Hello from Texas!

[Chris Harris]

Hello everyone,

My name is Chris and I have actually been a member of this board for a whilebut just haven't gotten around to posting anything yet (I tend to be very apprehensiveabout such things), but now I think it’s time to change that! I first foundfreedomain radio and the ideas contained within while watching an episode ofAdam vs. the Man that was hosted on RT. He had an interview with Stefan and ijust found his ideas absolutely enthralling, so much so I stopped watching Adamvs. the Man and started listening to the podcasts from the very beginning (I’mcurrently around podcast 350) since it’s kind of a pet peeve of mine to startsomething anywhere but the beginning. I am kind of ashamed to say but I used tobe in the military and very quickly learned of how wretched of a place it wasalong with all the human filth that inhabited it (wasn't told that part v_v).But I was able to free myself from that prison and ever since I have beenlooking for what is both true and virtuous and trying to undo all the harm thathas been done to me through various sources. I find these ideas wonderful andthey have helped me to find a degree of happiness I once thought was the stuffof fairy tales and legends. One thing I would like to work on is how to betterconvey these ideas to others, since I’m not that great of a speaker (It’s hardfor me to find the right words and the right time) but it is something I amtrying to work on and I think this board can be a great help to me andhopefully I can return that help in kind.

Well enough about me, I just wanted to introduce myself and say hey toeveryone out there. I hope yall have a wonderful day!

 

[Magenta]

Welcome to the community and thanks for sharing.

[MPStewart]

Welcome from a fellow Texan!  I started the podcasts from the beginning too, but I've mostly avoided the political stuff (I've gorged myself on Rothbard and mises.org for the last few years).  How are you finding them?  I'm excited about the ideas I've found here (especially IFS).  What are you finding helpful?

[Brandon Buck _BB_]

As we say in Texas.... howdy! I'm no longer in Texas but, perhaps for the worst, I was born and raised there.

 

You don't have to become some sort of brilliant orator in order to advance the cause of voluntarism, btw. Just living the principles you endear will suffice to spread them.

[Chris Harris]

 

Welcome from a fellow Texan!  I started the podcasts from the beginning too, but I've mostly avoided the political stuff (I've gorged myself on Rothbard and mises.org for the last few years).  How are you finding them?  I'm excited about the ideas I've found here (especially IFS).  What are you finding helpful?

 

 

Thanks for the welcome. I have been finding the podcasts, though difficult at times, to be of a real value to me in so far as they help to clarify my thinking on various topics and with introspection of my actions and emotions. Im delighted to hear of your exicitment because i think i can completely relate with you, every new podcast is an adventure! Im not quite sure what IFS stands for though. So far the podcasts on relationships as well as those about morality and the family are my favorites right now.

[Chris Harris]

 

As we say in Texas.... howdy! I'm no longer in Texas but, perhaps for the worst, I was born and raised there.

 

You don't have to become some sort of brilliant orator in order to advance the cause of voluntarism, btw. Just living the principles you endear will suffice to spread them.

 

 

Howdy! I was also born and raised here for the most part, and i have found that its not to bad of a place to be if you find some decent people to associate with (though i must admit its a difficult search). Thank you for the advise, i have found that at least trying to live these principles has brought me a measure of happiness that others can clearly see. Hopefully that can be at least a building block for them to realize what these ideas can do. How are you liking the change of scenary (not living in Texas) so far?

[VforVoluntary49]

Greetings-glad you were able to find your way to FDR. Don't be ashamed of being in the military, because you realized what it was and that at least shows you have integrity and virtue that wouldnt be corrupted.  What made you decide to leave, specifically-was it the whole charade of honor, justice, virtue etc. or was it something more specific than that? Either way, welcome aboard!

[Brandon Buck _BB_]

Well, there is no change of scenery, to speak of. I'm from Tyler, which is in East Texas and I'm now in Shreveport, which is in NW Louisiana so I'm only twenty miles from Texas and 110 miles from Tyler. The main change is going from a town that I can only best describe as being stuck in the late nineteenth century to a city that's stuck somewhere in the mid twentieth century. [:O] But seriously, Shreveport has about four times the population and it's a bit easier for a long haired hippy type pinko like myself to succeed in business here than it is in Tyler.

 

As for IFS, since no one has responded yet, it stands for internal family systems, which Stef has termed the mecosystem. It's essentially your inner "voices". If you haven't heard any of the listener conversations involving the mecosystem, you're in for a fascinating journey into the self.

[Chris Harris]

 

Greetings-glad you were able to find your way to FDR. Don't be ashamed of being in the military, because you realized what it was and that at least shows you have integrity and virtue that wouldnt be corrupted.  What made you decide to leave, specifically-was it the whole charade of honor, justice, virtue etc. or was it something more specific than that? Either way, welcome aboard!

 

Thank you for the kind words, to be honest ever since i was in boot camp i
wanted to leave but i just felt there was no turning back or no way out (they kind
of beat that into you). I knew something was very wrong with the people around
me, especially those in power, but you end up bonding with others as a way to mutually
cope with the abuse everyone is experiencing. I was fed the illusion that the
military is one big family and that your all brothers, but that is lie. Those
in power got there by putting up with abuse so when they finally get the power
they want, they use it to abuse others just as they were and its a never ending
vicious circle. As time went on I became more depressed and finally got to the
point where I resented waking up and (I do not mean to be morbid but it's the
truth) wished everyday for death. I was able to get out when I finally told
someone about what i was feeling and of course everyone around just looked at
me as crazy and weak (the main reason I didn't share my feelings or really allow
myself to feel much). However, i count that as the best choice I could have
made in that situation, and luckily I never directly caused the death of anyone
or I don't think i could have become to person I am becoming. I do count it as
the worst part of my life and when I was getting out I knew that literally
anything would be better than that.

I don't mean to any of this to get pity or anything, I just want people to
know how terrible of a place it is to be. I have had a few people who are about
to go into the military ask me how it was and every time I try as hard as
possible to persuade them not to go and to leave while they still have a
chance. Thank you for listening and the welcome. I also read your introduction
and found that much of what you said resonated with me as well. I have not yet
gotten to reading any of Ayn Rand's books but it's something I will defiantly
have to put time aside to read. I'm sorry that you had to go though such a
period of isolation but I am overjoyed you have finally found a place where you're
not alone. So welcome aboard as well!

 

[Chris Harris]

 

Well, there is no change of scenery, to speak of. I'm from Tyler, which is in East Texas and I'm now in Shreveport, which is in NW Louisiana so I'm only twenty miles from Texas and 110 miles from Tyler. The main change is going from a town that I can only best describe as being stuck in the late nineteenth century to a city that's stuck somewhere in the mid twentieth century. /emoticons/emotion-3.gif But seriously, Shreveport has about four times the population and it's a bit easier for a long haired hippy type pinko like myself to succeed in business here than it is in Tyler.

 

As for IFS, since no one has responded yet, it stands for internal family systems, which Stef has termed the mecosystem. It's essentially your inner "voices". If you haven't heard any of the listener conversations involving the mecosystem, you're in for a fascinating journey into the self.

 

Oh nice, i have driven to Shreveport a few times and i have to say that its way to humid (for me) in the suimmer. Tylers not to far from me, im right around Denton acually. I can now begin to see why you didn't like it there, sounds like your style would not be very welcome in a small town, but im glad its better for you now even if its only a little bit.

Oh sounds very interesting indeed. Im not super far into the podcast series just because i cant stand to listen or read stuff out of order, what if i miss an important topic! Haha, but that does sound familar. In a sunday show i listened to there was a man who talked about the inner narrative or story we tell ourselves and i thought it was an very interesting idea. Now im excited to hear about this, sounds like a journey worth taking.

[VforVoluntary49]

Thanks for the kind words as well. I actually came close twice to going into the national guard (was going through some dark times internally and and basically almost sold out my soul in a way but I could never quite make it happen. What made you go into the military in the first place-from the sounds of it it doesn't seem like you would have been happy in there to start, or did you just change a lot while there? Also, highly recommend Rand's books and if I were you I would start with either anthem or the fountainhead before atlas shrugged-atlas is my personal favorite and probably the most relevant to the conversation taking place at FDR but the other 2 are shorter, easier reads and also kind of lay the groundwork for Atlas.

[Chris Harris]

Im glad you choose to not go into the national guard, im pretty sure it would have been terrible for you. What made me get into the military in the first place was, like you, i was in a very, very dark place and had an great deal of rage and hate inside me. I was also into the notion of honorable combat and always yearned to experience it. This was compounded by the fact that my father was a military man (navy, same branch i joined) and he filled me full of lines like; " the military is one big family" and "you will met the best type of people that will stay your friends for life". This appealed to me because i was always the outcast of the family (and school for that matter) and i never felt like i had many friends (or family for that matter) that acually cared for me or liked me for who i was (though i was in the process of destorying my true self and becoming a nihilist). I can remember that from a very young age all i wanted in life was to be good and to love and be loved in return, like acually loved not just told i was loved. Since that never really happened i began to hate myself and all around me. The military sounded like a welcome reprieve and the "honor" part sounded like a bonus, since i was always fascinated with samurai and their code of honor. Now i know that is not truely what honor is, but a twisted reflection of it (those mirrors at carnivals come to mind). That, in a nutshell, is what ended up driving me into the iron grip of the military. I do think i changed a bit while in the military, i remember thinking if i had to push a button to launch a missle, could i do it? The answer i found was no, i could never live with myself knowing i just killed possbily hundreds of people by simply pushing a button. I don't have the fountainhead but my friend is going to let me borrow his copy of atlas shrugged, if the fountainhead sets the stage for atlas then i might have to get that one first. Thanks for the recommendation!

[VforVoluntary49]

I can totally sympathize, my grandfather was a police officer for 30 years and the rest of my family plus him had served in the military or guard at some point in their lives and definitely pushed me towards it. The other big reason I was leaning that way was the money for my education etc but when I thought about it and realized that if I ever directly or indirectly caused someone to be killed then I would basically a gun-for-hire and I couldn't reconcile that inside. I understand the honor and honorable combat aspect but I'm glad you realized that there is no honor in blindly following orders. 

No you can start with atlas it's not a direct sequel or anything. Basically she puts her philosophy out on the individual level in fountainhead and then expands it to the societal in atlas but being that you've already learned about most of these ideas you shouldn't have a problem