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Post 20

Monday, January 31, 2005 - 12:42pmSanction this postReply
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Stephen,

You will find, in time, that it is not necessary to lie and cheat to get along with those who wouldn't share your views. I'm assuming that, since you were going to a Christian school that most of your family and associates are those of faith. Newcomers to Objectivism often, if not careful, can throw away many of the relationships that would bring them much value. Remember this, honesty is the acceptance of reality and your need to live by it. You need not denounce or attempt to convert your friends and relations, but don't fake what you beleive either. As with all things, there is a line to be walked. So don't fake it, but don't take it either if you are rebuffed for saying that you have had a change in your world view. One can be firm, resolute, and gentle at the same time. If you try and argue with people now, especially those who you wish to understand your ideas and views, you will probably find yourself poorly armed intellectually to deal with common arguments. This can be frustrating. It's time to learn and grow and feel the light and joy of Reason. There will be time later for arguments. Those who will not accept your forray into the world of Reason, nor show you the respect you show them, are not your true friends or "soulmates."

Sorry for additional hijacking!

Ethan


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Post 21

Monday, January 31, 2005 - 1:19pmSanction this postReply
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Stephen,

I can't resist reiterating  Ethan's caution - now is not the time for argument but for you to understand Objectivism for yourself; and do not throw away relationships in haste. 

Rand's fiction and nonfiction both can leave one with a feeling that one must cut all ties with a previous life and start from scratch.  But we're not Christians - we have no need to leave "the world" and retreat.  If anything, the world is more surely ours to claim than before. 

For sure, there are relationships and other elements of one's life that cease being values, but this happens more gradually than you might think.  Above all, never, ever feel that one must renounce people or things in one's life as some sort of "duty" to Objectivism - if certain aspects of your life lose their flavor for you, don't hesitate to drop them and never look back - but only then. 
 
Jason


Post 22

Monday, January 31, 2005 - 4:18pmSanction this postReply
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Luther,

It's funny that you should mention alcohol intoxication :-)

I recently overdid the vino while dining with Lindsay (never, *never* drink as much, as quickly, as a professional broadcaster!), & nursing a hangover the next morning, decided that intoxication beyond a very mild level is simply not in my best interest.

One direct consequence of my reaching this decision is that I am becoming much more selective in my choice of tipple; another is that I'm expecting it to be a springboard for discussion about Objectivism & rational self-interest when people who know me (& know my penchant for consuming large quantities of beer) ask why I'm only having a few.

It's worth mentioning, too, that caffeine intoxication can temporarily destroy ones ability to think properly through overstimulation, in quite the opposite way to the effects of alcohol. In my experience, a lot of caffeine is required though.


Post 23

Monday, January 31, 2005 - 5:50pmSanction this postReply
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Kudos to Ethan and Jason for giving Stephen some very, very important advice.

I don't know how much I can add to their advice, other than to emphasize it in a major way. If you don't follow it, Stephen, you will find yourself -- after you've gone through the Objectivist development period -- harboring major regrets for not enjoying values that were there for you, and no longer are (in the case of lost persons).

Maybe I can add this. Right now, you're allowing the people around you to affect your self-development. (As you've said, the way you deal with them is causing you insecurities.) Don't. Just pay no mind to the seemingly unsavory. Present yourself as you are and want to be, with absolutely no self-doubt, and unless you're a primetime doofus, you'll find that anyone with an ounce of decent taste and judgment will not only be tolerant, but also attracted.

But don't take my word for it. Take a recently-banned "reasoner's" example of where one can end up when following the opposite of this advice.   

(Oops! Inside joke.)

Alec 


Post 24

Monday, January 31, 2005 - 6:34pmSanction this postReply
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Stephen

I sent you a PM (private message).

George


Post 25

Monday, January 31, 2005 - 11:23pmSanction this postReply
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Linz,

As someone who has and still does disagree with you on a great many things, thanks for the terrific advice--not in how to deal with you :) but in your haughty declaration that you know some things that will help others to be better Objectivists and live more proudly, happily, and consistently. Your list of sins is, indeed, a list of which anyone who values reason should take heed. In particular, I plan to take heed of them and rid myself of some self-destructive habits, thought processes, and ideas.

1) "Gratuitous and premature umbrage-taking."

Ever since I've accepted Objectivism, I've found much more confidence in my own judgment, but from time to time, I am offended by merely opposing viewpoints. I'll keep my pride, and I think I'll try to come away with an attitude more firmly resolved and less flammable when it's only my ego, not the ideas, at stake.

3) "Solipsism."

This is one I don't think I've ever suffered from but have always--even when I was a Christian--despised in others. Your summation of that ambiguous trait I had merely identified as "self-absorption" (as opposed to "self-confidence") was right on the money.

I've seen new and seasoned Objectivists violate this precept on many occasions, and it's disturbing to see people otherwise dedicated to reason simply drop all context and become hedonistic narcissists.

7) "Hypocrisy."

While discretion (and diplomacy) is occasionally the better part of valor, the moral man knows when to take a stand and say A is A. This is and will remain one of my primary moral goals--never to back down but only to be inflammatory and caustic when it's a proper (intellectual *and* emotional) response.

While you might not have meant all those things, I think Objectivists, old and especially new, would be wise to start here for some introspection.

Post 26

Tuesday, February 1, 2005 - 9:14amSanction this postReply
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Alright Linz great article but time to answer up for your words!

Whats the deal with
the pursuit of MBA degrees
why is this a minor sin?

I am interested to hear what you have to say on this because so many people keep telling me thats its a waste of time.  Most of whom are rather well off people. (like yourself)

~E.

(Edited by Eric J. Tower on 2/01, 9:15am)


Post 27

Tuesday, February 1, 2005 - 9:20amSanction this postReply
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Eric,
I think they are just jealous. :-)


Post 28

Tuesday, February 1, 2005 - 10:18amSanction this postReply
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Ha ha ha!

Jealous of my rapidly amassing debt? or the rusted ford tempo I drive to school to buy my $150 text books?

:-)

~E.


Post 29

Tuesday, February 1, 2005 - 11:01amSanction this postReply
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Eric,

An MBA is great if you are interested in a corporate position as a consultant in finance, operations, etc. 

But here is the funny thing:

I have started six companies -- five of them successful -- and have a string of "wins" in business.  And with over a decade of experience, I'm considered an expert in my industry in many ways.  I also earned my undergraduate degree at one of the most prestigious business schools in America.

But I was rejected as an MBA candidate.
 
I have yet to understand why (perhaps because my entrance essay was about Atlas Shrugged?) but question what exactly these business schools are looking for -- and what they have to offer.

Based on recent studies, an MBA is now considered as common as a BS degree.  However, it is also a benchmark for most high-level positions within corporate America.  It all depends on your end goal.

I'm going to laugh all the way to the bank.  :)
 


Post 30

Tuesday, February 1, 2005 - 1:46pmSanction this postReply
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Jennifer
But I was rejected as an MBA candidate.
This does sounds pretty funny. Sorry to hear that. On the other hand, Bill Gates didn't even get his bachelor's degree, right?


Post 31

Tuesday, February 1, 2005 - 2:43pmSanction this postReply
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Hong, it is actually quite comical.  In the end, I'm not sorry to hear it.  I've saved myself quite a bit of time and money.  ;)

Post 32

Tuesday, February 1, 2005 - 3:03pmSanction this postReply
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Dean - thank you for your post. As with Stephen's, I found myself asking, was it for real? I am starting to worry myself. A bad case of the Steven Mallories! Again, as with Stephen, assuming & hoping it *was* for real, I wish you the best in your introspections.

Eric - did you mean why is MBA a minor sin as opposed to a major one, or why is it a sin at all? My answer is that it's a major one. It stands for Maximum Bullshit Abomination. Every MBA I've met has been a nonsense-spouting idiot.

Linz

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Post 33

Tuesday, February 1, 2005 - 4:27pmSanction this postReply
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Linz,

Ha ha ha!  thats almost exactly what an executive in the steel industry told me "nonsesne spouting idiot"  He said it seems to turn people into business jargon speaking assholes.


Jennifer,

You know its interesting you used Atlas as your entrance essay.  I was rejected by one of the business frats here for a similar reason, I was entirely too philosophical in my essay writing and too political in my interviews.  In interview they asked me what the largest problem I saw for businessmen in the future, I said "Three things, Government, Socialists, and Businessmen who don't concern themselves with the actions of the first two."  They frowned at me.

~E.


Post 34

Tuesday, February 1, 2005 - 4:36pmSanction this postReply
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Eric,
"Three things, Government, Socialists, and Businessmen who don't concern themselves with the actions of the first two."
Bloody brilliant!

Post 35

Tuesday, February 1, 2005 - 4:50pmSanction this postReply
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Of course they frowned at you, Eric.  Well done!  :)

I knew I was taking a risk by doing it, but they asked "What recent book has made an impact on your thinking, and why?"  I explained that of all the books I've ever read, Atlas forever changed and honed my thinking, and even focused on how it challenged my mind to discover the things I loved, and understand why I loved them -- from music, to art, to business practices. 

Perhaps they were looking for something more recent, like Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking.
 
Sigh.

Perhaps I should post it as a SOLO article instead.


Post 36

Tuesday, February 1, 2005 - 6:10pmSanction this postReply
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Jennifer, it's funny you mention that book. The store where I work, The U of Penn Bookstore, is carrying it, and the Wharton Business school crowd is slobbering over it.
(Edited by Joe Maurone on 2/01, 6:12pm)


Post 37

Wednesday, February 2, 2005 - 1:17amSanction this postReply
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I must say the response to this article has fascinated me more than that to anything else I've ever written. The bulk of my private mail about it tells me that it touched a very, very raw nerve. Yet there's also been a concerted public effort to go off on a trivial tangent. Kinda like what I was talking about in my explication of "misuse of humour." In both respects, the article was even more accurate than I realised.

Then, too, I suspect we've also seen on this thread the most candid baring of souls that has ever occurred here. And the most heart-warming response to it - the kind of response that truly sets us apart from ARI & TOC.

I hope that Stephen & Dean keep us posted.

In the meantime, I'm savouring the flurry of articles that my comments about "dilettantism" have produced! Though I have to say, the very worst offenders have stayed under their rocks!

Linz



Post 38

Thursday, February 3, 2005 - 7:42pmSanction this postReply
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The recent discussion about the utility(futility??) of an MBA degree reminded me of one of my favourite commercials, put out by FedEx a few years ago.   I think it sums up Linz's view of MBA's fairly well.

Gerald


Post 39

Thursday, February 3, 2005 - 7:47pmSanction this postReply
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Linz, thanks for your take on the seven deadly sins.  It sounds like you've met some solipsistic people with MBAs.  I have also met several who are premature umbrage-takers.  Hopefully, these same folks have avoided the dilettante trifecta.  Good stuff, keep it up.  -Matt


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