The essence of learning

Ayn Rand was a phenomenal woman a true role model to all Americans and she was Russian.  She saw many flaws with her own country and she also saw America as a great place.  Today her philosophies and stories, such as Atlas Shrugged, are more prevalent in our country than ever.  The essence of her philosophy is simple yet so many have such difficulty understanding or trying to live this way.  She lives by Objectivism which consists of these four areas:

1. Metaphysics Objective Reality
2. Epistemology Reason
3. Ethics Self-interest
4. Politics Capitalism

Simply translated it is

1. Nature, to be commanded must be obeyed.  Wishing for something won't make it so.
2. You cannot have your cake and eat it too.
3. Man is an end to himself
4. Give me liberty or give me death.

These philosophies are indicative to our very human essence no matter what religion you believe.  These are humanistic concepts that should be valid to our very core. 

Ayn Rand discusses Objectivism very easily.

My philosophy, Objectivism, holds that:

1. Reality exists as an objective absolute—facts are facts, independent of man’s feelings, wishes, hopes or fears.
2. Reason (the faculty which identifies and integrates the material provided by man’s senses) is man’s only means of perceiving reality, his only source of knowledge, his only guide to action, and his basic means of survival.
3. Man—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.
4. The ideal political-economic system is laissez-faire capitalism. It is a system where men deal with one another, not as victims and executioners, nor as masters and slaves, but as traders, by free, voluntary exchange to mutual benefit. It is a system where no man may obtain any values from others by resorting to physical force, and no man may initiate the use of physical force against others. The government acts only as a policeman that protects man’s rights; it uses physical force only in retaliation and only against those who initiate its use, such as criminals or foreign invaders. In a system of full capitalism, there should be (but, historically, has not yet been) a complete separation of state and economics, in the same way and for the same reasons as the separation of state and church.

http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=objectivism_intro

Think about what are your values?  Are you a trader or a taker? When was the last time you voiced your opinion?  Why did or didn't you? 

It is time to start standing up for what you believe.  Opening up your mind to the world outside of your own and learning.  One thing I am a big advocate for is learning.  I do not believe one stops learning  because they have all the knowledge, I believe one stops seeking knowledge due to fear.  What are you afraid of to learn?  Ask yourself the question you might be surprised at what you learn and the doors that it will open.