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The Beauty of Kindness
Aug 18, 2010

My last article dealt with the various aspects of romantic love. However, value comes in many forms and so does the emotional payment, love. Acts of kindness are pleasant in many aspects and many of the world's...

Love is...
Jun 01, 2010

My answer is that love is... Contemplation. Many would tell you that love is something beautiful and powerful. They might tell you that it is inexplicable and entirely irrational. They would be right on some...

What is it going to take to get the planet back on course?
May 19, 2010

The problem really is crime, isn't it? It doesn't matter whether it's legal crime, as committed by government agents, or whether it's crimes committed by communal garden scumbags. Before we can enjoy the truly peaceful...

Starving Artists - Making Money from your Creativity
May 07, 2010

There are different forms of intelligence. Creativity and artistic abilities are excellent indicators of intelligence. But earning a living as an artist is difficult, especially given today's economic issues worldwide...

I Yam What I Yam
Apr 23, 2010

Who I am ain't nothing of what I am. Who I am, is who you see. Who you see isn't anything of what is me. I am me because I choose to be I am me Because I choose to be. I be the best of what I can be. You don't...

Too Good to Be True
Apr 13, 2010

For too long, our society has been tainted by this adage... this taboo of good things. Why, oh why, is this? A product of our psyche? A product of shared cultural values? Or, is it really undeniably true? We see a...

Our Mother
Apr 11, 2010

Our mother... the dawn of man Our mother Climb my eye upon her many breasts. Succulent are her up most tops. White mothers milk, Which gives us life, Pouring upon her belly we graze upon. Her bottom lips,...

BDSM in Second Life
Apr 02, 2010

When I first joined Second Life (SL), I was like most noobies and started searching different places using the search tool within the browser. I stated finding things that were more than dance clubs and places to live....

Our Most Dangerous Pandemic
Mar 29, 2010

Every act of communication - or non-communication - is a choice of influence. The essayist is confronted with a peculiar difficulty: he will have time to consider how he wants to influence others - which means, how he...

Sci-Fi Fantasies
Mar 25, 2010

I've been a lifelong artist and these days, most of my work is inspired by roleplay characters, sci-fi or fantasy novels and films, and my love of Star Wars . My dream is to become a science fiction/fantasy illustrator....
Braincrave.com Second Life Intellectual Discussion Group

All Second Life Intellectual Group Discussions


The definition of integrity
Sep 10, 2010

Can a person strive to be something that he doesn't understand? Take integrity: are you a person of integrity? If so, how do you know? Is integrity always associated with virtue, or is integrity amoral? Does the code of...

The pursuit of happiness
Sep 09, 2010

Ayn Rand said in Atlas Shrugged : "Happiness is the successful state of life, pain is an agent of death. Happiness is that state of consciousness which proceeds from the achievement of one’s values. A morality that...

What men are made of - 'ifs'
Sep 08, 2010

Robert LeFevre is said "If men are good, you don't need government; if men are evil or ambivalent, you don't dare have one." What is it that makes a good man? What are the aspirations of a good man? Does Rudyard Kipling...

Buying and selling sex
Sep 07, 2010

Sex sells. Every advertiser knows this. As human beings, it's a natural desire. There is nothing inherently wrong with sex as it leads to the continuation of humanity. Sex can allow someone without other skills to earn...

Government charity and welfare
Sep 06, 2010

H.L. Mencken once wrote "Every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under." This is an amazing story about Davy Crockett and how he learned what it means to uphold your principles. Why are charity and war...

The war against boys
Sep 05, 2010

Christina Hoff Sommers wrote in her book The War Against Boys: How Misguided Feminism Is Harming Our Young Men that "it's a bad time to be a boy." Certainly, government curriculums in schools is misguided and flawed....

Starving cancer with food
Sep 04, 2010

Cancer. I hate this disease. My sister was diagnosed with it at about age 5. She, along with my mother, father, and I, spent the next 16 years in and out of hospitals getting treatments that, arguably, were sometimes...

Big Brother is watching you
Sep 03, 2010

The statist argument is always the same: "If you have nothing to hide, why do you care?" The government can attach a GPS device to your car and monitor your movements, and it's perfectly legal. And now they can x-ray...

America's lights are going out
Sep 02, 2010

Atlas Shrugged was not intended to be an instruction manual. Ayn Rand talked through Francisco d'Anconia about what it took to kill the motor of the world: "He stepped to the window and pointed to the skyscrapers of...

Thorium - energy's silver bullet
Sep 01, 2010

Nuclear energy was discovered in the context of war (specifically World War II). In the 1950s, the US Air Force tried to come up with an idea of putting a nuclear reactor on an airplane to keep it running. They...
b_ohare's Profile
42 year-old Man from Chicago, Illinois (United States) seeking Woman
  Online Now    
And now for something completely different. Rather than telling you I'm a loving, romantic, affectionate, energetic, sensual, patient, courageous, challenging person to be with, I'll stick with the somewhat objective facts, and leave the subjectives to your own thoughts as we become friends.

I have a 10-year old beautiful daughter that means the world to me. I'm an avid fan of Ayn Rand's philosophy (I love reading in general). Like Rand's philosophy, I do not compare myself to others and strongly believe in getting value for value. I use reason and logic in everything I do (that is not to imply I don't have emotions/feelings). I believe human ability is only limited by our own minds. I am not a conformist, and I am puritanical. I believe in laissez-faire capitalism. I am iconoclastic. Physical health is important to me; I work out regularly and love to run (ran my first marathon in 2001). I have very high expectations of everything I do in life, and am always striving to become better and learn more about the many things I don't know (though you will find me quite content with the status quo when I find something I like). I have a close female friend who values me for my blatantly honest feedback, someone who finds the positives and strengths in everything, and is always there for support (regardless of whether I agree). I leave the rest for you to decide.
Who I'd like to meet:   For whom am I looking? Other than finding a woman (not a girl) who is capable, accomplished, self-made, a "doer," a heroine, and truly excited about living, I'd like to meet someone who is sexy (physically and mentally), active (ideal if I could get a running/workout partner), loves kids, and enjoys philosophical discussions (I am craving some intellectual conversation). You must be completely honest (with yourself and me). Fun should go without saying, but romance and seriousness are also required. You should have a mind/thoughts of your own, and be very interested in always being the best you can be. You should understand the difference between compromise and settling. I hope you won't mind skiing/hiking with me in the Rockies (with an outside whirlpool during the cold evening), walking/running through Hyde Park (England obviously), watching the sunset over the Golden Gate bridge, or doing some bike riding in Maine. Ideally, you'll like to cook so that you can teach me, and so that we can trade off nights (I make a mean kugal, good German pancakes (Dutch baby), pretty good BBQ ribs, excellent Rice Krispie treats, and a few other odds and ends). You should also understand my basics for a strong relationship. Love based on truth, not faith. Love that is earned - not causeless. Admiration based on courage, ambition, and ability to make things happen. Taking personal responsibility for the events in our lives and the people we are. Constant dates (with you). Beauty. Passion. Learning. Commitments that don't get broken. Brutal honesty. Sense of humor. Positive attitude. Living life.

If you truly understand this quote by Joseph Campbell: "Marriage is a commitment to that which you are," we likely will get along well. And if you consider yourself a constitutionalist or libertarian, yummy! Chicago area only please, and please have some original thoughts in your profile.

Marital status:   Divorced

Zodiac sign:   Don't believe in astrology

Languages:   English

Ethnicity:   Caucasian (white)

Height:   5' 9" (175 cm)

Eye color:   Blue

Hair color:   Brown

Body type:   Athletic

Body art:   Wouldn't even think about it

Best feature:   Mind

Weight:   165 lbs (74.8 Kg, 11.79 stones)

Virtues/Aphorism:   Virtue that gives me most self-confidence: I do. When I want to change something about myself, I do it immediately. Cold turkey. I've never understood people who wait until the new year to execute their resolutions - why wait? I find it very hard to bear what's happening in the world. There seems to be an indifference to philosophy and moral standards. When it comes to morality, my standards are strict. Having said all that, I always re-read The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged when I need strength.

Favorite art:   I admit it - I think I'm missing my artistic gene. I think Ayn Rand's book The Romantic Manifesto is brilliant in teaching someone aspects of art that are worthy of appreciation, but I don't think I apply it enough to help it stick.

I could use some assistance here. HELP!

Inspirations:   Achieving is something I always try to do. (Call it ambition, if you will.) I also am very focused on learning from my mistakes and doing my best to not make the same mistake twice.

Heroes:   Thomas Jefferson and/or James Madison

What would I ask them? WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!?

Political affiliation:   Anarchist

Political views:   I'm fully convinced that there is not one thing any government does that is morally good. By its very nature, government always steals and/or uses force to achieve its ends.

BTW, it is very rare that I have much in common with those that define their political views as liberal (no - that does not, in any way, mean I'm a Republican). Caveat emptor.

Favorite quotes:   There are far too many to list in this small box (and a plethora from Atlas Shrugged alone). Here are a few:

The soul cannot exist in peace until it finds the other, and the other is always you. -- Carl Jung (question: who is the "you" Jung refers to?)

It is appallingly obvious that our technology exceeds our humanity. -- Albert Einstein

You must be the change you wish to see in the world. -- Mahatma Gandhi

A person who won't think has no advantage over one who can't think. -- Paul Lutus

Rationality is the recognition of the fact that nothing can alter the truth and nothing can take precedence over that act of perceiving it. -- Ayn Rand

Pride is the recognition of the fact that you are your own highest value and, like all of man's values, it has to be earned. -- Ayn Rand

Love is our response to our highest values. Love is self-enjoyment. The noblest love is born out of admiration of another's values. -- Ayn Rand

Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, make violent revolution inevitable. -- John F. Kennedy

I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it. -- Mark Twain

Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves. -- Henry David Thoreau

To see what is right, and not to do it, is want of courage or of principle. -- Confucius

'All men are created equal' says the American Declaration of Independence. 'All men shall be kept equal' say the Socialists. -- Winston Churchill

Give the world the best you have and you may get hurt. Give the world your best anyway. -- Mother Teresa

I didn't say it would be easy. I just said it would be the truth. -- Morpheus, The Matrix

All men die, but not all men really live. -- William Wallace, Braveheart

Speaking the truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act. -- George Orwell

Religion:   Atheist

Personality:   Growing up, I repeatedly heard two phrases to describe me: "Brian, everything is black or white to you" and "Brian, you're like a bull in a china shop." Yup.

Can't live without:   The mind, Action, Courage, Truth, Freedom

Sense of humor:   Clever: Nothing's better than a quick-witted comeback, Obscure: I'm usually the only one laughing, Dry / Sarcastic: I'm not bitter because I'm single. Quite the opposite

For fun:   Bring down our corrupt and socialist government; read, read, read; lakefront run/East Bank Club; drink scotch and Trappist beers; chess (though I'm not very good); and the rest you'll need to find out for yourself - I promise you'll enjoy it

Exercise:   Every other day

Sports:   Cycling, Football, Golf, Running, Skiing, Tennis / Racquet sports, Walking / Hiking, Weights / Machines

Daily diet:   Keep it Healthy

Smoking:   No, never

Drinking:   Somewhat frequently

Favorite books:   Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead, The Alchemist, The Romantic Manifesto, Celestine Prophecy (though it reads like a 2-year old book), Power of Myth, Federal Mafia, In Defense of Elitism, The Social Security Swindle, Kicking the Dragon, The Great Income Tax Hoax, Constitutional Chaos, Still Life with Woodpecker, Conceived in Liberty, The Sparrow

Living situation:   Live with kids part-time

Last read:   Last was Crush It!; currently reading Elementary Lessons in Logic

Favorite websites:   www.lewrockwell.com
www.mises.org
www.antiwar.com
www.breakthematrix.com
www.digg.com
www.chess.com
www.blackberryforums.com
www.pandora.com

Number of children:   1

Want children:   Yes

Pets:   None

Common interests:   Nightclubs / Dancing, Camping, Cooking, Book club / Discussion, Coffee and conversation, Dining out, Movies / Videos, Music and concerts, Performing arts, Chess

Last thing that made me laugh out loud:   Someone contacted me and, noting my typical dearth of similarities with liberals, claimed I must have a preference for neo-conservatives. Now THAT was funny (considering I'm an anarchist).

25 years from now:   We'll be sailing on my boat around the world... with someone else doing the driving

Wants to learn:   Cold fusion. Based on everything I've read, it appears to me that this does work (and could effectively provide all of the energy we'd ever want almost for free while completely destroying the war party who love to go to war for oil). Many years ago, I even went and purchased a basic chemistry book to start relearning it. Needless to say, I didn't get very far.

In my stereo:   Electronica

Shows I watch:   I don't watch TV; in fact, I don't even have cable TV

Favorite love/sex scene:   Still searching for one – want to help me search? Can't find any that top the real thing.

Work:   As a business strategy and transformational consultant, I have traveled extensively. I'm thoroughly convinced that I have more frequent flyer miles than God. However, I'm currently starting a new business - you'll never guess doing what :-)

Employment status:   Self-employed

Job schedule:   My own boss

Education:   Bachelors degree, Graduate degree

School:   University of Illinois - Champaign for undergrad
University of Chicago for MBA

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Starving Artists - Making Money from your Creativity
May 07, 2010 - There are different forms of intelligence. Creativity and artistic abilities are excellent indicators of intelligence. But earning a living as an artist is difficult, especially given today's economic issues worldwide (art is oftentimes considered a luxury item). It is also difficult for artists...
876 views   15 sanctions (based on 3 awards)

In Defense of Joe Stack
Feb 20, 2010 - Which do you consider more delusional: flying a plane into a government building in retaliation of government abuse or believing that the government exists to protect your individual rights? If you answered the former, you're certainly not alone. However, though you might not have thought...
1262 views   0 sanctions (based on 0 awards)

The Cult of Moral Grayness
Feb 16, 2010 - If I had a nickel for every time someone said to me that I'm too black-or-white, I'd be a rich man. It usually comes up in conversation with anyone that I've known longer than 30 minutes. I even had it formally written on my first job review as being my sole "weakness." I don't hide from it; I...
458 views   5 sanctions (based on 1 awards)

Ayn Rand: The Wired Interview (1998)
Dec 11, 2009 - I'm a month late on this, for the spotlight of public attention, but I have an Ayn Rand story, too. 11 years ago I blind-pitched Wired magazine an ill-defined article on Rand. In response, they asked me to write an "interview" with her, where I would come up with all of the questions and...
963 views   4 sanctions (based on 1 awards)

I Believe
Dec 03, 2009 - I believe... That just because two people argue, It doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, It doesn't mean they do love each other. I believe... That we don't have to change friends if We understand that friends change. I believe... That no...
517 views   15 sanctions (based on 3 awards)

Dating in the Atlasphere... Bringing Love to the Fans of Ayn Rand
Nov 10, 2009 - Though I understand that www.braincrave.com and The Atlasphere are technically competitors, at a higher level of abstraction, their goals overlap. This is a brilliant video that discusses some of the ideas behind Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead
1586 views   0 sanctions (based on 0 awards)

Sex in The Fountainhead - The Rape of Ayn Rand
Oct 25, 2009 - Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead . One of the greatest books of all time. Though Atlas Shrugged is, by far, the better book (considered the second-most influential book after the Bible
3304 views   10 sanctions (based on 2 awards)

I Stumbled... Upon Fun
Oct 14, 2009 - Sigmund Freud famously said that "...we men... find reality generally quite unsatisfactory." Over the years, we have become less polite and more sloppy. Now-a-days, we say reality’s a bitch. Regardless of how we say it, sometimes we just need to get away. But we can’t. We...
678 views   0 sanctions (based on 0 awards)

Elementary Dating
Sep 28, 2009 - Ah, the first date. Men seem to go to a first date with a mattress strapped to their backs. But I don't move a relationship to a first date often, so this is a real treat for me. An opportunity for face-to-face flirting that will increase my alertness and well-being . An opportunity for a...
695 views   5 sanctions (based on 1 awards)

On the First Day
Sep 23, 2009 - There are those who cannot think of a world without some form of government. I can. I do not expect to ever see such a paradise in my lifetime. But one can dream... What if, with your magic wand, you could wipe the slate clean? Eliminate every human-developed law (cf. laws of nature) and...
946 views   5 sanctions (based on 1 awards)

Nuclear No-Contest
Sep 19, 2009 - Before the 1950s, the future confronting the human race was bleak. With the global population increasing and becoming more dependent on energy-dense technologies to sustain its food supplies and rising living standards, there seemed no escape from the catastrophe that would come eventually when...
391 views   14 sanctions (based on 3 awards)

Brain Candy for Inquiring Minds - My Favorite Quotes
Sep 19, 2009 - It is appallingly obvious that our technology exceeds our humanity. (Albert Einstein) Genius is one percent inspiration, and ninety-nine percent perspiration. (Thomas Alva Edison) Most people would rather die than think; in fact, they do so. (Bertrand Russell) The reasonable man adapts...
9158 views   10 sanctions (based on 3 awards)

On the Other Hand
Jul 23, 2009 - In the memorable classic Fiddler on the Roof, a milkman and father of five daughters is constantly strained between the choice to maintain his unexamined traditions and the happiness of his children. As his daughters seek to make individual choices in pursuit of their own happiness, Tevye...
498 views   35 sanctions (based on 7 awards)

Signs
Jun 24, 2009 - I saw this video and really enjoyed it. All sorts of words popped into my head as I watched (e.g., loneliness, flirting, fun, risk-taking, anxiety, patience, sweet, romance, missed opportunities, hope). I proceeded to write an article about it. It would be about the importance of communications...
662 views   40 sanctions (based on 8 awards)

Freewill: You Never Forget Your First Love
Jun 13, 2009 - Her name was Nicky Romashko. Though I'm having a hard time remembering our ages (probably about 10), it was sometime during grade school that I experienced my first love. If you'll allow me the pun, it was quite a rush. I rode my bike to her house that evening. We went up to her room, closed...
1022 views   39 sanctions (based on 8 awards)






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