A First Post

[Trevor Ashley]

Hi all,

My name's Trevor. I'm a 19-year-old sophomore engineering major at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, CA.

Here's my story:

I grew up as a pretty devout Christian - I always read my Bible, went to church, prayed every day, refrained from "sinful" behavior (or at least tried to). After I got to college my faith was really tested. Going to a school firmly rooted in science and mathematics, I was required to take core courses during my freshman year in physics giving me rational reasons why God could not and does not exist. It left me to a choice: I could choose what I felt was right (my faith), or I could choose what was objectively obvious. My family always told me to avoid the "intellectual cult," so I chose my feelings. I became deeply interested in Christian Existentialism (Kierkegaard and Tillich) and read their works frequently so I could gain an actual sense of meaning in my life. However, something felt like it was stabbing me in the heart - I was never happy (I didn't even know what happiness was). My life just seemed like a waste and I couldn't do anything about it but pray. So I prayed. Again and again. Nothing changed. My life still seemed empty - I was a Christian living his life for God and only God and always felt guilty whenever I lived life for myself. I had a desire to live objectively and scientifically, but I could never find a way to do that while still believing in God. Later, I took another required class regarding the theory of community development, in which I wrote many papers on how community should be based on altruism and selflessness because Jesus Christ was a selfless figure. Someone in my class read my papers and wrote a response to me. It was this response that took me over the edge and truly changed my life. Her argument was based off one simple phrase, "To say 'I love you', one must first be able to say the 'I'." I could not argue against it. Her and I spent a lot of time together discussing Anthem and Rand's other works. Rand's philosophy razed my entire philosophy of my so-called "life" and replaced it with something... amazing. I plowed my way through Atlas Shrugged last summer, and since then everything has changed. I've been reading Nathaniel Branden's works regarding self-esteem and they've helped tremendously (especially after living a life with pretty much no self-esteem and an attitude of self-hatred). I now know what happiness is. I know what love is. I know how to live my life objectively. I've stopped living my life full of contradictions and equipped a toolchest of rational morals. No more God. No more guilt. Only myself.

Frankly, I've never been happier in my life.

Now that that's out of the way, I suppose I should say some of the things that interest me. Besides reading philosophy, arguing with others, and pondering why the world is becoming more nihilistic, I spend a lot of time doing homework and learning (Mudd takes up most of my freetime). Listening to and performing music makes me happy. I also dance frequently (mainly swing, but I do various shades of ballroom). I absolutely adore swing and jazz.

Thank you for your welcome and I look forward to meeting all of you!

[Chris Grieb]

I like the part about the dancing. One the few leftists I liked said something on the order she don't want a revolution if they didn't have dancing. Keep up your reading. Remember morality should be about enjoying life and not dying heroically.

[Reidy]

Happy to have you. Do you know Darryl Wright at Harvey Mudd? He's an Objectivist, but don't tell him you're talking to us.

Little-known fact: the buildings at HMC are patterned on a house in LA that AR, according to her letters to Gerald Loeb, once considered buying. See

http://you-are-here.com/architect/storer.html

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/images/tlc0031.jpg

Peter

[James Heaps-Nelson]

Hi, Trevor

I'm an Objectivist and a graduate of Harvey Mudd College '93. Good to see another Mudder here. I echo what Peter Reidy said. Take some philosophy courses form Dr. Wright, he's an excellent teacher. You've chosen one of the best schools in the country. Take advantage of that and enjoy it!

Jim

[Ed Hudgins]

Wonderful story of a quest that found, not a holy grail but an earthly one! Objectivism is the ultimate reality-based philosophy which means you won't waste time talking to imaginary entities or toturing yourself by acting against your own nature as a rational human being.

By the way, while my degrees are in political philosophy, I originally majored in physics and astronomy and still follow those fields. There's nothing more satisfying than knowing that you are following a process -- the scientific method -- than can reveal actual truths about the universe. No need to twist, compartmentalize or block your mind in order to hold inconsistent, illogical or absurd beliefs. Your mind can be free and open, without fear of discovering something that will shatter your sacred beliefs -- virgin births, whatever -- because what is sacred to you is the truth!

Welcome to Objectivist Living!

Ed Hudgins

The Atlas Society and Objectiviswt Center

[Chris Grieb]

Jim; Who is Harvey Mudd named for? Was he a member of the family that Roger Mudd and the infamous Dr. Mudd of Lincoln assassination fame?

[Ross Barlow]

Trevor,

Welcome to this fine forum. It is good to hear that Objectivism has been a good experience for you.

Re: dancing. That infamous atheist, Friedrich Nietzsche, wrote, only half in jest, that he would only be able to believe in a god who could dance.

-Ross Barlow.

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Trevor,

I empathize highly with your experience because something similar happened to me at your age.

There is an observation of old Oriental wisdom that I found to be true over the years. If a man is only somewhat honest, he will never be a good thief because he will be only somewhat dishonest. You don't have to be too wary of him - just keep your eyes open. But if a man has a pure soul and integrity, if that man ever turns to the dark side, watch out.

I have found that this observation goes for those who take religion seriously and it also works vice-versa. The level of seriousness a person has for one side of an issue is the same level he will bring to the other side if he ever changes his mind.

From your story, you took religion seriously enough to study boring religious philosophers and write works about your thoughts. This is an indication that there is something inside you seeking truth.

Objectivism is a wonderful philosophy and a radiantly liberating experience for someone coming out of the spiritual dungeon of trying to practice the altruistic doctrine that is preached in Christianity. Most Christians in the USA don't really practice it, not what really is preached, and if you are like I was, the hypocrisy of normal church-goers has probably made you sick over the years.

But there are some pitfalls in Objectivism, especially for the extremely religious who have become liberated in their late teens and early twenties. The major one to avoid is to not let it become a substitute for Christianity, especially as the compulsion to preach the Good News takes over inside - and the compulsion to publicly condemn the evil. There is still a lot of learning ahead. Release is not knowledge and it is easy to confuse this.

Life is not simple and it throws many curve-balls at you. The best thing I could ever tell you is that your love of truth is the only way to deal with them, not love of Rand or love of Objectivism. Nothing should ever be more sacred than the honest effort of your own thinking, your own mind, even if it should clash with Objectivism, Christianity, what you parents teach you, what you learn at school, what anyone says here, what I say... anything at all. Philosophy is a tool, not a set of moral commandments carved in stone, and Rand was an authoress, a great one, but she was not God.

It is OK to be wrong. You can correct it once you find out. Nobody ever learns anything without making mistakes, otherwise, why would they need to learn? But if you use your mind to the best of your ability, seeking always to see first and judge only after you understand rationally, things get a whole lot easier.

On the bright side, I almost envy you the study you have ahead as you learn more about Objectivism. It is learnable and it makes sense. It helps you understand how glorious life can and should be. It actually is the best philosophy I have come across.

Welcome to Objectivist Living.

Michael

[James Heaps-Nelson]

Chris,

Harvey Mudd was a highly successful mining engineer who founded the Cyprus Mining Corporation. He was related to Roger Mudd and interestingly the family has spent a good deal of time trying to clear Dr. Mudd posthumously :-). I do not know if he is related to newsman Roger Mudd.

Harvey Mudd is a tiny school, at the time I went it had a 4-class enrollment of 540 students. As of 2003 or so, enrollment was about 720. It typically competes for students with Caltech and MIT and had the highest percentage of undergraduates in the country that go on to get PhD's at about 45% at the time I attended.

Darryl Wright teaches there. Also my economics professor, Gary Evans, who is a political centrist used to assign Atlas Shugged is his Classics of Economic thought course.

Jim

Edited October 26, 2006 by James Heaps-Nelson

[L W HALL]

Hi Trevor,

As a person who was raised in the deep South amid a religious Baptist family, married a woman who was Pentecoastal, and traveled A mystical path for many years after that, I am well aware of the demons(pardon the pun) we are faced with when trying to look at life in an objective manner. The struggle for myself(and it has definitely been a struggle) has been a long one, but the rewards are well worth the effort.

One of the good things, as I am sure you are learning, is that we don't forsake moral values just because they are not dictated by some Godlike entity, and we don't slip into the sins of perversity when we cast aside religion in favor of rational and logical thinking. I have found rather that my values are more truly recognizable today precisely because they are my own and not ones which are foisted upon me by others.

I envy you your early start on this journey and wish you well.

L W

[Kat]

Hi Trevor,

Welcome to Objectivist Living. Make yourself at home here. Good luck with your studies both within the philosophy and at school.

Kat

[Chris Grieb]

Jim; I believe Roger is one of the Harvey's and Doctor's family. Jim Swanson, arthor of the book Manhunt, thinks Doctor Mudd should have been hanged. I get the idea that the prevailing opinion is that Doctor Mudd was guilty.

[James Heaps-Nelson]

Jim; I believe Roger is one of the Harvey's and Doctor's family. Jim Swanson, arthor of the book Manhunt, thinks Doctor Mudd should have been hanged. I get the idea that the prevailing opinion is that Doctor Mudd was guilty.

Quite possibly. This is certainly a lacuna in my knowledge of history :-). Interesting to learn that Roger Mudd is possibly in the same family. There was a minor controversy while I was there in that Henry T. Mudd who was a family heir and quite a colorful character had a wife, but also a mistress for each day of the week. There was some question about the inheritance :-).

Jim

[Rich Engle]

Welcome!

Swing dance, eh?

What's your main one? Lindy? East Coast, West Coast, etc.?

I do mostly East Coast jitterbug.