My thoughts on:

Back

Home

Photo Album

Links

1, Politics

Anyone who knows me knows that I feel strongly about this subject. I guess my political beliefs can be
summoned up in one quote:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

So therefore it follows that:
"Any alleged "right" of one man, which necessitates the violation of the rights of another, is not and
cannot be a right."
Laissez-faire capitalism is the only form of government that will ensure that right being observed and,
yes, enforced.
If we believe in freedom, then communism and its "mini-me" socialism are obviously in breach with that ideology. Plus, if we are FOR the people (which I am wholeheartedly) we need to recognise what ppl need. And that is a working economy. Socialism and worse, communism will never achieve that. Why? Cause they work against human nature and not for it. Socialism is taking away your freedom in deciding with whom you want to share your hard-earned money and basically says that anybody and everybody has a claim to not only your money but in essence also to your brain and your very life. Socialism and communism makes ppl slaves to a non-entity called society. Compassion is not bred on a dissatisfied but on a fulfilled soul. Let me be free and pursue my own happiness and I will gladly share what I can. Chain me up and make me unhappy and I will not be able to spread my wealth of heart cause I have none.

2, Selfishness

I found this wonderfully simple piece on the Internet, that states my own opinion on the matter much
more eloquently than I ever could. Again, most ppl who know me also know that this is a subject that I
could discuss till my opponent or I drop dead, LOL.

"What's So Bad About Being Selfish?
by Michael J. Hurd, Ph.D.

Most of us assume that selfishness is both wrong and unhealthy. But is this true? Selfishness means
acting in one's rational self-interest. Contrary to popular opinion, all healthy individuals are selfish.
Choosing to pursue the career of your choice is selfish.
Choosing to have children— or not to have children— is selfish. Insisting on freedom and individual
rights, rather than living under a dictatorship, is selfish. Indeed, even ordinary behaviors such as
breathing, eating and avoiding an oncoming car when crossing the street are selfish acts. Without
selfishness, none of us would survive the day— much less a lifetime. Selfishness does not mean self-destructive behavior. In other words, a car thief is not selfish. He has to run from the law constantly, something most car owners never have to do. Even if he escapes the law, he will not experience as much pleasure from possessing the car as would an honest person.
Lying to your spouse, or any loved one, is not selfish. The psychological stress of trying to "live the lie" of an extramarital affair— or any major secret— is enormous. A selfish person understands that honesty is the best policy and the least painful, in the long run.
The opposite of selfishness is self-sacrifice. Self-sacrifice means giving up a greater value for a lesser
value. Consider the example of a battered wife, who is married to an alcoholic husband who refuses to
seek help. She stays with him for reasons of "security" and "family stability." Yet in the process she
sacrifices her self-esteem and physical safety (greater values) to the irrational whims of her husband
(lesser values). Consider the example of the hard-working student who allows a friend to copy his
answers on an examination. The student is sacrificing both his integrity and his efforts (greater values) to the laziness and low self-esteem of his "friend" (lesser values).
Or, consider the envious individual who tries to get you to feel guilty for your hard-earned success.
"You are lucky to have done so well," the envious person says. "Now you have a duty to share some of your success with others." Certainly, a selfish person wants to share his success with those he genuinely cares about— his family, friends, or children (greater values). But why should he make sacrifices to individuals he does not know or care about (lesser values)? Selfish individuals give to charity— if and when they choose. A selfish person is not "stingy." He simply values the use of his own judgement in making decisions about how to spend his money, and when to give it away. Most of us assume that some selfishness is healthy, but "too much" selfishness will lead to loneliness and despair. This idea rests on an incorrect definition of selfishness.
Selfishness means acting in one's rational self-interest. By "rational" I mean that one can logically prove that an action is in one's self-interest— in the long run as well as the short run. For instance, Mr. Jones might think that it is in his self-interest to cheat on his wife, in the short run. But if he considers the long-term, he will understand that he loses her either way by lying to her. If he really loves his wife, he will feel terrible if he lies to her. If he no longer loves his wife, it is senseless to continue living with her and conducting an affair in secret. A selfish individual does not like to lie, because he sees that it does not bring him long-term happiness.
Most of us assume that we cannot be both selfish and kind to others. This is simply not true. If a mother loves her son, it makes her happy to give up some of her money to buy him a bicycle. It is not a sacrifice— it is a supremely selfish act. Both mother and son benefit.
Similarly, the owner of a popular restaurant is not dutifully "serving the public." He provides good food and a nice atmosphere so that he can make a profit and beat the competition. Both owner and diners benefit.
A physician does not provide quality treatment for altruistic reasons. He provides it because he is financially and emotionally rewarded for being competent and caring. Otherwise, he quite appropriately loses his patients. Both patient and doctor benefit from selfishness.
In a rational society, selfishness is encouraged. A rational society is one where individuals are left free to pursue their self-interest. In the process, everyone benefits. Rational selfishness means acting in your self-interest— and accepting responsibility for determining what truly serves your long-term interest. It is a nice alternative to a life filled with duty, drudgery and disillusionment. We live in a world which does not even recognize the option of rational selfishness. We are taught, from childhood, that we must be either self-sacrificing or thoughtlessly "selfish." I maintain that this is a false alternative. Rational selfishness, if practiced consistently, is the means of  living both a moral and psychologically healthy life. If you choose to recognize this alternative, such a life can be yours."

3,The value of Love:

For me something is of value if I with my somewhat (;o)) objective mind deem it as good. That is to say a man holds value to me who has certain fundamental principles by which he lives and which I can admire and understand and deem as good. Personally it is of value to me if he thinks deeply and feels
passionately about the important things in life. I once told a friend that I was looking for a hero. I didn't mean to say I wanted a decorated war veteran. I mean a hero who will stand up for what he believes in and rather "die" than betray himself or his fundamental principles. A hero to me is someone who is true to him or herself.
Value also means honour. A man who values himself, i.e. his mind and action must value the choices he makes. He therefore treats the person he chooses to live with and whom he professes to love, with respect and honour. To do otherwise would mean to betray himself and his own honour. This also applies to women of course.
Imagine this, if a woman or a man had basically no love for themselves and therefore had no respect for their own choices, their opinions and themselves as a person how could they then expect to chose or even (subconsciously) desire someone who does? The best example of that would be a woman who treats a man badly for treating her right. There are many of these females out there I am sad to say. (This does reflect somewhat on the man's value for himself too, to be a willing subject to such treatment though). So in other words, that which I dislike I will treat with disdain and have other ppl treat with disdain as they seem fit. It is no different if that thing I dislike is myself. You can only respect something and someone else if you have respect for yourself and your own opinions. Therefore it is also rather impossible to love someone if you have no love for yourself. How fake would this be: "I love you and all that you stand for. But I hate myself and all that I stand for." That would mean that all those things I profess to love in the other person are not my own values, not what I recognise as good.