This seriously brings a truckload of other questions which I will try answering:

1. Can individuality be inspired?

In my humble opinion, Individuality can NOT be inspired. It’s some kind of a rational force that has its inspiration within. There may be a lot of people like Socrates to inspire you, yes, but only experience can shape an individual. I strongly agree with the empiricists in this regard.

2. If I want to become an awakened socially conscious person, do I need to follow the footsteps of great visionaries?

I would say a big ‘No’ to this question too. You really need to have inspirations, of course, there’s no question about it. Following someone’s footsteps may be deemed as right by certain people but let’s look at it this way. Times have changed and changes have become inevitable. The experiences gained by others may be different compared to yours! Solipsists, I guess will be able to understand what I am trying to convey!

3. When I say “I am a socially awakened individual”, does that mean I am an objectivist?

Freewill may be associated with Objectivism but Individualism, in my opinion, is not. This enlightened self-interest moulds Egoists and exacerbates their condition.

4. Is an Individual subjective or objective?

I would say a fine blend of both subjectivity and objectivity will create an individual.

5. Does a socially awakened individual focus on the end results?

IMO, No. He does his duty (which is a form of Free will) and leaves the rest to God or any supreme power he believes in ( which is a form of Determinism).

6. This isn’t a question but a fact. Socially conscious individuals don’t proclaim themselves to be enlightened. Socrates thought the oracle at Delphi was paradoxical just because it said he was the wisest person. With Individuality comes humility.

Now, delving deeper into the topic, we’ll see what stops a person from becoming an awakened social Individual. The various factors, according to me would be Prejudice, Pretense, Envy, Fear, Conformism and the like. Prejudice gives a man preconceived notions. Preconceived notions can take a man in the wrong path. It might lead him to prejudicial views about everything he seeks or tries to understand. Pretense or hypocrisy makes a person preach what he doesn’t believe in. Indian politicos fall into this category. Envy or Jealousy can make people get influenced by other great people’s views and make them fall into the nadir of self-deprecation and restraint. Fear can stop an ordinary person from pursuing his highest goals. But the virtuous embrace difficulties with equanimity. They are imperturbable. Conformism has every potential to deprive a man of his rationality.

To shape an individual, education, in my humble opinion is the most effective tool. Original thinking as opposed to conventional thinking should be encouraged. Half of our lives is spent reading other people’s materials. By the time we read all the philosophers, we would have started thinking their thoughts.  I don’t mean to say one mustn’t read. One also needs to do some original thinking. Analysing a situation from other people’s perspective will only deprive you of your sanity. A student should be able to tell why the Socratic method is useful and why it may not be useful at other times(This is just an example) . He should be able to articulate clearly why he thinks the Big Bang theory is wrong. Sadly, our educational system is keen on producing slaves rather than individuals.

I had previously written about Classical and Romantic Understanding and its classifications; Conservative classical, Radical classical and conservative romantic and Radical romantic understanding. Let’s just say that of all the types, the persons falling into the first two categories are likely to be become socially awakened individuals. We know that romantics can’t become individuals(Please take a look at the article for definitions). We’ll now discuss conservative classical and radical classical understanding with respect to Individuality briefly.

Does Conservative Classical Understanding create an individual?

While it’s an undeniable fact that people falling into conservative classical category are conformists(not hardcore conformism), they are still classical thinkers. I would personally opine that their thinking is flexible. Flexible as in they don’t have preconceived notions. So they have the highest probablity of becoming Individuals.

The reasons why radical Classical Understanding can not create an Individual

Radical Classical thinkers may be biased or prejudiced because the ambiguity of their thoughts may overweigh their intentions. They have every qualification to become an individual but they lose their individuality with their ego. The social consciousness is reduced to zilch when they let their ego destroy them.

Would like to know your thoughts on the same! I have uploaded the article as a pdf for your convenience!

There is nothing such as the absolute truth. The human mind creates it, only to suffer later. Experience, in my arrogant opinion, is the absolute truth. I defy all rules that bind Homo sapiens. I live by my own rules that sway tumultuously according to a situation. You used to tell me that my insanity keeps me sane. Being sane and having the knowledge that one can be sane are again, two different things. I don’t have to tell you which category I fall into.

In “Waiting for the moon” by Kristin Hannah, Ian Carrick thinks Selena is brain-dead. Now I know the inner meaning of the words. The knots are slowly untying themselves. Wonder how conundrums have started unraveling themselves to me. Some achievement this is!

Now, as I am writing this letter that is going to change both our lives forever, a lopsided grin adorns my tranquil face, making me want to reminisce the memories that I have long shut out of my mind. Hoping even for a little bit of happiness is the sign of the weakest! Life is divine chaos and I embrace it with an open mind and a smiling face. Every dog has its day and I have had mine. Now is the time to let you go. To cling to you would be to destroy you- destroy a part of myself. Now, does that sound like literary nonsense to you? I can’t help it. Remember the time you got angry when I said I hated Wuthering Heights? You are every bit as insane as I am; only you don’t know that you are. Two of a foolish kind we are!

To cut a long story short, I don’t love you. How can a person love herself?  I can’t go around telling myself that I am in love with myself! Forgetting you would be next to impossible. Then again, how can I forget myself? Ah! That’s a really funny thought.

I am not a literary genius to end this letter perfectly. This is a parting letter after all. All I can say is this:  Stay out of my life. I don’t want to talk to you again, yes, or even think of the past.

Anything more would be superfluous. Period.

*********************************

Don’t know what made me write such dark stuff! Blame it on the books I have been reading, of late!

When do you trust someone? Or rather, what is trust? Trust is a matter of honor. You trust someone when you think you can rely on his/her integrity. In simple words, you place confidence in someone’s honesty.  But few, I am afraid, ever give it a serious thought. Integrity, to them, doesn’t mean anything.

A lot of people I have come across, take advantage of the sweetness of others. But whom are they deceiving? Themselves, yes! What they don’t know is the fact that this might happen to them sometime in their lives! But what do these people that completely destroy your trust think of themselves? Shrewd? Yes! Smart? Yes! But Jealous? No. They are in fact jealous of the other person. They do things to seek the attention of others and when they don’t get what they want, stoop to such low standards. The fact that you have made people envy you should come as a surprise.

When people think they have outsmarted you, getting agitated is not going to help you. From my personal experience, I would suggest that you don’t hold grudges! Saying this is easy, I know. But just give it a try. When you hold a grudge, your inner peace is lost. There’s this voice inside you that wants you to retaliate. Don’t let your emotions take control at that time. Control them instead and be the dictator. You don’t have to pardon them for whatever they have done. They have chosen their own fate and you have made a wise decision by choosing yours. Just remain indifferent. At times, indifference is the best tool. It may be a thousand times as lethal as anger but it’s worth it. Just ignore the person who wants you to suffer. Just because you don’t retaliate doesn’t mean you are not strong. It’s a matter of tranquility after all.

Just remember Friedrich Nietzsche’s words whenever some one thinks he has outsmarted you:

That which does not destroy me, makes me stronger

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs appraises just that. Every person has needs and none is an exception to that. When the needs get neglected, he automatically turns a cold shoulder to whatever that’s happening. Let’s suppose A loves something dearly, and when A’s expectations fail over a period of time, A becomes indifferent and starts wearing a facade.

What makes people say things like  “I don’t care what others think about me! ” and “I am what I am”? Elementary, my dear Watson. The need to act perverted sets in. Such people want to prove to the world that they don’t care about anything at all while in fact, they do. Sadly, such indulgence is fondly being called “Attitude”.  Is this not hypocritical?

I have met many who act perverted just to attract attention. Ha! Pretense is sickening indeed! What is the need to act perverted, basically? By proclaiming yourself as someone that is not you, you are only making yourself seem stupid to me. I have come across many such paradigms who want to be hated or despised. Indifference gives way to another equally perturbing tool, Hostility. Hypocritical indifference is being rendered as a bow and hostility, as an arrow.

Pretense is the greatest folly of Mankind -Ranjani Ravi aka rampantheart

Why would people want to be hated? The repercussions  of their reactions are very well known to them. People that want to be hated show a strong craving for social acceptance. According to my hypothesis, they want to be either hated or loved. Still don’t get get me? When people know for certain that they don’t get what they want, they use the hate factor as a facade. They want to be either loved or hated:Not Neglected I am reiterating the point. They would rather be loved or hated than being ignored or neglected. Their behavior says they need something to prove others that they exist. That their existence is part of the finite world. That they are part of the infinite cosmos. This is the fundamental aspect of human psychology, in my opinion.

Why do you think the teen population has gone astray? Pretense rules their lives. The time you start thinking you know everything (Why, some even think they know the nexus between Brahman and Atma), ignorance takes the upper hand and makes you fall into the abysmal pit called delusion or Maya.

The next time you come across a person that has a care a damn attitude, don’t ignore him. Acknowledge his presence.  Acknowledgment of the fact that he exists, is what he needs.

Go ahead,  inundate me with your never-ending questions!

Now, before we go in depth analysing what’s totally wrong about the philosophy, the characteristics of  brainwashed objectivists are discussed. I am not making a generalisation. Your conscience knows. Period.

CONSTANT THINKING:

The philosophy will slowly start having its effect on you. You think about the characters in Ayn Rand’s novels all the time and start relating them to people that surround you in real life.

CARE-A-DAMN ATTITUDE:

You fall a victim to the ‘care-a-damn’ attitude. You think you should what you want to do. Next, you tell people things they need to act like an objectivist. You have the irresistible urge to propogate what you have read.  So, you start brainwashing other people. Thus, you think you feel tranquil.

AN IMPULSE TO ACT DIFFERENT:

You get an impulse to prove others wrong. You want to act different in whatever you do. You want to be unique. You start hunting for the negative qualities in the society and start calling your friends and others as Second handers. Rather, you convince yourself that others are dishonest and you are the epitome of integrity.

ACTIVE PARTICIPATION:

You start participating in debates concerning the issue, on online forums and communities. Your rampancy touches its peak when an ignoramus says ‘Objectivism sucks’. Your words carry a lethal spark and you try to convince the world that you were an objectivist all your life.

WHY IS OBJECTIVISM WRONG?

PASSING MORAL JUDGEMENTS

According to Rand,

Every man—is an end in himself, not the means to the ends of others. He must exist for his own sake, neither sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself. The pursuit of his own rational self-interest and of his own happiness is the highest moral purpose of his life.

Objectivism deals with Moral Judgement, which is one of its main vices. Objectivists call anything that opposes their beliefs and convictions as “Irrational” . They don’t have an open mind. Moral judgement is a subject concerned with Psychology, not philosophy.

Next, let’s suppose you have done something you know is wrong. Like, you have indulged in immoral activities.  Let’s also suppose you read Ayn Rand’s books only after committing the mistake. Now, instead of brushing aside the mistakes and asking what has to be done next, you keep thinking what would Howard Roark or John Galt have done under the circumstances. You immediately start HATING yourself for what you have done. You lose your confidence and start comparing the incidents in the novels to yours.

Now, I have a simple question to ask:

What does Objectivism really brood? Self-contempt?

What else, then?

If you have read Rand’s books, you’ll notice that all her heroes are “Perfect”. But in real life, 99% of the people err. To err is after all human. And people ARE imperfect. I don’t of course insist that people should err. Sometimes, in life, you makes mistakes to learn from them later and gain experience. Thus, Ayn Rand doesn’t answer one important question. What if I know I have already sinned? How do I come out of the feeling of self disgust? What can I do?

There are people who post in forums and other sites that they want to be like Roark. Now, is that real objectivist thinking? How can you be another person? Doesn’t objectivism teach you to be unique?

In the end, people start despising themselves for not being a Roark or a Galt. They don’t know what to do about a mistake that’s already been made. Roark and Galt made no mistakes. But I? If Roark were me, how would he have reacted? Thus, objectivists themselves become second handers.

Objectivism teaches people to live a fictitious life. It makes you live an incomplete life filled with guilt.

Recently, a friend on a social networking site, said these exact lines while we were discussing Objectivism:

“Howard Roark is very interesting right? I wish I were like him“

And I replied to him thus:

The dreams we dream and the unconventional thoughts we have, to be someone else, are not practical. They rather suppress our individuality. You can’t find a person like Howard or Galt or any damned protagonist , for that matter. See, this craving to be like Roark is the beginning of psychological imbalance! Please dont try to misinterpret what I say!

I didn’t know if he was serious. But I could sense that he had a secret craving. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Well, I PITY him and the millions of people who want to be like the fictitious,  nearly perfect unreal heroes. Sadly, adolescents and teenagers are affected the most.

Thus, Objectivism is a dangerous philosophy. It’s okay to read it and take the good out of it. But living according to the dogmatic and unconventional  principles is not what I would suggest. The bad outweighs the good.

If my article ignited at least one person that’s understood the truth, I will be more than happy. Just take the time to THINK!

Image Credit: Flickr

We have all been escaping reality all along. But how long do you think this will last? Have you realized the fact that our search continues even after we find our ‘ideal’ solution? Why are we humans not able to accept reality? Who do we blame, ourselves or the society that undermines and shares a cold shoulder? Okay, who do we call as the society? Isn’t it us? One sad thing with humans is that they can’t blame themselves. We have this egoistic, senile desire to blame others for anything that’s happened!

Now, an important question all of us have in mind is “ Are people who network on the web lonely?” My answer to the question is a sordid yes. That doesn’t of course mean we are all unhappy. When people work to distract themselves, we call them selfish. What do we call people that try to escape reality by doing things we don’t do in our “real” life? Frankly speaking, I for one, happen to be an ambivert and well, yes, I am introverted on the larger scale. But I happen to be a social media enthusiast and an extrovert on the web. I am really intrigued when I think about this aspect. Has virtuality engulfed our lives to such an extent that we don’t know to embrace the real world? Is the Virtual World trying to make us slaves? The ultimate question is “Has love perished?”

Frankly speaking, I have lost the art of talking to real people. No, not the ones on microblogging sites, Social bookmarking sites or Social networking sites. I mean the ones that have a life. Why are we not aware of the fact that people expect a lot from us? I cringe inside when I am not able to reciprocate  feelings. Not that they are non-existent! But what’s been happening? Why do we take pleasure listening to people on the web ranting and rambling about their lives, when we are not able to stand the sight of real people who only want us to listen? Why have we lost the connection-The HUMAN CONNECTION?

Why do we think that wishy-washy affection isn’t our forte? Why do we take pride when we tell this to people? And why are we embarassed when loving kin display their affection? If we don’t like the human connection , why do we like the concept of sharing gifts and hugs on Facebook?

The final question: Have we all turned into full time zombies?

Now, I am sure 98% of you have this problem and sadly, that includes me as well! Now, you may be wondering why I came up such a post when I happen to be an internet addict. Thanks to the novel Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom that at least made me think such thoughts. Whether or not I will change from what I am right now is hard to tell. But from now on, I shall definitely try to be the individual Mitch’s professor “Morrie” was.

Imperturbable and indifferent toward things in general that I am, I didn’t like what this book was preaching me, at first. I hated it , in fact for the wishy-washy affection it encompassed. These books were not my kind but I wanted to finish reading the book anyway. I don’t usually stop reading any book halfway unless or otherwise it’s absolutely ludicrous and vulgar. Now, When I started reading chapters on emotions, family and friends, my heart wasn’t what it usually is. It had molten. I was inwardly crying. But I wouldn’t cry unabashedly. Crying isn’t my thing and the strong person that I am, I usually make it a point to talk to myself whenever I start crying and  tears would recede when I start mouting my ‘incantations’.

One outlandish thing about us all is we hate anything that makes us think. That’s why we take protection in the arms of distraction. The delusion we create around ourselves acts as an armor. And we are naïve enough to think that we have escaped the invincible and inevitable reality.

When I drifted to various topics like Love and Death, I started thinking if the mistake was with me. It had been me all along who’s bitching about things. Not in the literal sense. I am talking psychologically here. I would never bitch about things. I am a very happy individual with a lot of online friends! Yeah, you read it right. Mitch’s words- or rather his professor’s had me contemplating things. Going back to where I was, Yes, in the psychologically, I have been living an empty life. We all have been, to be precise.

My most favorite lines in the book are:

“Accept the past as past, without denying it or discarding it”

“.. the culture we have does not make feel people good about themselves. We’re teaching the wrong things… I may be dying, but I am surrounded by loving, caring souls. How many people can say that?”

“The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in. Love is the only rational act”

“Everyday have a little bird on your shoulder that asks, ‘Is today the day? Am I ready? Am I being the person I want to be?’ “

“Love each other or perish”

“.. detachment doesn’t mean you don’t let the experience penetrate you. On the contrary, you let it penetrate you fully”

“What’s wrong with being number 2?”

There are lots of awe-inspiring sayings like this! I seriously recommend you all to read the book! If you really want to make your life meaningful, read it!

Now, what do we do to harness the power of love?

Remember, True love is unconditional. Here’s a way to nurture love one step at a time.

Coincidentally, today happens to be World AIDS day. You’ll be genuinely shocked if I put forward the fact that in Asia alone, there are 4.9 million adults and children suffering from the deadly endemic. [source]

Starting today, you can make your life meaningful! Social networking alone just for the fun of it isn’t life! Let your voices, along with mine, ricochet in such a way that love spreads its wings encompassing the whole world. Write about the pandemic and try to bring to people’s notice that HIV/AIDS is fast spreading. There are other ways you can help too! The satisfaction you get is priceless. I extend my heartfelt thanks to Blog Catalog and am glad that I am part of their special endeavor.

Remember, simple things in life make a big difference!

Image credit: Flickr

What is the morally right thing to do in the following cases?

Should the wealthier members of society be forced to pay through taxation, for the poorer members?

A strict no. I go entirely with Ayn Rand when it comes to this. A man is actually an end in himself. When he gets what he wants through persistent hard work and determination, why should he be forced to do something just for the sake of being altruistic? Why are men actually pitied? The one thing that makes poor men lazy and susceptible to pity is their lack of self-respect. How can they live on someone else’s money? Does not the idea sound gross?  Okay, you don’t have to live for your enlightened self-interest, but why not have a self and struggle to achieve self-satisfaction, which according to me is success?Why do poor people have to lose their soul and do something that will make them devoid of honesty and ethical morality? Well, sadly, many rich members of the society feel it’s their “duty” to take care of the poor! And in the process, they forget that they are actually exacerbating the condition of the poor. The Poor gradually become parasites and these people encourage them further and make them lose their integrity. Both are to be blamed, in my opinion.

In my arrogant opinion, the Government should ban organisations that support the Poor.

A man has been sentenced to prison for armed robbery, and admits guilt for the deed. “But”, he argues,”I’ll never do anything of the kind again. I’m not insane or a danger to society. I would be happier out of jail than in. My wife depends on me for support and she and the children would be far happier if I were able to be the family breadwinner again. As to the influence on others, almost no one would ever know about it; you can keep the matter out of the newspapers and no one except you will ever know that the crime was committed. Therefore, you should release me” Assuming he is correct, what would you do?

Call me cold-hearted but i wouldn’t release him. What is he repeated the same mistake again and offered a new explanation? Mistakes can be done and should be done, and the aftermath is inevitable. But what you learn from mistakes counts. In this case, the man tries to justify himself by saying he’s not a ‘danger to the society’ and speaks about his family. A true man is one who accepts his mistakes and does not plead. It would be better to admit a mistake than to stay stubborn . Because this is a matter of life.If his family depended on him for support, why did he commit the crime, in the first place?

You are on a country road and see two neighbouring farm houses on fire. One is yours and the other belongs to a new couple who just moved in. Your husband and child are at home as are your neighbours. You can only save one house. Which one do you save?

Mine, of course. People might praise me and i would be a local celebrity (for a few years) if i saved the couple. But what would i do with that happiness and tranquility when there’s none to share it with? I wouldn’t be happy that the neighbors died. And i won’t feel guilty for not saving them.I will take comfort in fatalism.

You are shopping and notice a woman stuffing a pair of stockings into her purse. Do you report her?

Of course i wouldn’t. What do i care about a person whom i barely know?This question reminds me of a recent article i wrote. Well, I wouldn’t do something dishonest like that and that’s all that matters. I wouldn’t want to preach people. Each man has his own common sense. He should use it best. Well, the lady that stole the stockings will sure have a conscience that will slowly kill her.

You discover Bill Gate’s wallet lying on the street. It contains $1000.00 Do you send it back to him?

I can’t send it back to him but will deliver it to the nearest police station. It was his mistake in the first place, to have lost his wallet.

In Dostoyevsky’s novel Crime and Punishment the main character plots and carries out the murder of an old woman who has a considerable amount of money in her apartment. After killing her, he steals the money. He argues that 1) she is a malicious old woman, petty, cantankerous and scheming, useless to herself and to society (which happens to be true), and her life causes no happiness to herself or to others; and 2) her money if found after her death would only fall into the hands of chisellers anyway. Whereas he would use it for his education. Is this action justified?

Interesting question. Crime and Punishment happens to be one of my most favorite novels. Thanks to Dostoyevsky, the literary genius.

Well, while the deed can be justified, it’s not ethical. Who is one person to take the life of another, even if it were for a cause? Why should Raskalnikoff, the protagonist have to dwindle the old hag’s money when he could well have established himself in a prospective manner? What’s the need to depend on somebody when you can do it yourself? The action, though justified through the eyes of existentialism, is not right.At least to me.

Are any of the following situations objectionable?

a) Raising and killing rabbits for food.
b) Raising and killing rabbits for fur.
c) Clubbing baby seals over the head for fur.
d) Raising chickens under crowded conditions on wire netting.
e) Slitting open the bodies of cattle in slaughterhouses before they are unconscious.
f) Using spontaneously aborted fetal tissue for treating Parkinson’s disease victims.
g) Using intentionally aborted fetal tissue for purposes of art.
h) A highly rated television show which depicts the actual torture of a convicted criminal.
i) A highly rated television show which depicts the actual torture of a poor homeless orphan.
j) Torturing a person (who will die from the injuries) as the only means to find out where they have hidden a nuclear bomb.

a) Yes

b)Yes

c)Yes

d)Yes

e)Yes

f)No

g) No

h)Yes

i)Yes

j)Yes

Now, why don’t you write a similar blog post and voice out your opinion?