Dating in the Atlasphere: Joshua Zader Brings Love to Ayn Rand's Fans

[joshfultondotblogspo]

Fucking nerds.

[truevoice08]

LOL so many Randroids here yammering about Buddhism. They're probably examples of the narcissists that Zader warns about. HAHA!

[stonedrenched]

Zader: "Sometimes I see Buddhism as a set of practices in search of a philosophy....." Dear friend Zader, People search for philosophy. The Buddha notes that no one ever got enlightened. Clearly, you have missed this point in your defense of the "right" philosophy.  Zader Shrugs is just another philosophical pose - one that only adds legs to the snake.

[fififamiliya]

Asian bridals here # lushfmlk.info #

[buddharocket]

Zen doesn't ask you to believe in anything you cannot confirm for yourself. It does not ask you to memorize any sacred words. It doesn't require you to worship any particular thing or revere any particular person. It doesn't offer any rules to obey. It doesn't give you any hierarchy of learned men whose profound teachings you must follow to the letter. It doesn't ask you to conform to any code of dress. It doesn't ask you to allow anyone else to choose what is right for you and what is wrong. BW

[buddharocket]

It's sad to see so many people posting about Buddhism without really knowing what it is. Zen is about facing reality as it truly is and questioning all authority. Enlightenment is nothing but the most ordinary of the ordinary.

I would recommend Brad Warner's books.

Some of the Zen master's quotes:

"As for enlightenment, that's just for people who can't face reality."

"You can always improve your situation. But you do so by facing it, not by running away."

[mx2k99]

Either this guy doesn't understand objectivism or understand busshism.

[buzzclick500]

"Atlas Shrugged", The Fountainhead", "The Virtue of Selfishness", "Anthem" "Capitalism: The New Ideal". "Anthem" is my favorite: 100 pages of raw, self-actualizing power.

[uurrah]

I had a teacher in my high school said the same thing, "Everyone goes through an Ayn Rand phase".

[XxxNuMbxxX0301]

I'm amazed by the deference and admiration with which most people regard Buddhism. It is equally as repugnant and unreasonable as Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. It postulates that this world is unreal, the way to enlightenment and knowledge is introspection, and that one ought to renounce his worldly love and emotions (which amounts to self-abnegation).

[buzzclick500]

@XxxNuMbxxX0301 : Religion is religion; belief is belief.

[politEgoEgonomics]

To find archetypical examples of this empty notion that there is any possibility of an integration between Buddhism and Objectivism the character of Kip's Ma in AtlasShrugged shows the mind-numbing results.

In The Fountainhead there is Lois Cook & Hopton Stoddard.

Mr.Zader mistakes the ascetic purity of Howard Roark for the unconditional love and acceptance of the meditative zen-monk.

The end for a zen-monk is only an empty mind.

TheFountainhead's end is only the ocean&the sky & Howard Roark.

[Joemantler]

That had so little to do with dating that I demand my money back!

[tsummerlee]

This was a fascinating interview.

[corenothing]

Ha! I'm a recent convert to objectivism and a long-time zen buddhist!

[iheartdd4eva]

Wow. That must be a fun balance. :)

[fomastephanovitch]

Can those two standpoints be reconciled?

The obvious answer is no.

Not being mean, but there's truly no way you can reconcile a non-dichotomized system with one that isn't without superimposing a kind of madyhamika dialectic of excluded middle between the principles of agreement and difference.

You should stick to Zen I think.

[ConstrainedNoMore]

It really is beyond amazing how you dont grow out of objectivism, and even more disturbing, not grow out of minarchism.

[787Bisurdaddy]

Wut are u talking about? Objectivism and minarchism rulz. Stupid anarchist! (obvious sarcasm)

[El3ctricPenguin]

@ConstrainedNoMore what did you grow in to?

[AshillaBeige]

Back when my boyfriend and I lived in different cities, he told me to read Atlas Shrugged, and we spent a lot of time discussing the novel. I have a lot of good memories about that. Kinda made me love him more since he agreed with principles of self-responsibility, self-esteem and ACTUAL love.

[stratvic]

Buddhist are squanderers of their human talent. Where are the industrious Buddhists? ... Buddhists are turned inward instead of outward to face and embrace the world.

Buddhism is a crutch for those who are uncomfortable with the realities of atheism and serves no practical purpose in a reality based world view.

[corenothing]

@stratvic that's religious buddhists - look up soto zen buddhism - it's basically just constantly confronting reality with a cognizant mind and making the right choice for each situation, dawg.

[truvelocity]

Actually, if you look at the past in Buddhism, there was progress and they prided themselves on Western education as well as scholars in their populace. It is the Chinese communists who suppressed them and created the propaganda you speak of now. They are not complete passivity.

[Wejer3]

@truvelocity

If you actually take a look at how buddhist monks live you wouldn't be so enthusiastic:

- They live with the idea that this world is not real

- They do not think you can learn by reason, but only through "meditation" and 'knowledge-without-effort'-enl­ightment.

- They do not produce, instead insisting on begging on the streets and claiming that is their right to insist that others feed them for them.

Them monks may not be violent, however they are still very much anti-man

[ErikNikolai]

I agree. If you want advice on how to live a successful life, seek out the businessmen on top of skyscrapers, not rotting mystics in dark caves.

[1emart1]

Very interesting connection with Buddhism, definitely not something I would have reflected upon on my own. Thanks for broadening my perspective!

[csheahan]

This is the background music from "The History of Rome" podcast. Random chance?

[andristic]

i've been watching reason tv so much i feel like rand is my buddy. i've never read any rand but i'm gonna!

[NickDiPerna]

Good stuff!