The Virtue of Selfishness*

"Ethics is not a mystic fantasy - nor a social convention - nor a dispensable, subjective luxury....Ethics is an objective necessity of man's survival - not by the grace of the supernatural nor, of our neighbors nor of your whims, but by the grace of reality and the nature of life"

The Objectivist ethics proudly advocates and upholds rational selfishness - which means: the values required for man's survival qua man - which means the values required for human survival - not the values produced by desires, the feelings, the whims or the needs of irrational brutes, who have never outgrown the primordial practice of human sacrifices." - Ayn Rand

 (Ayn is colloquially pronounced as "Ann" except for the "affected")


I recently wrote something to a friend and wondered where the thought arrived into my brain - from a long ago storage faculty within:

"At this stage in my life I live in a delicate balance physically, mentally and financially that if interrupted or changes because of bad judgment...might not allow me the ability to recover...am I worried or scared...no...I'm cautious...I have observed people of my age make a substantial error and watch them deteriorate quickly..."overnight", if you will. I make most of my decisions based upon how the results of those decisions might enhance self preservation. Am I always playing it safe? I don't believe in playing it safe...more playing it smart...somewhat selfish...as compromise, is by definition, not playing it smart - compromise allows unintended influences to come into play - if that compromise is attributed to failure....you're fucked!"