Individuality

The French culture, French writers in particular, seem to understand the challenge that individuality poses for human existence in modern society. Writers like Baudelaire, Nerval, Rimbaud, Eluard, Batailles, and Proust seem to understand the contradictions that exist for the individual most particularly when that individual has a heart that dreams. There comes in life a rude awakening when you believe in true love, sincerity, and the like because one quickly learns that both of these are extremely rare despite the fact that so many institutions promote the values of truth and love. The indoctrination in the art of deception--recall from a previous post that all warfare is based on deception--begins from a very young age when one is told to "smile like you mean it" even when you don't; to tell bosses how funny or smart they are when they are as dumb and humorless as rocks; to tell parents what they want here even though they are biggest hypocrites on earth; and to be kind to people who abuse you even when you hate them. Life among other humans seems to be rife with pressures to deceive, and some people are quite good at it. It is not the we want to be this way or have what would be no doubt called a "cynical" view of life. These views come from real-life experiences in college classrooms where we have been told not to study so hard. These views come from experiences with parents who gave gifts and cards that spoke of "love" and "family," but rarely seeing the actions from them to support it. Very often people are hypercritical of such "cynicism" not because they want to positive and inspirational in their outlooks on life, because they simply do not want to try too hard to be consistent. So, they repeat what they see so many others doing. They repeat the deceptions, the "white lies," the indifference, the disinterest, or worse the abuse. For somehow they see that as easier than the road to self-enrichment and improvement. Somehow meanness is easier than kindness; rudeness is more expedient than politeness; dirtiness is faster than cleanliness; slovenliness is quicker than restraint. In essence atrocious acts repeat themselves because for some reason people seem to prefer indulgence over all other choices. Indulgence is the human condition. Is it a necessary condition? I think not, but it is no doubt one of the most prevalent. And, the ones who suffer most are the innocent. The kind hearted people who may not have the constitution or desire to fight back, who may not see the necessity of the warrior spirit in survival, who simply may just want to live and enjoy life. Why must they be stepped on, pushed aside, or bullied? And, they will be just as sure as there are other people in the world. Why does individuality require blood and iron? More importantly, what does that say about the humans that live on this earth?

Have you ever pretended to be an alien? I have not had to work to hard to pretend since I have been called it so often. Why you may ask? No reason really except that I do not smoke, drink, or gamble, a rarity I am told among humans. In more reasonable settings such would be praised, and I when I encounter I do praise it. Although I rarely encounter it. But, even the praise garners strange looks. So, what does it say about a culture that alienates healthy lifestyles or rational thoughts?

Individuality is a struggle. It is the great struggle. Sometimes it feels like the weight of centuries hangs on one's shoulders in listening to the level of conversations and the topic of many discussions: hollow, mindless chatter about drugs, liquor, body parts, bodily functions, gossip and other miscellaneous trivialities. By themselves these topics are not necessarily repugnant. Sex for example, is a beautiful thing. However, these things do become boring when they are the center and focus of almost all conversations even supposedly "enlightened" discussions. When was the last time that you heard someone speaking about existence, human knowledge, history, geography, or the nature of God? One's interests need not even be that grand. How about other life-effecting issues like inflation, diet, nutrition, exercise, jobs, law, science, inventions, anything positive and enriching will do but even these are rare. It seems that the only escape one has is to books, art, or films if one has an interest in pondering life's many splendors or doing anything on this earth besides consuming, excreting, and imbibing, one can expect an infinity of solitude.

Dr. Robert Lindner author of the book Rebel Without a Cause: The Story of a Criminal Psychopath, once wrote that the one sign of a society's decline is the rise in the number of its psychopaths. It is not too difficult to see why. When the cultural fabric disintegrates, all kinds of anarchic behavior is encouraged. Now, this is not a column advocating traditions and conventions. Most conventions are asinine anyway. It is a column that presents the challenges rational individuals face in a crumbling environment. And, this environment is most certainly crumbling.


This is a sick society. Let us be frank. For, frankness is a most rare thing in a world grown fat with illusion. It is a society where public libraries are no longer great repositories of learning and erudition where the accumulation of the society's knowledge can be housed and enjoyed for posterity. No. Public libraries are now public latrines where aggressive vagabonds can wash themselves in toilets and other productive, tax-paying members of the same society are supposed to feel sorry for them. And, should courageous individuals stand up to such irrationality or simply complain without fear, these individuals not the homeless bums will endure public scorn and castigation. For it seems in an environment where indulgence is king, the strong among us are the only true subjects of the kingdom. These are not times where one can do battle with evil and live chivalrously with pride in one's actions. Chivalry? Ha! What the f--k is that?

These are dangerous times where the strong are supposed to suffer willingly in silence while compensating others for the void their indulgence creates. So, if you go to the library to read and to learn, you will likely encounter strange beings. That is they will seem strange to you but normal to everyone else. For, who is to say what is normal right? But, these beings will be objectively strange. They twist and jerk and writhe to themselves in sputtering noises with not even a pretense of learning. They are strange in the sense that there is an objective standard of normalcy as measured by life. Life requires that one remain focused to learn. Life--and reason--require that one have control over himself so as not to disturb others from learning. But, in this society it is perfectly "normal" to attempt to do multiple things like driving while searching for candy on the floor of one's car, or "studying" while the radio and t.v. are on blast. So, when a crackpot comes to a library yelling, arguing, or laughing out loud, most seem to think that it is no big deal. Dude, lighten up. He is just having fun. To which my response is not a word, but a hearty gesture: two middle fingers. Drop dead!

It is a a big deal to anyone who would like to learn. A moron would not understand that, and moron is the level to which a great many people aspire, a moron and no more.

You do not have a right to quiet and peace while you learn because that is "unreasonable." But, a dirty, rotten, unemployed maggot enjoys full luxuries and protection. After all, he is just frustrated because he had a bad day. Porn is his outlet, that and emotional outbursts. You, you have no rights sucker. You have to work all day long and creatively pursue your goals. Why do you need a full night's sleep. Homeboy just wants to party. You must learn to compensate for his inadequacy. Marx said so and that form of sacrifice is still very much avante garde: from each according to his ability to each according to his need. You are not supposed to admonish someone for poor behavior. He has needs. You don't. Just accept it into your life like incurable cancer. Otherwise, it is you who will be deemed the alien and out of place. You who will be slapped in handcuffs for standing up for your rights. Oh, it is perfectly acceptable to take to the streets for global warming or the death penalty when some obscure killer is about to be fried, even if it is a farce and you are full of crap or just there to get laid. For, the best looking chicks always give it up for a cause. You don't have to be sincere anyway. Just appear to be.

How dare you go to the library fully expecting to learn and and improve yourself. Shame on you! the library is no place to learn. It is a corral for mental patients. They have to have somewhere to go after all. You should know better. Be like the rest of us. Have a beer and watch the game. Lighten up 'bro.'

A great teacher of martial arts called this kind of horse dung "bullshitsu."

It is no wonder that Americans know so little about history, philosophy, mathematics, geography, or any other field of learning besides sports statistics and which star is pregnant. It is no wonder that many others in the world see America as a nation of cry babies, who get angry at having to wait for things that take time like city planning, global trade, and caution; yet will wait on a line at the post office for forty-five minutes and never see the irony in their illogical tiraids.

Robert Ringer, a very wise thinker, wrote a book called Restoring the American Dream. It is a noble book for those who still dream, a Herculean feat in itself because the weight of the world bears down on optimism and curiosity like a fat giant until it is no more than a smithereen, that is unless one has the strength of Hercules to combat it. So, to be a dreamer in these times requires not only strength, but the fighting spirit. It also requires the ability to recognize the that there is a fight and a fundamental conflict of values at stake. I mention the book because it is good, but also because it highlights a sentiment that is easy to have. It is understandable that one would think the dream originally established in 1776 could be restored. It was a magnificent dream. The first of its kind in a world that had known only barbarism and other variations of slavery. It was a dream that gave legal protection to the pursuit of happiness and life, a dream that said a man's life is his own and does not belong to the land or his lord. One must understand something of history to understand just how special this dream was. Unfortunately, that dream will never be restored. And, quite frankly to speak of its restoration can only be an exercise. This is in no way a reflection on Mr. Ringer who was absolutely correct in his sentiment. This is rather an observation of the times. For, the level of the general mentality is far too low for there to be the possibility that the dream could ever be restored. These are times when middle aged men sit in libraries hitting on high school kids and watching pornography. There is no way that a society that offers that as its best could ever restore the dream and the promise it made. Again, this is not a column for moralistic condemnations. It is a simply a observation of the prevalence of such things. When sex, drugs, and alcohol are all that people can talk about it is because they have very little else of value to say, which means that they think of very little else. That is not the indication of a society that can restore an American dream. It is the sign of a society where most people would not even know what it means.

The modern American mentality is far too malicious and the ideas that people tend to entertain are far to corrosive for a restoration. To most the American dream represents getting a lot of money without doing much work. Wealth does not matter, only money. In fact, few people understand the difference between concepts like wealth, merit, or trade all fundamental to a basic understanding of the American dream. This is one of the things that makes contemporary times so antagonistic to the rational mind, which has to be a tiger mind. For, while the rational individual is living his life based on concepts like trade--exchanging the basic courtesy of politeness for example--others could care less. So, predictably the rational individual locks horns with the world, and if he follows conventional thought, he will be mauled. For, others will constantly strive to tell him to cut off his horns and abandon the values that give him the strength of clarity such as reason, reason, or emotional health, while they indulge in whatever whims they choose.


These are times that writers like Ayn Rand are enormously helpful for living a reasonably sane life. For, without the intellectual ammunition that writers like Ms. Rand provides, life would truly be the Wasteland that T. S. Eliot describes.

It is very easy to wonder "what's the point of it all" when so few people seem concerned with substance or value and so many deride you for desiring them. However, when you have a solid philosophy upon which to build your understanding of the world and yourself, you become strong.

Ayn Rand was one of the greatest helpers of Man. It seems that the best rational individuals can do in the present environment is to read people like Ayn Rand and Robert Ringer not so much to change the world or win others over to the side of reason. Who wants them anyway when all that they offer is petty and small. Life is far too short for that. Besides, it is a lost cause. Instead, it is far better to read these good authors for some much needed intellectual ammunition so that as one pursues his own goals he can do so without the self-incrimination that so many others will incite him to practice.