Goal
Welcome to Become an Individual. In this post, I define my goals for this blog and explain why you should read this blog.
Table of Contents
- What is Become An Individual About? Or, Why You Should Read This Blog
- Who I cannot and do not write for – See if this includes you
- Who Is Miles Franklin (the author of this blog)?
- What Are Actionables?
- Why Is Individualism Important?
What is Become An Individual About?
Welcome to Become An Individual. I am happy you’re here.
Become An Individual (stylized BAi) is a self-help blog about becoming the best version of yourself. This process of “becoming an individual” is straightforward. The process, however, requires hard work, virtue, and pride.
Overall, I cover four main topics:
- How to safeguard yourself, those you love, and your resources against the whims of society
- How to reject and avoid toxic people and ideas
- How to empower yourself to pursue virtue and your personal goals
- How to engage in community and learn to serve others fully and effectively
I explore these topics through posts discussing health, emotional control, greed, defensive power, and much more. I discuss all these topics through the lens of individualism and virtue.
What Is Individualism?
We are all individuals unique in our accomplishments and stories. You should never let anyone erase who you are, what you have accomplished, and who you can become.
“All rational action is in the first place individual action. Only the individual thinks. Only the individual reasons. Only the individual acts.” – Ludwig von Mises
Individualism is a social theory that values the individual above the needs, wants, and desires of the collective and the state. Politically, it is expressed in libertarianism, minarchism, and anarcho-capitalism. Economically, individualism is expressed through capitalism.
As a personal philosophy, individualism is about self-improvement through the rigorous pursuit of virtue. The uncompromising pursuit of virtue helps individuals overcome their vices, do good, and accomplish their goals.
By “becoming an individual,” you reflect on what you can directly control to improve your life, instead of obsessing over what society should do differently. For example, let’s say you want to get into shape. Through individualism, you journal about your emotional wellbeing, restrict your spending on junk food and exercise more. You focus on what you can control by accomplishing the goals you set.
If you value society more than yourself, you’ll blame others for your weight, obsess over “fat-shaming,” and ultimately fail to control the only life you have.
By valuing yourself and pursuing virtue, you can set realistic goals and develop pride in your accomplishments.
What Is Virtue?
You are free when you are virtuous.
Virtue is moral excellence. Through virtue, you can overcome your vices and improve your wellbeing through your direct efforts.
Virtue cannot be shared. No one else can walk your path for you. However, through this blog, I give you the examples you need to live virtuously, so you can take theory and put it to practice.
For example, frugality is the virtue of consuming less than you have. I will write posts teaching you how to create a budget, reduce your consumption, and find cheaper alternatives to expensive hobbies. By being frugal, you will have more money, time, and energy to live your best life.
Who I cannot and do not write for
All collectivists have produced is death, destruction, and inequality. Theirs is a history of brutality and violence.
“I am done with the monster of ‘We,’ the word of serfdom, of plunder, of misery, falsehood and shame.” – Ayn Rand
As an individualist, I do not write for collectivists. Collectivists are moral cowards who believe in the practice or principle of giving a group priority over each individual in it.
Collectivists come in all shapes and sizes from the horrors of Nazism and Socialism to the small-time race hustlers and pseudo-intellectual nationalists. Collectivists, however, always have one thing in common: their hatred of individuals.
Therefore, I cannot write for racists who abuse the racial majority. I cannot write for nationalists who despise legal immigrants who contribute to their new host country. I cannot write for socialists who support government violence and coercion to help those in need.
Collectivists believe in the erasure of individual stories, struggles, and purposes. I do not.
Who Is Miles Franklin?
Me on my wedding day.
“The world could always use more heroes. That is, if you’re up for it.”
My name is Miles Franklin. I am an individualist and the writer of this blog.
I am a husband and a father. I work as a web developer and content writer, and I have experience in farming, food service, and cooking.
I am an expert in nothing. All I can be is informed as reasonably possible. I do, however, live a virtuous life. Being virtuous and becoming an individual has helped me increase my earnings, control my emotions, and improve my actions as a father and husband.
What Are The Actionables?
This section is where actionables will be present. Individuals improve when we put our theories into practice. Therefore, at the end of each post, I will provide questions and suggestions to help you move forward in your growth.
Why Is Individualism Important?
If you follow virtue, you will always have hope.
“A man who seeks escape from the responsibility of supporting his life by his own thought and effort, and wishes to survive by conquering, ruling and exploiting others, is NOT an Individualist.” – Ayn Rand
You’ll never have a beautiful forest full of rotting and weakened trees. Similarly, you can never have a stable civilization of individuals who are scared of their future, anxious about their present, and ashamed of their past.
By focusing on individuals, more people will be satisfied, virtuous, and accomplished.
*Image credit to Unsplash.
