Know Yourself

The wise man lives by principles, and is never in a hurry to make a bad decision. The fool only knows his immediate desire and rushes towards his next mistake.

Often times the desire to do something overrides the ability to use wisdom in discriminating between what can be done and what should be done, as opposed to what should never be done. Generally things like anger, fear, desperation, and ignorance are amplified by would-be leaders who have something directly to gain by your foolish choices. One way to spot such a would-be leader is to ask yourself what they have to gain if you follow their lead. What is the real product they're selling? Are they selling a path, a concept, an idea, or are they selling themselves as the guru of that path/concept/idea? Are they teaching their followers how lead themselves, stand on their own, and go out there and do the right things, or are they building a dependent following to constantly fluff the leader's ego while he siphons the wealth of the followers?

It really doesn't do any good to commit yourself to oppose the State only to sell yourself into the emotional or financial servitude of some guru, liberty cheerleader, or other would-be Great Man. Rather, examine yourself and ask yourself why you feel the need to follow. Be brutally honest and keep in mind that back in the day, the followers of Jim Jones made every possible excuse to continue believing. It's still that way with the adherents of L. Ron Hubbard, and he's been dead for 30 years. But just because your favorite liberty hero isn't the one calling for believers to follow him into the desert to form a libertarian commune where everyone lives in shipping containers howling with the coyotes at night, that doesn't mean you need to sit on the edge of your seat waiting for your hero's next podcast or video. So again, be honest with yourself. Are you being lead towards independence, self-reliance, and wise decision making, or are you just being lead?

Self-examination is one important key to learning wisdom. Asking yourself about your motives and your desires, and honestly comparing them to tested principles, like non-aggression and self-defense, is critical in self-development. Thinking in terms of the long approach, rather than focusing on short term wants, is an exercise in self-control and self-discipline, both critical in the development of wisdom. Teaching yourself to look beyond a sales pitch is an even more advanced key to wisdom that will never stop paying for itself. And finally, the constant reevaluation of your plans, your actions, and your direction, is the only
way to stay on target to get to your goal. This is true for the individual, and it's true for a group of like-minded individuals seeking a common goal. Otherwise the naturally more flamboyant personalities will inadvertently become the flawed leaders, and the cause will be lost for yet another generation.

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This post is an excerpt from Ben Stone's book, Sedition Subversion and Sabotage Field Manual No.1 Section 3-2.

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