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Reasons why I attend THE
EGO GROUP meetings: Occasionally other acquaintances of mine have been smart, witty, and
fun. But events occur which demonstrate to me that they embrace
contradictions and have a wide gap with my thinking at a fundamental
level. That realization inhibits my enjoyment of any wit or activity
with them. On the other hand with The
Ego Group it is wonderful to talk with people who are rational. All
of the group are familiar with the writings of Ayn Rand and most of the
group have wide experience with Objectivism. This means that when I make
a rational statement, I do not have to spend an eternity defending a
basic truth. I can gain much more, by quickly moving on to higher
truths. Of course it is also nice to be with The Ego Group since they are smart, witty, and fun. But there is an
additional bonus: they are rational and my enjoyment is thus not
tempered. Participating in such a group
means that members can learn from each other. Our group discussions of
philosophy, daily events, etc., in a rational setting, promotes our
personal understanding. It is less likely for a member to be puzzled by
a particular point of philosophy, as we function as a study group with
multiple inputs for problem solving. The
Ego Group emphasizes using Objectivism for living and especially for
gaining happiness. The group promotes an attitude that does not dwell on
the negative aspects of our culture, but embraces the positives in life.
After all it is more important for us to personally act rationally then
to dwell on the irrational acts of others. While most people in our
culture must at least implicitly hold a rational philosophy in order to
survive, it is thrilling to hear people express such a philosophy
explicitly. The members of The
Ego Group like to celebrate holidays in a rational secular way. This
gives us a chance to enjoy the fun things in life without ties to
irrational ideas. We have celebrated Christmas as a time to enjoy our
friends and family with the fun of decorations and gifts without a link
to altruism. We have celebrated St. Valentine’s day, Halloween, and
other holidays and occasions with the same spirit of fun. Finally, it is a deep personal
satisfaction for me to view other people speaking, acting, and living
rationally. This exposure to the group continually concretizes the idea
that I am living in a non-malevolent universe, where men are not only
capable of acting rationally, but actually do. -Robert L. Karvonen- |
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