Objectivism is a philosophy for living on this earth. For me, that is especially poignant because my grandfather passed away yesterday. He was a good man who valued his family and treated them accordingly. A story I heard at my grandmother's funeral (his wife for over 60 years) shows the character of this man. Please indulge me while I tell it. On a family vacation many years ago, my grandma, grandpa, dad, and uncles were traveling through Florida and enjoying the warm weather. My grandma, the always cheerful, caring woman, had one desire on that vacation - to see the sun rise over a particular bridge in Florida. My grandpa, the matter of fact, focused, purposeful man that he was, wanted to get on the road and driving to the next location as soon as possible. He packed the car and loaded everyone up at 5 AM, well before sunrise and took off - driving over the bridge where my grandma wanted to watch the sun come up. As they were nearing the end of the bridge, my grandma was in tears, afraid she was going to miss this one sight she had dreamed of seeing. My grandpa, seeing her crushed, pulled over to the side of the road and waited for over an hour for the sun to come up. In spite of his desire to hit the road, he could not stand to see the person he loved most in such pain. This love was evident throughout their marriage.
When I think of this story, it reminds me of the importance of maintaining a rational selfishness - of recognizing your highest values and acting accordingly. It reminds me of staying true to reality, and not pretend that the person sitting next to you is not crying, when in fact they are. It reminds me love requires the best within us. In short, it reminds me of why I am an Objectivist. I will miss him.
I don't wish to usurp the round-up, so here are other great stories and articles by Objectivists. Read, enjoy, and find that inspiration to be the best that you can be.
Jim Woods presents An Open Letter to Gary Johnson, Libertard for President posted at Words by Woods, saying, "Based upon C-SPAN's series "The Contenders", how can a flawed candidate without a chance of being elected run a campaign that could be historically significant?"
Darius Cooper presents Are Americans spendthrifts? posted at Practice Good Theory, saying, "I look at America's personal savings rate"
Paul Hsieh presents Why Is Creating Value Good, But Profits Bad? posted at We Stand FIRM, saying, "My latest OpEd at RealClearMarkets discusses the morality of making a profit. In a free society, "creating value" and "making a profit" are just two sides of the same coin!"
Rachel Miner presents Trustee from the Toolroom Review posted at The Playful Spirit, saying, "A delightful book which I read after seeing Yaron Brook's recommendation. I share some thoughts that may spur you to give it a try."
Ari Armstrong presents Gary Johnson Can't Save the Libertarian Party posted at Free Colorado, saying, "Gary Johnson can't advance the cause of liberty while running with the Libertarian Party."
Diana Hsieh presents Video: SOPA and Online Piracy posted at NoodleFood, saying, "The "SOPA" and "PIPA" bills currently under consideration would threaten every web site with shut-down, if that web site contains so much as a single link to copyrighted material anywhere. These bills, if passed, would break the fundamental architecture of the internet, and enable Chinese-style censorship of the internet. Watch my webcast discussion, then call and e-mail your representatives!"
Jason Stotts presents The Logical Necessity of the Oxford Comma posted at Erosophia, saying, "The Oxford Comma is not only stylistically necessary, it is logically necessary and its absence can lead to absurdities."
I present SMART Goals and Philosophy posted here, saying, "Objectivism is a philosophy for living, so it should come as little surprise that some industry best practices in goal setting align with Objectivism's ethics and epistemology. See how."
That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of objectivist round up using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
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Thanks for hosting the roundup, and for sharing that lovely story. I'm sorry for your loss. My grandpa was always a source of inspiration to me, too.
ReplyDeleteThanks Earl.
ReplyDeleteLovely story. I know it makes all the difference in the world to me when those around me make themselves genuinely aware of my emotional and mental states and of what I'm doing. I'm glad you had such an inspiring man in your life.
ReplyDeleteSorry for your loss, John... And thank you for sharing the story about your grandparents.
ReplyDeleteThank you Kelley and David.
ReplyDelete