There's a memorable line in the New Testament that adjures the readers to be “doers of the word and not hearers only.” And that's what I'm urging today. But this isn't about the Bible; this is about whatever you believe.
If you're a libertarian, be a libertarian.
If you're an objectivist, be an objectivist.
If you're a voluntaryist, be a voluntaryist.
If you're a Christian, be a Christian.
If you're a Jew, be a Jew.
And so on.
Whatever you are and want to be, don't be it halfway. Be it authentically. And if you haven't enough commitment to act accordingly, don't pretend to be it; rather, wait until the commitment builds or you decide to move on to better ideas.
I always thought it was unfortunate that people automatically follow the religion of their parents, because they tend to be lackadaisical about what they believe. They're cheating themselves.
So, if you believe something… whatever it is… believe it for real or let it go.
Even if you were determined to be something I'd recommend against, I'd still probably tell you to be that thing as fully as possible and to learn the truth of it. (Not violent or destructive things, obviously.)
And “Be It” Means…
“Being it” means that you go back to your books, redefine your principles, and recommit yourself to them. Then – and this is by far the most essential point – start doing them. You must act.
And get this:
Waiting for the right time is a cop-out.
Waiting for the right leader is a cop-out.
Planning is a cop-out.
There's no reason whatsoever to start your action with a giant plan for humanity. Those never work anyway. Talk to your friends; learn to love strangers and talk to them… not to convert them to your doctrine, but to add something to them. If your beliefs are really that good, you will certainly have contributions to make.
Please understand that if you don't act on them, you're negating both your beliefs and your words. Because if you won't act on it, you don't really believe it. And to wait is to petrify. Either your actions support your words or your actions negate your words.
One of my favorite places on the darknet has for its motto, “We're not waiting for someone else to rise up.” That statement is powerful, profound, and cuts through one of the biggest scams going: the belief that if we can just talk well enough, someone else will jump up and do the dirty work.
Acting is not a second stage, acting is the essential stage. Until you act, you'll never fully upgrade yourself, and you'll never really change the world. There is no substitute.
The Deep Reason It Matters
“Doing” matters for all kinds of reasons, but one of the biggest is very simple:
Once you begin acting – really acting – on what you see as true, you'll start developing faith in yourself… deep faith. And you'll never get it any other way.
Most of us see people who have faith in themselves, and we envy them. Or we convince ourselves that they're frauds… that it's all an act. (And sometimes it is an act, as when it's done to impress.)
Still, we recognize that faith in oneself is the right way to live, a better way to live. We just tell ourselves that it isn't really possible.
But I'm telling you it is possible to have faith in yourself, and that it's a wonderful thing.
That doesn't mean you'll never change your opinions – you'll still do that, and more so – but you'll know you are true to yourself. You'll know that you are honest not just in your mind but in your deepest parts.
You can't hide from yourself, and if you're not true to yourself, you'll carry inner conflicts all your life. No matter how well you hide your motives, no matter how well you can justify them, your inner person – your subconscious mind, your soul, or whatever we call it – has an unobstructed view, and it knows better. A large percentage of the problems people endure are direct outgrowths of such conflicts.
But if your inner parts see that you're being honest with yourself, a virtuous cycle starts within you and may continue for the rest of your life, cleaning you and making you more satisfied from the inside out.
But the World Doesn't Want You to Act
The world in general won't like this. (Though some individuals will appreciate your action.)
The most respected things on this planet are hierarchies, and those can operate only because millions of individuals bow their wills to them. And so, independent action on your part will always tend to offend both hierarchies and the people who are emotionally tied to them. Unfettered individual will threatens such people and structures.
And so you're left with a choice: You can be what you think you should be, becoming deeply and profoundly pleased with yourself. Or you can live a life of obedience to mere structures, serving them and wearing yourself down in the process, always carrying nagging questions about what might have been.
The difference between these two lives is doing. If you do what you truly believe in, you become more and better than you ever could be otherwise.
Be a doer.
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A book that generates comments like these, from actual readers, might be worth your time:
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I just finished reading The Breaking Dawn and found it to be one of the most thought-provoking, amazing books I have ever read… It will be hard to read another book now that I've read this book… I want everyone to read it.
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Such a tour de force, so many ideas. And I am amazed at the courage to write such a book, that challenges so many people's conceptions.
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There were so many points where it was hard to read, I was so choked up.
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Holy moly! I was familiar with most of the themes presented in A Lodging of Wayfaring Men, but I am still trying to wrap my head around the concepts you presented at the end of this one.
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Paul Rosenberg
www.freemansperspective.com
If you are actually the original author, please do reply to let us know!