I’ve learned some important lessons about generosity and its emotional offspring, gratitude. From Generosity to Gratitude Magnanimous, “great-souled men,” as Aristotle called them, are generous. But generosity is about more than material gifts. It’s about expressing care, admiration, and love, and sharing knowledge, wisdom, and—if we have some to spare—money and possessions, too. My friends’…
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Appreciation, Gratitude, Admiration, and Love
When I first read Atlas Shrugged, I thought “there’s something important here.” But I did not and could not appreciate it fully until I read Ayn Rand’s nonfiction and took Dr. Leonard Peikoff’s courses. Then I appreciated it immensely! When I began to apply the philosophy, to use it personally in my life and for…
Objectivism in One Sentence
I was stunned to see a statement/announcement by a senior Objectivist. It read: “Objectivism in one sentence: I’m not brave enough to be a coward—I see the consequences too clearly.” “This quintessentially Ayn Rand quip captures and implies the entire Objectivist philosophy, ‘A is A’ to rational selfishness, to the politics of laissez faire, and…
Students for Liberty: A Perfect Audience for Ayn Rand’s Ideas
Students for Liberty (SFL) is an international organization whose purpose is to educate young people about the nature and importance of liberty; to develop leaders who are willing and conceptually equipped to fight effectively for liberty; and to empower them by providing resources, networks, infrastructure, and general support for their activities. Attendance at SFL’s events…
Feeling
Here’s a quote from Ayn Rand that I enjoy and find personally beneficial. A perfect, clear understanding also means a feeling. It isn’t enough to realize a thing is true. The realization must be so clear that one feels this truth. For men act on feelings, not on thoughts. Every thought should be part of…
Health and Longevity
(This post is for family and close friends—my trolls will find it distressing.) As I believe you know, I’m engaged in a longevity program: I have a plan to live until I’m 120. After a recent medical consult, I received a perfect score on my biometrics. (Not to say that my body is not having…
Quotations
I come across loads of quotations and quotable items in my reading. I’ve decided to share the best, and only the best, with my friends. So to begin, here are two: “Keep ignoring feedback and life will keep teaching you the same lesson.” ―James Clear(Who do you know that needs to learn that lesson?) “How…
Attitudes and Motivation: Our Mindset Part I
Attitudes are formed by thinking. All the attitudes we now have, we thought into being. We created them. All the attitudes we will have, we will think into being. We will create them. Each thought usually has an emotion attached to it such as joy (I am succeeding!), anger (life is unfair, I’ve been cheated),…
Integrity: Practicing Philosophy
The philosophy that matters is not the philosophy we profess, but the philosophy we practice. (That’s a paraphrase of a quote by Francis Chan.) There are many who profess Objectivism but do not practice it well, or do not practice it at all—or even worse, they mis-practice it. I will write some more about this…
“Schisms” and ARI’s Need of a Dispute Resolution Process
(This is intended for Objectivists; if you’re not an Objectivist, you’ll want to skip it.) I have been traveling, loving life, and in no rush to comment on Onkar Ghate’s March 5, 2022, article, “Of Schisms, Public and Private,” published to the world in “New Ideal.” (Commenting on it is perhaps unnecessary, but the fact…