieve the productivity (another principle)of material goods that enhance life quality.
Thanks again, for reading.... comments are welcome.
*********************************************************************
People often draw a separation between material and spiritual realms.
If I understand what people imply by this, it seems as though what is being suggested is that there are two separate dimensions of reality, one that is concrete and one, supposedly on some sort of higher plane (whatever that means), which is above reality. (something above reality or supernatural makes no sense to me, as, if something actually exists, then it is by definition, part of nature, if I understand nature to be 'everything that exists')
Other people will say, "I'm not religious, but I'm 'spiritual', but any definitions of spiritual I've seen in this context seem nebulous at best.
In my view, spiritual and material values are simply two different aspects of one reality.
First of all, I don't think accepting spiritual principles requires any type of blind faith. Spiritual principles are simply aspects of reality that are not corporeal but which self-evidently exist and have profound effects on our quality of life. You can't touch, feel, smell, or draw a picture of spiritual principles such as honesty, willingness, courage, REASON, happiness, enthusiasm, etc. and we may even debate their exact meanings, but no one will suggest that these principles do not exist, or that one needs to accept them on blind faith.
And material objects, those created by men, are simply the material embodiment of those spiritual principles. I consider a Ferrari, an elaborate financial plan, an iPad or a well built home to be profoundly spiritual. They are the direct result of what Stephen Covey referred to in his second habit, "Begin with the end in mind", in which he asserts correctly that there are always two creations, first in one's mind, and then the actual material product.
To the degreee that a material result is good, in that it represents excellence and quality (two other spiritual principles)is the degree to which its creation was aligned with proper principles.
Note the contrast between a beautiful, well designed, and properly maintained home and a crack house, and you will see how proper spiritual principles differ from the lack thereof, or from deeply negative principles.
Note the financial/material result for clients of a well executed financial plan vs. the result produced for Bernie Madoff's clients, and you will see the same contrast.
REASON, is first and foremost the spriritual principle that leads to optimum results, in that it is the principle that is required in order for us to deal with reality properly, (choosing to think from my last post) and to achieve the productivity (another principle)of material goods that enhance life quality.
Thanks again, for reading.... comments are welcome.
Dec 1, 2012
CHOOSING TO THINK
I will keep those first things first in my life, every day by CHOOSING TO THINK and act in accordance with reason, purpose and self-esteem
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Thinking is not automatic. Thinking, in my opinion means facing reality as it is, not as we wish it were.
Not choosing to think is popularly known as "being in denial". Denying reality is the first step to causing all of our own problems and of hurting other people in the process.
Most of all, denial is a choice. It is the choice that precedes all evil acts and the choice that prevents us from courageously performing virtuous acts.
Unless you are a psychopath, you are unable to commit an evil act with full consciousness. You first need to somehow rationalize or justify through the use of denial, in effect by choosing not to think. That decision, that choice not to think, is then the actual moral choice which is wrong, and which we must avoid in oder to avoid consequences to ourselves and others.
Choosing to think, is the first step to the achievement of our personal values which will lead to our happiness. No matter how unpleasant any aspect of reality may appear, it pales in comparison to the consequences of not dealing with it. I think this is what Ayn Rand meant when she stated, "I'm not brave enough to be a coward".
Happiness (spiritual 'wealth') 'is the result of man's capacity to think". However, the capacity to think is only potential until one makes that daily and even momentary choice to actually do it.
Thanks for reading!
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Thinking is not automatic. Thinking, in my opinion means facing reality as it is, not as we wish it were.
Not choosing to think is popularly known as "being in denial". Denying reality is the first step to causing all of our own problems and of hurting other people in the process.
Most of all, denial is a choice. It is the choice that precedes all evil acts and the choice that prevents us from courageously performing virtuous acts.
Unless you are a psychopath, you are unable to commit an evil act with full consciousness. You first need to somehow rationalize or justify through the use of denial, in effect by choosing not to think. That decision, that choice not to think, is then the actual moral choice which is wrong, and which we must avoid in oder to avoid consequences to ourselves and others.
Choosing to think, is the first step to the achievement of our personal values which will lead to our happiness. No matter how unpleasant any aspect of reality may appear, it pales in comparison to the consequences of not dealing with it. I think this is what Ayn Rand meant when she stated, "I'm not brave enough to be a coward".
Happiness (spiritual 'wealth') 'is the result of man's capacity to think". However, the capacity to think is only potential until one makes that daily and even momentary choice to actually do it.
Thanks for reading!
May 23, 2012
LIVE: PART IV: Exercise, good or bad?
Today, I will align myself with cherishing reality, focusing and having fun, so that I may have the energy that I need to enthusiastically, LIVE, love, learn and leave a legacy of excellence.
Note: links are not live, so you have to copy and paste into your browser.
EXERCISE: To summarize this in a short blog entry does present a challenge, but I will do my best, and for more info, I will direct you to earlier entries as well as recommended links from this blog. First a definition: thanks to Ken Hutchins: http://www.renaissanceexercise.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/The-First-Definition-of-Exercise1.pdf
You may or may not agree with this definiton of exercise (many will NOT), but as a point of reference, this is what I am referencing when I use the word. Secondly, let me state that the goal in a particular workout should be to "fatigue the muscles as deeply as possible, as quickly as possible, within the constraints of safety". This is the "stimulus" that the body needs to improve, and then we have to allow it to adapt through rest and nutrition.
Exercise is simply a form of stress on the body which, if the body is able to adapt to, improves us, and if it does not adapt due to too much stress or not enough recovery, hurts us. (remember Hormesis post).
Almost all of what is currently referred to as exercise, is either ineffective and a complete waste of time, or does have some beneficial effect, but virtually guarantees, long term or acute injuries or both. (hint: one of the most common mistakes is doing simply too much)
The good news is that only a few minutes of very safe, but very intense exercise is all that we require weekly, and that the benefits of this, are so far reaching as to be the closest thing known to an actual fountain of youth. (assuming that you are properly rested, and nourished i.e see past blog on sleep and future entry on nutrition) For more google bodybyscience.net and check out articles, forum and videos. Thanks for reading!
P.S. Also very worthwhile: http://efficientexercise.com/downloads/exercise_vs_recreation.pdf
Note: links are not live, so you have to copy and paste into your browser.
EXERCISE: To summarize this in a short blog entry does present a challenge, but I will do my best, and for more info, I will direct you to earlier entries as well as recommended links from this blog. First a definition: thanks to Ken Hutchins: http://www.renaissanceexercise.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/The-First-Definition-of-Exercise1.pdf
You may or may not agree with this definiton of exercise (many will NOT), but as a point of reference, this is what I am referencing when I use the word. Secondly, let me state that the goal in a particular workout should be to "fatigue the muscles as deeply as possible, as quickly as possible, within the constraints of safety". This is the "stimulus" that the body needs to improve, and then we have to allow it to adapt through rest and nutrition.
Exercise is simply a form of stress on the body which, if the body is able to adapt to, improves us, and if it does not adapt due to too much stress or not enough recovery, hurts us. (remember Hormesis post).
Almost all of what is currently referred to as exercise, is either ineffective and a complete waste of time, or does have some beneficial effect, but virtually guarantees, long term or acute injuries or both. (hint: one of the most common mistakes is doing simply too much)
The good news is that only a few minutes of very safe, but very intense exercise is all that we require weekly, and that the benefits of this, are so far reaching as to be the closest thing known to an actual fountain of youth. (assuming that you are properly rested, and nourished i.e see past blog on sleep and future entry on nutrition) For more google bodybyscience.net and check out articles, forum and videos. Thanks for reading!
P.S. Also very worthwhile: http://efficientexercise.com/downloads/exercise_vs_recreation.pdf
May 21, 2012
LIVE: Part IIIa: Financial Planning Sailboat
Today, I will align myself with cherishing reality, focusing and having fun , so that I may have the energy I need to enthusiastically, LIVE, love, learn and leave a legacy of excellence.
LIVE: Financial Sailboat: I've decided to digress for this entry from the "physical" to the "financial" side of "LIVE". Health is obviously foundational, but financial security is actually a close second. In fact, without your financial house in order, you won't have time to exercise, money to buy food or take care of health care costs, and your sleep probably won't be very sound, as you toss and turn worrying about making ends meet. Today, I give credit to Brian Burlacoff*, BA, M.Acc., MBA, CFP, CLU, RHU for putting together a simple concept that helps us all to understand the sometimes daunting topic of financial planning. It has been said, that the three threats to our financial security are living too long, dying too soon or becoming ill or having an accident along the way. Living too long means running out of money before we die. Dying too soon, means leaving others who are dependent on us with a loss of income, and unpaid debt, and becoming ill or having an accident can cut off our income as well as bring on significant expense. Brian's concept on how to address these is the Financial Planning Sailboat. A good sailboat has a strong hull, good sails, a rudder as well as safety equipment such as life preservers. The hull represents the emergency fund that we all need: 3-6 months income available in a liquid form for unexpected short term emergencies, such as unemployment, or the transmission on the car needing replacement unexpectedly. The rudder sets the direction and this represents having a proper plan in place that is reviewed regularly (checking the compass or GPS). The sails represent your investments, properly chosen with the help of a competent advisor to suit your goals, and risk profile and they take the sailboat where it needs to go. The safety equipment, proper radio, life preservers and first aid kit, represent the insurance that one needs in case of mishaps. This includes life, disability, critical illness, long term care, home, auto and liability; the one thing you would never leave shore without, especially when your family is on the boat with you. Thanks again for reading!
LIVE: Financial Sailboat: I've decided to digress for this entry from the "physical" to the "financial" side of "LIVE". Health is obviously foundational, but financial security is actually a close second. In fact, without your financial house in order, you won't have time to exercise, money to buy food or take care of health care costs, and your sleep probably won't be very sound, as you toss and turn worrying about making ends meet. Today, I give credit to Brian Burlacoff*, BA, M.Acc., MBA, CFP, CLU, RHU for putting together a simple concept that helps us all to understand the sometimes daunting topic of financial planning. It has been said, that the three threats to our financial security are living too long, dying too soon or becoming ill or having an accident along the way. Living too long means running out of money before we die. Dying too soon, means leaving others who are dependent on us with a loss of income, and unpaid debt, and becoming ill or having an accident can cut off our income as well as bring on significant expense. Brian's concept on how to address these is the Financial Planning Sailboat. A good sailboat has a strong hull, good sails, a rudder as well as safety equipment such as life preservers. The hull represents the emergency fund that we all need: 3-6 months income available in a liquid form for unexpected short term emergencies, such as unemployment, or the transmission on the car needing replacement unexpectedly. The rudder sets the direction and this represents having a proper plan in place that is reviewed regularly (checking the compass or GPS). The sails represent your investments, properly chosen with the help of a competent advisor to suit your goals, and risk profile and they take the sailboat where it needs to go. The safety equipment, proper radio, life preservers and first aid kit, represent the insurance that one needs in case of mishaps. This includes life, disability, critical illness, long term care, home, auto and liability; the one thing you would never leave shore without, especially when your family is on the boat with you. Thanks again for reading!
Feb 27, 2010
He who is good with a hammer thinks that everything is a nail!!
As I write this blog, in preparation for an upcoming book... (presumably of the same name... "Being the Hero of Your Life"), I've struggled with the fact that my subject matter is so diverse, and whether not I should focus on a narrower scope.
However, upon greater reflection, I believe that the way to achieve "being the hero of your lfe" (meaning achieving your personal best, with the ultimate goal being to achieve happiness which I believe is our ultimate purpose on this earth), must be multi faceted,
There are, of course, no shortage of people offering an endless variety of "success formulas", many of whom are simply spouting platitudes and repeating the same old messages from countless self-help books written in the last several decades.
Admittedly, many of these people, do in fact offer some useful information, however, it is most often biased by their particular field of expertise or personal experience. (he who is good with a hammer thinks that everything is a nail!)
While the motivational speaker will talk about the power of positive thinking, the member of the clergy will expound on spirituality and the philosopher will talk about having a proper grasp of reasoning and reality. (I'm kind of partial to the latter).
The athlete will sing the praises of physical fitness, the recovering addict will promote the 12 steps and abstinence while the dietitian or nutritionist will speak of proper diet as being critical. And there is considerable evidence in my opinion that proper sleep and alignment with circadian rhythms have a considerable effect on virtually everything in our lives. Of course, the psychologist and/or psychiatrist will speak to their field and the physician will talk about health care.
In the end, I think I have a unique perspective in that I am not an "expert" in any particular field, and I have come to the conclusion, that while all these forementioned contributors have something to offer, it's not a matter of them being wrong or right but being incomplete because of their personal biases and myopic perspective.
I'm not claiming ot have it all figured out just yet. I continue to make additional distinctions, and believe I will continue to do so for the rest of my life.
I remain confident however, that the distinctions I have made thus far in my life, will present an original and more importantly, effective approach to achieving happiness, both because of the diversity of sources, and because of revolutionary (I believe this not to be hype) ideas in many of the areas that will be discussed in the book.
As I had hoped, as I write more entries in the blog, my final vision for the book continues to be clearer all the time.
Thanks for reading....
Nov 20, 2009
Capitalism, Freedom, Morality, Entrepreneurship....
So far in this blog, which is my vehicle for putting down my thoughts for future book, I have touched on a few of the topics that will form part of the book; self-help, fitness, philosophy, which will all be elaborated on in future posts and of course, in the book.
Today, I would like to touch on politics and economics, or more specifically, how people should treat each other in society.
I am an avid proponent of capitalism, in fact, what is termed laissez-faire capitalism, which doesn't actually exist today, as countries that are referred to as capitalist systems, are more accurately mixed systems at best, as true capitalism means little if any government intervention in the private marketplace (other than providing rule of law to prevent fraud and violence, a critical component)while socialism, communism, theocracies or other dictatorships represent government run, or outright government owned economies.
Interestingly, capitalism is controversial and seems to have been from the outset, however one thing that everyone agrees on is freedom. As I mentioned in a previous post on exercise, there is a lot of confusion in that field, and there is at least as much confusion when it comes to capitalism.
The thing is, for me, capitalism and freedom are synonyms. Whenever someone criticizes capitalism, they are criticizing freedom per se, although they would loudly deny this. However, they can't have their cake and eat it too. Anything short of FREE enterprise means some government control of private citizen's activities, and that very simply means less freedom, period.
The very concept of individual rights, is so self-evident that I would challenge any opponents of it, to go spend a year living in a dictatorship and tell me how they feel when they get back (if they are allowed back, or lucky enough to escape).
As self-evident as it is, individual freedom, is a very recent development in human history. For the majority of man's history, he has been at the mercy of rulers, whether it has been kings, popes, or some other dictator, and the ruling has been done by force. People were always treated like beasts of burden under these systems, where they were forced to produce for the benefits of their rulers, and left enough of the crumbs to barely survive. (and to hopefully discourage overthrowing the rulers)
This has led to a series of uprisings against tyrannies, but unfortunately without the concept of individual freedom, the uprisings only seek to establish more "benevolent" dictatorships, (at least that is what the masses are told to support the uprising) but as Shakespeare has said, "power corrupts" and even the best intentions (giving huge benefits of doubt here) eventually just wind up being the next tyranny. ("Meet the new boss.... same as the old boss..." Pete Townshend)
Ruling men by force can in fact produce quite a lot, as, when threatened with their lives, people will do quite a lot to survive, however, it has one critical limitation: what you cannot FORCE people to do, is to be CREATIVE!
The introduction of individual freedoms, which started with the philosophical ideas of the Renaissance, led to a form of government, that is servant of the people and not the other way around, and includes a rule of law established not only to protect citizens from violent acts or fraud from other citizens, but as importantly, to protect citizens from abuses from their own government. Individual rights such as freedom of speech and choice of religion are often defended, but to me, the most under rated of these is simply property rights, where a person has the freedom to actually keep the fruits of their labor which are rightfully theirs. (the alternative would be slavery)
With this, the motivation to be CREATIVE began to exist, and the incredible power of the human mind and its creativity was unleashed, and the rate of progress in all fields accelerated exponentially, after several centuries of virtual stagnation during what is referred to as the dark ages.
And yet, despite the unprecedented progress and improvement in human quality of life it produced, capitalism, and freedom by extension, remain controversial. What is the moral foundation for opponents of this?
Well, here is my take on it: Capitalism is based on the premise that people are fundamentally good. Government controls are based on the premise that people are morally flawed and as such, need to be controlled.
This may sound simplistic but if you take time to think about it, no other explanation makes any sense to justify one person or group of people taking away the freedom of another person or group of people.
Now, first of all, let me clarify that when I say that people are fundamentally good, I don't mean that every single person is beyond reproach. There are of course many people who, unfortunately perform immoral acts, (a future post can explain, why in many cases, this is due to a lack of a proper philosophy where people are confused as to what is actually in their best interests) and let's face it, acts such as holocausts and other atrocities make it difficult to argue against the existence of pure unadulterated evil. However, the fundamental nature of an apple is to be sweet, juicy and nutritious, and no matter how many rotten apples may be out there (rotted by an improper philosophy?), it does not change the fundamental nature of an apple!
Secondly, for freedom to work, there must be a proper rule of law. While some will say this is a contradiction, it is not any such thing, in fact. Freedom for one means freedom for all, so our freedom does not allow us to infringe on anyone else's freedom, and (again with a proper philosophy), there can exist no true conflict between rational people. However the rule of law need not be complex or very encompassing. It need simply protect people from the initiation of force or fraud that will limit their freedoms. The proper role of government is to provide this protection, and a proper government has checks and balances to protect its citizens from any of its own potential abuses.
Now, to the idea that people do need to be controlled because they are morally flawed... it is very easy to defeat this argument even if I were to accept that people are morally flawed (which I certainly don't!).
Who is to do the controlling of these morally flawed people? Other morally flawed people?!!! If we accept that people are flawed, then where are we supposed to find the "better" (??) people who are qualified to do the controlling?
I am simply touching the surface on these concepts, and for a fuller explanation, I refer you to "The Capitalist Manifesto" by Andrew Bernstein, or "Capitalism, The Unknown Ideal" by Ayn Rand (in fact, any of the works by either of these authors, which you can find in links to the left)
Finally, I would like to present the concept that entrepreneurs or businesspeople are the heroes of a proper society. I must first give credit of course, to scientists who are the creative minds who make new technologies possible, and I will suggest they are also entrepreneurs but may not think of themselves that way.
Entrepreneurs are the risk takers who stake everything to develop an idea in pursuit of their passion for the rewards available to them under a proper system. (and while money is one of those rewards, as it should be, for many entrepreneurs it is their passion for creativity and a sense of accomplishment that are their greatest rewards) When people point out crooked businesspeople as a criticizim of capitalism, they are making a huge mistake of reasoning.... a crooked businessperson is not practicing capitalism, he is simply practicing immorality.... the concept of business is based on the concept of free trade between willing participants, pure and simple. Anyone choosing to act in a deceitful manner is guilty of fraud or force, both of which need to be outlawed (and those laws enforced) in order for a free society to function.
As a trader, I make you an offer, you either accept or you don't, after negociating, and we move on, either agreeing to a transaction, or agreeing to disagree and go seek another potential prospect....
The market dictates the value of my offering. If no one is willing to exchange the value I am asking in exchange for what I am offering, I must lower what I am asking, because by definition, my offering is only worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it.
However, I would like to add also that while we all recognize self-employed individuals as entrepreneurs, we must realize that employees are not slaves of their employers. They offer a value, their skills, and willingness to work, in exchange for a value, the wage and/or other employee benefits offered by the potential employer.
As such the employee and employer are also traders. An employer who seeks to abuse his employees by underpaying them, will simply end up with the poorest quality employee as his competitor willing to pay more for better quality will take from him his best people, thus producing a superior product and likely putting him out of business. Remember, there truly is no conflict between rational men.
This post is, like my initial posts on other topics, simply meant as an introduction of a topic that will be included and elaborated on further, in future posts and in the book.
My passion for this topic comes from working in financial services managing financial advisors who are self-employed and earn their livelihood by using their work ethic, ingenuity and people skills, to help their clients achieve financial security, (providing a tremendous value) and in exchange for this earning unlimited income potential, personal growth and the satisfaction of helping other people to achive their goals (receiving a tremendous value!)
Working with these folks, over the last 20+ years has continuously reinforced my conviction that entrepreneurs are the heroes, the Atlases, if you will, that hold up society on their shoulders, and it has been a privilege to be associated both with them as colleagues and with many of their clients who are also entrepreneurial.
Even the clients that they have who are not business owners, share a critical quality which is the ability to be long term planners and thinkers. By definition, the more a person uses his intelligence, the more he separates himself from the animal whose perception is extremely short range, and as such accomplishes the long term goals that cumulatively form the progress of the human race.
Look forward to all comments!
Nov 8, 2009
Beginning of a journey
This is a trial entry as I begin this blog, the goal of which is to share ideas that will eventually form part of a book that I have committed to write and self-publish by December 2011.
The message of the book, as the title of this blog says will be how to live a full life, using ideas to maximize results in all areas of life; physical, mental, financial, social, emotional, spiritual.
The underlying premise for all will be a rational philosophy encompassing the principles of reason, purpose and self-esteem. THE main distinctive feature of this blog will be the underlying philosophy which I believe is missing in all other so called self-help material.
You might say, I want to put the SELF back into self-help, and replace the rampant mysticism with rationality, so people will understand what realistic results they can achieve and, importantly, understand why they work, and contrary to the hype in this type of material, it will be a matter of showing that the true rewards of leading a fulfilling life are far greater than what is normally promised.
Stay tuned for more.... Best to all in Being the Hero of YOUR own life!!
The message of the book, as the title of this blog says will be how to live a full life, using ideas to maximize results in all areas of life; physical, mental, financial, social, emotional, spiritual.
The underlying premise for all will be a rational philosophy encompassing the principles of reason, purpose and self-esteem. THE main distinctive feature of this blog will be the underlying philosophy which I believe is missing in all other so called self-help material.
You might say, I want to put the SELF back into self-help, and replace the rampant mysticism with rationality, so people will understand what realistic results they can achieve and, importantly, understand why they work, and contrary to the hype in this type of material, it will be a matter of showing that the true rewards of leading a fulfilling life are far greater than what is normally promised.
Stay tuned for more.... Best to all in Being the Hero of YOUR own life!!
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