Rob

The more I study philosophy, the more I find myself drawing from four sources: Ecclesiastes, Stoicism, Aristotle's virtue ethics, and Ayn Rand's Objectivism. Interestingly, my philosophical journey began as a teenager with Ecclesiastes, long before I discovered Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, Aristotle, or Ayn Rand. I was raised Christian, but Ecclesiastes spoke to me differently from much of the Bible. It didn't sugarcoat life. It acknowledged suffering, injustice, disappointment, death, and the limits of human control. Ecclesiastes taught me that life is temporary, much of what people chase is vanity, and neither wealth, power, status, nor achievement can protect us from life's uncertainties. It also taught me something equally important: enjoy the life you have. Appreciate your family, your work, a good meal, a good conversation, and the ordinary pleasures we often overlook while chasing something bigger. That wasn't a message of despair. It was a lesson in perspective. When I later discovered Stoicism, I recognized many of those same ideas. The Stoics taught me to distinguish between what I can control and what I cannot. I cannot control fortune, illness, death, other people's opinions, or everything that happens around me. But I remain responsible for my judgements, actions, and character. Aristotle added another dimension. Living well requires more than pursuing pleasure or avoiding suffering. It requires reason, practical wisdom, good habits, and the deliberate cultivation of virtue. Then there is Ayn Rand. I've read Atlas Shrugged, The Virtue of Selfishness, and Leonard Peikoff's Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand and more. I appreciate Rand's defence of reason, individual rights, productive achievement, personal responsibility, and rational self-interest. She argues that pursuing your own happiness is morally legitimate. I agree. There is nothing inherently virtuous about poverty, suffering, or surrendering your ambitions to satisfy somebody else's demands. But I don't agree with everything Rand believed. Nor should I have to. Where I differ most is the relationship between self-interest and moral duty. I believe moral duty takes precedence over self-interest, but only when that duty is legitimate, freely accepted, and grounded in reason. Helping my family, honouring my commitments, and standing up for what is right may come at a personal cost. That doesn't automatically make those choices irrational or morally inferior. There is a considerable difference between freely sacrificing something valuable for someone you love and being told that your life belongs to the collective. I reject the idea that selfishness is always a vice, just as I reject the idea that self-sacrifice is always a virtue. Motives, circumstances, consequences, and moral obligations matter. And Ecclesiastes keeps all of this in perspective. What good is accumulating wealth if you never enjoy your life? What good is political power if you surrender your character to obtain it? What good is public approval when those applauding you will eventually be gone, just as you will? We are here for a relatively short time. Much of what occupies our attention today will eventually become irrelevant. That doesn't make achievement meaningless. It reminds me to distinguish between what is valuable and what merely looks important. My philosophy continues to develop, as it should. I refuse to surrender independent judgement to any philosopher, political ideology, religious authority, or fashionable opinion. Education should challenge your convictions, not simply reinforce them. I seek to live a good life through reason, virtue, freedom, and personal responsibility. I pursue happiness without abandoning justice, practise compassion without surrendering judgement, and honour my obligations without accepting unlimited claims upon my life. Ecclesiastes taught me that life is fleeting. Stoicism taught me how to face it. Aristotle taught me how to live it well. Rand reminded me that it is mine to live. So my general take is: Life is brief, fortune uncertain, and much of what we chase is vanity. I will think independently, act with reason, live with virtue, and enjoy what life offers without becoming enslaved by it. My freedom is mine to exercise, my character mine to build, and my conscience mine to answer to. My philosophy remains a work in progress, shaped by years of study, hard thinking, honest self-examination, and life experience. The more I learn, the more I realize that wisdom isn't something you achieve once and for all. It's something you spend a lifetime developing. And it's certainly easier said than done. Understanding a philosophy intellectually is one thing. Living by its principles, especially when life tests your patience, judgement, and character, is quite another. The real challenge isn't knowing how to live well. It's putting that knowledge into practice, particularly when it's difficult. I cannot control how long I live, but I remain responsible for how well I live.

Coyne seems more interested in mocking Conservatives than addressing the actual problem. Nobody sensible is suggesting we send Ukrainians back into a war zone or Hong Kong democracy supporters back into the hands of Beijing. That’s a ridiculous caricature of legitimate immigration concerns. The issue is competence, accountability and honesty. The Liberals spent years allowing immigration levels to outpace Canada’s ability to provide housing, infrastructure and public services. Now Carney announces a target of 380,000 permanent residents while creating room for another 200,000 approvals outside that target. Yes, most of those people already live here. That’s an important distinction. But why not put the full numbers on the table? Immigration should serve Canada’s economic interests, respect legitimate humanitarian obligations and remain within our capacity to accommodate people. After 12 years of Liberal government, Canadians have every right to question whether they’ve learned anything from their mistakes. Coyne’s sarcasm doesn’t answer those questions. It simply avoids them. Coyne is a 🤡 And Canadians deserve considerably better than that.