What Does “Individualist Freedom Lover” Mean? (Part 2)

“The key to wisdom is this — constant and frequent questioning … for by doubting we are led to question and by questioning we arrive at the truth.” — Peter Abelard

“Truth always originates in a minority of one, and every custom begins as a broken precedent.” — Nancy Astor

“Freedom, morality, and the human dignity of the individual consists precisely in this; that he does good not because he is forced to do so, but because he freely conceives it, wants it, and loves it.” — Mikhail A. Bakunin

“Political correctness is really a subjective list put together by the few to rule the many — a list of things one must think, say, or do. It affronts the right of the individual to establish his or her own beliefs.” — Mark Berley

In Part 1 of this post I defined an individualist as a person who is independent, who knows himself and lives out of his own rational, thought-out convictions. But what does that mean exactly? How does the positive individualist approach life? That I’ll try to answer in this post.

The individualist’s three critical approaches to life

The Show-Me-State Mentality

Missouri’s popular state slogan which appears on its automobile license plates is the “Show Me State.” This slogan supposedly originated from a speech given by U.S. congressman Willard Duncan Vandiver at an 1899 naval banquet in Philadelphia. In the speech he said the following: “”I come from a state that raises corn and cotton and cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have got to show me.”

To me this embodies the essence of the positive individualist’s main approach to life. The true individualist is a skeptic. Not the cynical kind that simply doubts everything because it’s easier to doubt than to think. Rather, the inquisitive kind that values truth above all else and questions everything until arriving at that prize.

The positive individualist believes in truth; that it is objective and can be known. He pursues it with passion and will not give up until he wrings from it every bit of its wisdom.

The Rational Self-Interest Mentality

The individualist understands one universal truth. It’s not possible for him to be of value until he becomes valuable. It is not possible to love others until he can love himself. As Ayn Rand puts it, “To say ‘I love you.’ one must first be able to say the ‘I’.” Therefore, his commitment in life is toward constant improvement, self-examination, movement toward being the best he can be. His primary interest is in advancing his self.

He also sees that the enjoyment of his own life is a legitimate end in itself. He seeks to experience all the good that life has to offer. He refuses to believe that the only purpose he has in living is to sacrifice his life for others or for the “good of society.” Certainly he will give of himself at times, but it is by choice not by force or through the manipulation of guilt.

This does not mean that he is self-centered, as that term is used today. He isn’t self-obsessed as so many are in our current culture. He is not filled with an entitlement mind-set. In fact the individualist is precisely the opposite. He knows that he is entitled to nothing. To him every good thing must be earned in a fair, negotiated trade. Value for value.

The I’m An Agent Not Victim Mentality

All of the above leads him to value action. Rather than lament over his current set of circumstances, he will create a plan for change, and pursue it with massive action. He refuses to accept the role of victim. Instead he learns from his mistakes and the mistakes of others. Then he moves forward; all in the drive to improve and build the life he wishes to live. He refuses to use the state to force his will on others, or the church to manipulate them through guilt. If he can’t achieve a personal goal at the moment, he learns what he must in order to take the proper action that will achieve that goal. Thought, learning, planning and action are at his center.

Again, I’m not a perfect individualist. I’d like to be and I’m trying to get there. I’m also human and as such I have a ways to go yet. I’m still learning and applying. I am, however, committed to the individualist lifestyle, and when I say so, this is what I mean.

Questions? Comments? I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below and let me know what you think. Next Friday — What do I mean by Freedom Lover?

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