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My Philosophy

“My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute.” —Ayn Rand

“I want to be happy by doing well by doing good.” —Michael Thomas

“My life’s philosophy is the operating system of my mind. It is my 'sense of life.'” —Michael Thomas

I am a connoisseur of the art of self-Improvement. I am a German-American and support the original principles of America: freedom, liberty, individual rights, free-enterprise and capitalism.

I try to live a Quantified, Uncluttered, Minimalist, and Simplified Life. The less you have, the more you value it.

I work to sustain a high level of self-esteem, which is derived from living up to my values, principles and beliefs.

I believe in Greek philosophy, British common law, Libertarian principles, and the U.S. Constitution.

Nineteen Objectivist Virtues

  1. Courage: the quality of mind or intellect that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc. Without fear; bravery not cowardice.
  2. Mindfulness: the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something. A mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.
  3. Benevolence: the quality of being well meaning; kindness. To act reasonably in a fashion that is beneficial in one's values or trades with others, to be charitable and courteous with respect to others individual rights, property rights and natural liberties. To act with kindness towards others liberties and trades, to be without malevolent intents or expousing hatred of others achievements and respecting others individuality and differences.
  4. Prudence: is to take reasonable care of oneself, and to act with reasonable caution, and to act with good rational judgment, as well as acting with rational wisdom in looking ahead to make clear well thought out informed decisions: with a emphasis on sober prudence in handling one's affairs.
  5. Serenity: the state of being reasonably calm, peaceful, and untroubled by anything that maybe troubling you or anyone who maybe troubling to you.
  6. Exuburence: to act with reasonable energy, joy and vitality in one's daily decisions, with a well collected mind on objective reality and clarity of thought in the same manner of not clouding one's mind with irrational beliefs in God, supernatural superstition or transcendental notions.
  7. Eupraxsophy: to live a reasonable life style without religion, supernatural beliefs or transcendental ways of irrational thinking or belief systems based on faith. A life stance that does not rely on a belief in the transcendent or supernatural.
  8. Mudita: to act with reasonable sympathetic joy towards the well being of others and the good fortune of others while also recognizing the rational neccessity of ones own well being and good fortune as well.
  9. Rationality: this is the cardinal virtue, which leads to all other virtues. Rationality means using reason (and rejecting emotions) to identify reality.
  10. Honesty: is the refusal to fake reality.
  11. Integrity: is consistency in the application of reason.
  12. Productivity: means working to create one's values.
  13. Independence: means being first-handed, or refusing to leave one's thinking to others.
  14. Pride: is the pursuit of moral perfection.
  15. Self-Esteem: the belief that one is capable of gaining and keeping one's values and that one deserves them.
  16. Justice: is the principle of applying reason to the actions of other men, or giving other people what they deserve.
  17. Eudaimonia: is a property of one's life when considered as a whole. Flourishing is the highest good of human endeavors and that toward which all actions aim. That is pursuing one's happiness and human flourishing is the highest standard of good that is the ultimate goal of any rational human being.
  18. Rational Ethical Self-Interest: to act according to one's rational ethical self-interest, by virtue that one does not sacrifice himself for others nor demands the sacrifice of others to himself, in stark contrast to Altruism. Selfishness is a virtue in so far that the individual reasonably rejects altruism and each individual strives towards their own happiness, success and moral perfection.
  19. The Non-Aggression Axiom: to reject the use and initiation of physical force and violence an the instigations of fraud is a reasonable virtue to uphold. To be of the understanding that it is universally and objectively immoral to use the initiation of physical force and violence.

Six Life's Areas

I work to sustain a high level of self-esteem, which is derived from living up to my values, principles and beliefs, and the continuing development of my six life-roles:

  1. Philosophy (see above)
  2. Health
  3. Finances
  4. Entrepreneurship
  5. Relationships: My mission is to act as an instrument of positive change in my family, friends, relationships and community. And to enjoy the reciprocal thereof.
  6. Pleasures: I want to enjoy the finer delicacies that life has to offer. I love the beauty of everything that's refined.

My Roles

  • Son: My relationship with my father is extremely important to me, I want to support him in all decisions that he makes, to remember that all that I am- he showed me the way, and to make his lives as easy as possible as he grows older.
  • Husband: I will have a relationship with my wife based upon love, trust, respect and laughter. We will continue to nurture our life-long friendship and will never lose sight of the fact that we are more than just individuals; we are partners. I will respect her individuality and will support her in achieving her life goals.
  • Father Figure: Teacher, listener, friend.
  • Friend: I have a strong relationship with all of my friends and extended family, which I cherish and work to maintain. I have many close friends that I have been blessed with on my life's journey so far, and they have been vital in helping me become the person I am, and in continuing to become the person I strive to be. I am thankful for them, and place a high value on their friendship and presence in my life. I consider them family and care deeply for them, and will continue to work at maintaining these friendships.
  • Community Member: I will participate in my community. I will help with volunteer activities ensure that my community prospers. I won't hesitate to lend a helping hand when and where it is needed either locally or globally.

Stoicism

Daily Stoic Reminder Coins. I carry one each day in a rotation. Great reminder of my philosophy.

Summum Bonum

And what is the highest good? To the Stoics, the answer is virtue. If we act virtuously, they believed, everything else important could follow: Happiness, success, meaning, reputation, honor, love. The Stoics didn’t claim this path was easy, or that it would always be recognized or appreciated by those closest to us, only that it was essential. And that the alternative — taking the easy route or the shortcut, even if unethical or immoral — was considered only by cowards and fools.

As Marcus Aurelius writes in Meditations, “Just that you do the right thing. The rest doesn't matter. Cold or warm. Tired or well-rested. Despised or honored. Dying… or busy with other assignments.”

To the ancients, if we let virtue lead the way, every step we take will be safe. In Greek mythology, Arete was the goddess of virtue. The front of the coin features an iconic rendition of Arete in the ancient city of Ephesus. The model for us to follow — the embodiment of this idea of doing and living right.

We live in a world awash with corruption, with selfishness, with cruelty and pain. We need virtue more than ever. We need heroes. We need those who stand up for the common good — no matter the circumstances.

Premeditatio Malorum

  • Premeditatio malorum = “the pre-meditation of evils”
  • prounounce: pre-medi-ta-ta-she-oh | ma-lar-ee-um

https://store.dailystoic.com/products/premeditatio-malorum

Premeditatio malorum (“the pre-meditation of evils”) is a Stoic exercise of imagining things that could go wrong or be taken away from us. It helps us prepare for life’s inevitable setbacks and develop resilience in the face of uncertainty. We don’t always get what is rightfully ours, even if we’ve earned it. Not everything is as clean and straightforward as we think they may be. Psychologically, we must prepare ourselves for this to happen.

Seneca wrote: “What is quite unlooked for is more crushing in its effect, and unexpectedness adds to the weight of a disaster. This is a reason for ensuring that nothing ever takes us by surprise. We should project our thoughts ahead of us at every turn and have in mind every possible eventuality instead of only the usual course of events… Rehearse them in your mind: exile, torture, war, shipwreck. All the terms of our human lot should be before our eyes.”

By doing this exercise, Seneca was always prepared for difficulty and prepared to meet any fate. Which is a good thing — because nearly every single one of those things actually happened to him. And from what we know, he faced each with bravery, strength and understanding. and always working that disruption into his plans. He was fitted for defeat or victory.

Anticipation doesn’t magically make things easier, of course. But the more prepared we are, the abler we are to proceed despite the potential difficulties. With anticipation, we have time to raise defenses, or even avoid them entirely. We’re ready to be driven off course because we’ve plotted a way back. We can resist going to pieces if things didn’t go as planned. With anticipation, we can endure.

The Obstacle is the Way

The world is constantly testing us. We set out to do something and it’s more trying than we expect. We face resistance. We get criticized. We run out of options. We experience technical difficulties. What will we do?

Marcus would say that the Stoic finds a way to turn every negative into a positive. In this famous line, what he’s suggesting is that — no matter how bad or seemingly undesirable a situation becomes — we always have the opportunity to practice virtue, to use the situation as an opportunity to be our best selves. We don’t control when things get hard, but we always control how we respond. We can show patience, courage, humility, resourcefulness, reason, justice, and creativity. The things that test us make us who we are.

The Stoic grows stronger and better with every obstacle they face. They rally to every challenge and thrive as a result. So can you.

The front features a great mountain. As the Haitian proverb puts it: "Behind mountains are more mountains. One does not overcome one obstacle only to enter the land of no obstacles. No matter how successful we are or will be, we’re going to find things that stand in our path."

The back shows Marcus’s enduring words: “The impediment to action advances action, what stands in the way becomes the way.”

Amor Fati

Amor Fati: Learning To Love And Accept Everything That Happens

Amor fati is a mindset that you take on for making the best out of anything that happens: Treating each and every moment — no matter how challenging — as something to be embraced, not avoided. To not only be okay with it, but love it and be better for it. So that like oxygen to a fire, obstacles and adversity become fuel for your potential.

The flame on the front is inspired by Marcus Aurelius’s timeless wisdom: “a blazing fire makes flame and brightness out of everything that is thrown into it.” The back features an excerpt of the great philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche’s formula for greatness: “Not merely bear what is necessary, still less conceal it….but love it.”

Acceptance. It’s just hard. Not just hard because it means tolerating things we don’t like, but because it feels weak. What am I supposed to do, just let things be? Yes. What he means is that stuff is going to happen to us in life. You gotta be ok with it. That which one resists persists, is the old proverb.

The solution to all of this is not to fight it with incredible amounts of energy. As Epictetus put it: "Do not seek to have events happen as you want them but instead want them to happen and your life will go well."

The Stoics called that idea the Art of Acquiescence: what can’t be cured must be endured. Lincoln’s favorite saying was “And this too shall pass.” In the Book of Five Rings, Musashi says “Accept everything just the way it is.”

You don’t have to like it to work with it — to use it to your advantage. But it starts by seeing it clearly and accepting it unconditionally. Amor fati — a love of what happens. Because that’s your only option.

The Stoics had another metaphor for what they called the logos or the universal guiding force of the universe. We are like a dog tied to a moving cart, they thought. We have two options. We can struggle with the foolish notion of control and dig our hind legs in, challenge every step and get forcibly dragged. Or we can go along for the ride, enjoy it and take our freedoms where they come.

Sympatheia

“Meditate often on the interconnectedness and mutual interdependence of all things in the universe. All things are mutually woven together and therefore have an affinity for each other — for one thing follows after another according to their tension of movement, their sympathetic stirrings, and the unity of all substance.” —Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 6.38

Perhaps the most radical idea in all of Stoicism: Sympatheia is the belief in mutual interdependence among everything in the universe, that we are all one. You will find this link between all beings throughout the works of Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, and Seneca. In Meditations, Marcus refers to the common good more than 80 times, self-identifying not just as a citizen of Rome, but of the World.

Marcus knew that reminding himself of the limitations of his individual perspective would help him be a better person and a better leader. Taking the "view from above" as he termed it, would challenge his preconceptions down at ground level and help him see the world around him more accurately, fairly and empathetically.

This is something we can all do. Sympatheia is an invitation to us to take a step back, zoom out and see life from a higher vantage point than our own. It changes our value judgments, weakens the power that luxury and temptation have over us, reduces the seemingly insurmountable differences between people and races and turns the worries of daily life from anxiety attacks to absurdities.

You are not alone, that you are part of something bigger than yourself, that there is a greater good to which we all owe a duty above and beyond our own selfish concerns. The medallion is a prompt in your pocket, to ask yourself: Who am I? What am I doing? What is my role in the world? Are my problems really that big of a deal? Or are they pretty small in the bigger picture?

The front shows the famous 1972 “Blue Marble” photograph of Earth, which instantly changed man’s perspective on himself. It is a view Marcus Aurelius could only imagine but still understood. The image is a prompt to zoom out of your own bubble and see the world as a whole and understand the interdependence of everyone on it.

The back features Marcus’s timeless wisdom: “Revere the gods, and look after each other. Life is short — the fruit of this life is a good character and acts for the common good.”

Ego is the Enemy

Ego is that outsized sense of self-importance, that malignant self-absorption, a belief that one is somehow inherently better and entitled to more than everyone else, what NBA Hall of Fame coach Pat Riley famously called “the disease of me.” It’s the voice whispering in our ear, alternatively, that we’re invincible or that we suck and everyone is plotting against us. Ego is that toxic force that makes real teamwork, empathy, vulnerability and artistry impossible.

Name one situation you’ve ever been in that called for more ego. It repulses advantages and opportunities. It’s a magnet for enemies and errors.

Whatever we’re doing in life — whether we’re aspiring to do something, experiencing success or in the middle of difficulty — ego is the enemy every step along the way. That is why we designed the back of the coin to illustrate the three stages of this cycle: Aspiration. Success. Failure.

The purpose of this coin is to remind us to be:

  • Humble when ambitious
  • Gracious when successful
  • Resilient when we fail

These stages circle the writer Cyril Connolly’s wisdom: "Ego sucks us down like the law of gravity."

The front of the coin features a bust without a head — a reminder that ego can topple us at any moment.

Momento Mori

In Meditations, Marcus Aurelius wrote “You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.” That was a personal reminder to continue living a life of virtue NOW, and not wait. The French painter Philippe de Champaigne expressed a similar sentiment in his painting "Still Life with a Skull," which showed the three essentials of existence: the tulip (life), the skull (death), and the hourglass (time). The original painting is part of a genre referred to as Vanitas, a form of 17th century artwork featuring symbols of mortality which encourage reflection on the meaning and fleetingness of life.

The front features an interpretation of de Champaigne’s 17th century painting and the back shows a shortened version of Aurelius’s timeless wisdom. The coin acts as a reminder to not obsess over trivialities, or trying to become famous, make more money than we could ever spend, or make plans far off in the future. All these are negated by death. It’s time we stop pretending otherwise.

Philosophy & Psychology Awards & Achievements

Awarded Certificate of the Society of Socrates and Hypatia from Frostburg State University (twice).

Earned Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Hypnotherapy, and Time Empowerment Techniques.