Galt's Gulch

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  • Posted by TheBestWithinUs 12 years, 1 month ago
    Lionel the http://dictionary.com entry you refer people to does list these synonyms:

    Synonyms
    lowliness, meekness, submissiveness.

    These, especially the last , will not do for an Objectivist.

    Surely you noticed the relation between humility and humiliation.

    Finally, the etymology section fails to mention that humble ultimately derives from the Latin word for dirt, the stuff you walk on.

    You should be aware of your limitations and avoid excessive boastfulness, but there are better words.


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  • Posted by Zenphamy 12 years, 1 month ago
    This is one of my favorite of all time quotes of AR. Pride in self accomplishment and happiness is the greatest self motivator imaginable.
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  • Posted by LionelHutz 12 years, 1 month ago
    This is a bit of nonsense and one of the places where I break ranks with her philosophy. How obvious and unfortunately often it is that people overestimate their own importance and think too highly of themselves, thereby cutting off growth to their true potential. A necessary ingredient to learning anything is to have the humility to recognize you have learning to do in the first place. Even the one that is the "best" at something is better off holding an attitude of wondering how much better they could be if they kept working at improvement, than to have pride in what has been accomplished and have it end there. Having an attitude of humility towards ones accomplishments does not equate to being unhappy, and having pride in ones accomplishments is done a lot these days, when the accomplishments are not at all any big deal when measured by the standards of past generations. Sometimes Ayn Rand spins up a strawman of a definition about something and then proceeds to set it on fire. Just browse over to dictionary.com and check out the definition for humility. You won't see anything about humility being the state where one does not value themself, or the state where one is not happy. It is all about having a modest (moderated) opinion about one's self-worth, versus (see definition of pride), "an inordinately high opinion". On the spectrum between pride and the opposite of pride, humility strikes me as being balanced in the middle.
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    • Posted by LetsShrug 12 years, 1 month ago
      Society teaches us to not be proud, it's unbecoming and might makes others feeeeel bad. (And it's one of the seven deadly sins.) Without pride in yourself you will not achieve your highest potential. You have to read a lot of Rand to understand the full meaning of this quote. It's all about reaching your highest potential. Loving life. Not letting others destroy you via various means.
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      • Posted by H2ungar123 12 years, 1 month ago
        Thanks much for this. Being one of the seven deadly sins, I always felt squeamish about taking pride in something I might have done for myself or another. But you are so right. It's not about being a deadly sin. It is
        Society teaching us NOT to be proud. I think
        THAT'S the 'deadly' sin. Again, thank you.


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      • Posted by LetsShrug 12 years, 1 month ago
        One of the various means of destroying would be others attempting to instill guilt via displaying hurt feelings or negative opinions of the achiever. Or making demands on one's wealth because others need it more.
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      • Posted by Robbie53024 12 years, 1 month ago
        Again, this is a misinterpretation of scripture teaching. What the bible teaches is not to be boastful, holding yourself above others. It doesn't mean that you cannot feel pride in your accomplishments. In fact Catholic religious teaching is that you should aspire to "be all that you can be," to borrow a phrase from the Army. Just that you shouldn't then be boastful and throw your own success in the faces of others, so as to cause them to be sad about their own capabilities.

        There is so much that AR got wrong about religious teaching that if she had merely taken the time to study some, she might have had a different take on things.
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        • Posted by LetsShrug 12 years, 1 month ago
          Why oh why did you twist this into a religious thing???? Omg
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          • Posted by Robbie53024 12 years, 1 month ago
            I didn't. H2unger123 did. I just added clarity.
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            • Posted by H2ungar123 12 years, 1 month ago
              I first saw -and I quote - (And it's one of the seven deadly sins) stated by LetsShrug. U
              are the one going on about "Catholic re-
              ligious teaching" in an attempt to clarify what Iddidn't need any 'clarification' in my opinion. I heard her words pronto.
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              • Posted by Robbie53024 12 years, 1 month ago
                OK, OK. I didn't scroll that far up to see the first instance. So sue me.

                As for clarification, when folks here post things that misinterpret Christian teaching, I will correct them. If they cannot handle that, that is their problem.
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                • Posted by H2ungar123 12 years, 1 month ago
                  I'm sure the folks -those who posted things
                  that misinterpret etc.etc. - are very
                  happy that you took it upon yourself
                  to"correct" them. Also sure they
                  can handle your well=meant
                  "corrections' - Amen brother
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      • Posted by $ Maphesdus 12 years, 1 month ago
        No matter how much Ayn Rand you read or how well you understand her philosophy, it doesn't change the fact that she was completely and utterly wrong on this particular point.

        To truly understand the proper role of humility in business and life, there are two books I strongly encourage every Objectivist to read:

        How to Win Friends and Influence People
        by Dale Carnegie

        The Law of Success
        by Napoleon Hill
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        • Posted by khalling 12 years, 1 month ago
          I have read how to win friends and influence people. Humility may be "likable." It is really unproductive in that 1. It 's genuine and therefore a person is poorly qualifying their value possibly. 2. It 's disingenuous.
          Humility is a negative emotion.
          Giving credit where credit is due is productive as well as telling those you value why.
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          • Posted by Robbie53024 12 years, 1 month ago
            Humility, or being humble, is not a negative - it is merely not being boastful and holding your accomplishments above others so as to make them ashamed of their level of accomplishment. Not everyone has the same abilities. Catholic teaching is that one should strive to accomplish all that they are capable of, and to do less is a sin in that you did not use the gifts that God gave you. It is not disingenuous to not boast and preen of one's own accomplishments at the expense of others. That is merely good manners and politeness. It doesn't mean that you cannot feel pride in your accomplishments, not that you should shun being awarded/rewarded for your accomplishments, merely that you shouldn't go out of your way to be boastful so as to make others feel less accomplished because they didn't accomplish what you have, especially if they have done the best that they can do given their own talents.
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            • Posted by LetsShrug 12 years, 1 month ago
              Hmm and no mention of how people should be happy for other people's accomplishments and view them as an example of achievement. People and their precious hurt feelings... grow up and stop looking for excuses that can be blamed on others.
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            • Posted by khalling 12 years, 1 month ago
              I kinda see this as a strawman. why do I only have two choices? either humble (which I am NOT) or boastful (which if someone levels me with that I ask them to check their premises). Boasting and preening are not productive, therefore illogical. If you are going to be humble on me-I have to work Harder to figure out what I have in you. waste of time. you're about as humble as a ...
              I can't respond to sin stuff-not on my radar
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