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| By Pat Hartman |
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| March 1, 2006 saw the death of Harry Browne: financial advisor; presidential candidate; philosopher. It’s in the last role that I cherish his memory. In 1973 Browne published How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World, a self-owner’s manual for people who want to be in charge of their own destinies. Whenever I’m offered the chance to name my all-time top ten books, this one makes the list every time. I always keep a copy on the shelf, and if an extra copy falls into my net, I hold onto it until a friend in need shows up – as they always do. I knew early on that a particular gentleman friend wasn’t going to work out, when I read him some How I Found Freedom and he didn’t like it. |
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The world is rife with snares and delusions. It’s easier to get bogged down in them than it is to fall asleep in a reclining chair. Browne’s suggestions can help manage and neutralize all this stuff, and lead to astonishing amounts of self-actualization in a person’s life. How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World deals with thorny questions of identity, rights, despair, morality, selfishness, jealousy, Utopian tendencies, illusory urgency, the fallacy of previous investment; intellect and emotion; certainty and doubt. He shares ideas about how to hold your own with groups, government, family, religion, business, spouse, and all forms of bogosity. He identifies each trap, then dismantles it and explains each truth. |
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| Here’s an example: Think about how difficult it is to ever really know another person. In fact, the only person one ever really has a chance in hell of knowing is oneself – and even then, most people don’t. Okay, now think about how difficult it is to make somebody happy if you don’t know them. Therefore, “Do you want to make someone happy? Go to it – use your talents and your insight and benevolence to bestow riches of happiness upon the one person you understand well enough to do it efficiently – yourself.” |
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Browne not only recommends this plan, but provides step-by-step guidance. His book doesn’t simply say that your existence can be radically improved – it tells how, in terms as clear and practical as instructions for washing your socks. Start by questioning all your assumptions. Is it bad to be selfish? When someone accuses you of it, “just remember that he’s only upset because you aren’t doing what he selfishly wants you to do.”
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| Is it wrong to break the law? How could it be, when the government habitually breaks the very laws it makes? “It will change, overrule, ignore, or defy them whenever they get in its way,” states Browne with total accuracy. The ideal method of dealing with bureaucratic b.s. is to ignore it, and “there is no reason to feel ashamed, unpatriotic, wicked or guilty about it.” |
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But shouldn’t we work to change the system from within? Only if we want to waste our precious lives in futility. “It’s not likely that you’ll ever gain your freedom by joining, marching, picketing, or complaining,” warns Browne, “because all those methods rely upon changing the attitudes of others. What I have in mind concerns the use of methods over which you have complete control.”
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| What about personal life? Most people’s major problems stem from their home situations, and can be alleviated to a startling degree by redefining a few basic concepts. The secret of success in any relationship, casual or profound, is to limit it to those things you have in common. If your friend is a splendid hiking companion, by all means go hiking – but don’t expect him to also be the ideal drinking buddy. And don’t ruin it with a contract. Browne’s advice is, don’t marry, and if you are already married, get a divorce and renegotiate the relationship from the ground up. One recommendation that works like a charm to avert future trouble is, don’t own anything jointly. Everything is owned by either one person or the other – and if a breakup comes, the hassle is only a fraction of what it would have been. |
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Where children are concerned, Browne recommends letting them discover that actions have consequences. He strongly advocates never teaching a child anything that you intend to reverse later – no, not even the Santa Claus myth.
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| Is your present life situation unhappy? You can change it. The cost of getting out of a bad situation is never too much to consider. Consider it, and figure out what the price will be. Anything can be done for a price, and the sooner you pay it, the less it costs you. |
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| Despite the ever-present specter of futility, Browne accepted the nomination to run for the highest office in the land – in 1996 and 2000 - more for the chance to have his ideas heard, than from any real expectation of winning. |
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| The government performs no socially useful functions that deserve your support, nor can it be counted on to carry out its promises. You do not have a duty to obey its laws. The military draft and personal income tax must be abolished. The most important thing for an American to realize is: No one else is qualified to tell you how to live. |
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| What kind of madman would run on a platform built from such crazy ideas? No madman at all, but the eminently sane Harry Browne, the first Libertarian candidate allowed to participate in a nationally televised presidential debate. He was a genuine original, and the world is definitely poorer for his loss. |
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| Even if a person were to take away only one idea from How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World, this would be a good one: “It’s in your self-interest to let others be free. There are very few people strong enough to do that – so if you’re one of them, you automatically have a head-start on the competition.” Amen. |
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