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To: walden
Summing up several of your replies on this thread, sounds like you had a bad experience with libertarianism. Your emphasizing that libertarianism is a perfectly rational philosophy and its necessity for perfectly rational beings, I find quite suspect. Did you have a mind altering experience in some mini-libertarian cult? While I have not ever been involved with any such cults, I heard of some many years ago. Reading your roll on how your life is not your own, but belongs to family, teachers, friends, who all made an investment in you, seems like a continuation of that same cult mentality.

Your complaint that libertarianism didn't provide you something to tide you over when rationalism fails, sounds like the libertarianism you were seeking was a church, and when it didn't live up to the full church role you had hoped for, you jumped out and into something else that provided for that need. Most libertarians have many different things going for them in their lives, that they can draw upon when they "face the occasional emotional pits of life." I can't imagine any libertarian looking for that kind of help from the movement, a golf league, chess club, music band, an arts association, or even a baseball team.

I don't know any monks in the Almighty Church of Libertarian Holyness. But if you were a member of that church, actually thinking it could accomplish as much, then your rationality was not very sound to start with. But don't cast the rest of the movement into the utopian dreams you had, which required monk like robots with perfect rationality. This is a movement and philosophy that encourages individuality, and self ownership. The exact opposite of what you have conjured up in your mind.

Libertarianism is an opposite of utopia. Those who don't understand the philosohpy, continually expect us to live up to some utopian ideal, having answers to every imaginable problem under the son. Sorry to repeat the most often quoted libertarian saying; "Utopia is not an option."

90 posted on 12/24/2001 8:08:49 AM PST by jackbob
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To: jackbob
I don't know any monks in the Almighty Church of Libertarian Holyness.

FR is full of them.

91 posted on 12/24/2001 8:11:44 AM PST by Roscoe
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To: jackbob
No, dear, I've never been a member of a cult, and my life has contained no more ups and downs, bumps and bruises than anyone else's. I'm just OLD-- I thought I told you that. :) I also spend quite a bit of time dealing with young people, and trying to talk them out of collecting their own Darwin awards-- too many funerals the last couple of years.
99 posted on 12/24/2001 8:50:22 AM PST by walden
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