*EDIT: Audio version: Here *

There was a time when I sought validation from women and others in general.

Having women (and society at large) as a standard - is to have a horrible standard.

A standard is meant to be unchanging; a meter stick that is reliable, regardless of what one measures with it. A standard is outside of the thing that is measured, and objective...

Women (and society) are fickle; more concerned with what is fashionable, or the current fad, than what is objective truth. The validation process is flawed for many men; the idea of a man's self-worth as his notch-count is a fundamental misunderstanding of the very definition of self-worth.

What are you worth to yourself? And how is that measured - what is your standard?

For me, I know what my standard is; if I can make my goals a reality, then reality will have borne out my understanding of how the world works. My standard is, in a word: success.

In my own style, naturally.

...

I think you can learn something, even from your enemies. Selfishness, in this world, seems to be the most realistic approach to living life.

Selflessness is a fundamental contradiction; to be yourself, without yourself... It is the lie that is taught to boys - erase yourself for the greater good. Jump into the meat-grinder for society. Put your ass on the line to rescue the princess. Sacrifice... your self. It is, literally, self-defeating... as if men and boys were the enemy and not the engines of creation and virtue.

I'm inspired by myself. I love myself.

And I've come to realize that people don't understand basic truths, for instance; loving yourself is seen as a bad thing (and it echos in me [from the past] that it is shameful to love myself) ; and is mistaken for narcissism.

Narcissism is to love the image of one's self; a virtual self - not the thing itself. Narcissism is not self love - it's a love of... images.

I think Ayn Rand was right when she said, "love is an involuntary response to [perceived] virtue". And what does it mean to love yourself? However, most people don't understand the nature of virtue and put forward logical contradictions, such as self-sacrifice, as a moral good. One cannot make moral choices if they're dead (once burnt - a sacrifice has no value); human sacrifice is immoral... barbaric, even. And yet... how many men sacrifice themselves on the alter every year? Why? To worship the "goddess of the void"?

(Thank you Barbarossa for "powered by orgasm" [part 4] and Ester Vilar)

... The wonderful thing about a man loving himself, and holding reality as his standard - is that it is a positive feedback loop - akin to what Bertrand Russel said, "Each victory is only a prelude to another, and no boundaries can be set to rational hope."

I feel as though I have rocket fuel in my veins! I have no irrational limits.

I've been patient with myself - showing myself the love that I had once reserved for others. A curiosity, and desire to get to know someone that was once directed at women, is now directed inward. People say, "aren't you afraid you'll die alone?" with no understanding of what it truly means to die in good company. So long as you love yourself - you are always in good company.

It is a kind of rational solipsism, which I was told was a bad thing (by bad people - people who abused me - people who wanted me to erase myself in a fundamental way for their convenience. I had embodied their philosophy so passionately that I was suicidal... Never again... My eyes are open to their way of thinking and its... incorrectness).

I've been picking up steam and taking the rational/realistic steps toward success as I choose to define it. I'm caring for my finances, and my health (mind and body)... and I just thought I would share.

Isn't it strange that it is radical to speak on the value of masculinity and self-determination? I'm proud to have this private joy... it really is a privilege (privi/private, lege/law), gentlemen, and you should, certainly, check it out (though SJWs have no concept of the laws which govern the private joys of a man, and thus have no idea of the true nature of male privilege. Happiness belongs to us, so long as we use our strength to take it - it doesn't reside in a vagina and the weaker sex. They tell us with a dark and insidious kind of sarcasm to check our privilege. Yet, they are ignorant of the private laws [of nature] which govern our happiness. They seem to be ignorant of engineering and the hard sciences - knowledge of which greatly improves a man's quality of life, and longevity).

I understand that the SJWs mean that, upon checking my "privilege", I should return to my place in line for the meat-grinder; to be a good little boy and "shut the fuck up"... But (sarcastic bitches aside) it really is my privilege, gentlemen - to call myself a man going his own way.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to attend to my happiness (unfortunately, as a side effect of improving my life, through my work, I might, inadvertently, improve the world in some significant way. Improving my environment tends to overlap with the improvement of other people's environments, even though I tend not to like other people). Have a nice day.