tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670689582133387174.post34887030392482458..comments2011-06-29T18:42:44.136-07:00Comments on Mario G's Excellent Blog of Normality: A Post for Learned YoungstersMario Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12072671359960348667noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670689582133387174.post-58994249309862850612011-01-08T19:21:15.545-08:002011-01-08T19:21:15.545-08:00People are always telling me to read Rand's Th...People are always telling me to read Rand's <i>The Fountainhead</i>, but I can never seem to get around to it.Chancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18404009115454788746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670689582133387174.post-41849889312783732472011-01-08T11:49:20.183-08:002011-01-08T11:49:20.183-08:00I've intended to read more of Ayn Rand's w...I've intended to read more of Ayn Rand's work ever since I read Anthem for my English last year so I'll probably get around to it. <br /><br />And I totally understand where you're coming from with Buddhism. I also read Siddhartha last year and I really found ti be an empowering book and a lot if it's central message made a lot of sense to me.Mario Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12072671359960348667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670689582133387174.post-38801394802636603662011-01-07T23:16:57.574-08:002011-01-07T23:16:57.574-08:00I'm glad you're back at the bloggery, man....I'm glad you're back at the bloggery, man. Two things: <br /><br />(1) If you're interested in philosophy, you may want to give Atlas Shrugged a look. I enjoyed it more since I looked at it as The Industrial Adventures of Dagny Taggart - and while it is <i>very dense</i>, it's also an interesting argument for her Objectivism philosophy. (Short version: be the best you you can be and nothing, <i>nothing</i> else matters.)<br /><br />(2) If you are spiritually sensitive or very religious, please don't read the rest of this. It may piss you off. And I don't want to piss you off.<br /><br />I find the further back you go, in terms of religion/philosophy, the closer you get to "the best" way of negotiating the human condition. If I had to name a personal favorite, I'd have to go with zen Buddhism. <br /><br />Every major religion/philosophy tends to get pared down to its single nugget of truth. Here it is: <br /><br />"Don't be a dick."<br /><br />Now, if you look at pretty much any successful religion - that's <i>it</i> - that's the central lesson. But only Buddhism kind of <i>sticks to that</i> without throwing a bunch of crap in about how anyone who fits that religion's definition of <i>being</i> a dick will burn in hell/should be killed or whatever. <br /><br />It's very pure. It's not a bunch of rules - it's kind of a road map for finding your own path to spiritual self-discovery. You may dig it.Chancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18404009115454788746noreply@blogger.com