Failure sucks. It’s awful. It should be avoided. You shouldn’t feel weird for not liking failure. You should want to win. But some things are worth failing for. When you find one, you need to act, and fast.
Tag: order
A Kind Word on Behalf of the Mexicans
They are in the great majority of cases good and decent people seeking what most people seek—an opportunity to work toward building a better life for themselves and their children. For those of us who know them more intimately than most, it is painful to hear the ignorant and malicious statements that circulate about them, especially perhaps on social media, where people are frequently unrestrained in letting loose the most vitriolic and baseless accusations.
Selfish Reasons for Civilized Behavior
The nihilist in me isn’t too interested in moralizing to my children about right and wrong. Yes, I believe in ethics and morality, but no, I do not believe that we are obligated to anyone but ourselves to be good and moral people. If we aren’t obligated to anyone but ourselves, then any reason why find to be good and moral must necessarily be selfish. Right? I think so. And after polling some friends on what they considered “civilized behavior,” here are some actions and the selfish reasons to perform them.
How Not to Change the World
Don’t run for class president. Don’t go to HOA meetings. Don’t join a committee. Don’t get involved in political campaigns. All of these activities are about reform. Get into the institution, play by its rules, and try to make it behave differently than it wants to. Forget this approach. It sucks. Here are four reasons why.
Anything But Original Appropriation is Nonsensical
Ultimately, whatever property conventions people voluntary decide to respect amongst each other is or should be acceptable for the voluntaryist. However, until there is a meeting of the minds between individuals concerning property conventions, how should conflicts over property claims be judged? In my opinion, they should be judged on the basis of original appropriation, and anything else is nonsensical.
To Die in a Shootout with The State
Giving your car keys to a car-jacker in order to avoid getting a bullet through your brain does not equate to condoning and approving of car-jacking. Likewise, going along with various commands and/or demands of a heavily armed ruling class out of self-preservation does not equate to approving of or advocating such state aggression.
Coercion and Violence to Advance Agendas
Study history and you will find a common occurrence present throughout all times and locations—individuals, groups, and entities attempting to impose their preferences on others through coercion and violence.
Pointing a Gun in the Face of a Random Stranger
A useful and interesting test to try on any flavor of statist is to ask if he would, on his own, do whatever he is advocating that “government” do (supposedly on his behalf). The question can have two elements: 1) would he actually do it himself, and; 2) whether or not he dares to do it, does he think it would be morally justified for him to do it himself?
Evil, with The Best Intentions
“No matter how noble your goals, no matter how pure your ideals, no matter how good your intentions, if you look down and discover you’re eating babies, you’re no longer the good guy.”
How I Changed My Mind on Intellectual Property
I’d been solidly libertarian for many years the first time I gave thought to “intellectual property” (copyrights and patents) at all. Someone mentioned the protection of property, including intellectual property, as the root of prosperity and freedom. I agreed without hesitation. It just seemed to make sense.