Johnny Caraveo

Jon M. Huntsman is a modest boy from Blackfoot, Idaho.  He grew up learning lessons that would lead him to create a multi-billion dollar chemical business.  What he says is simple; back to the basics -when it comes to morale code.

Jon’s book, Winners Never Cheat, takes on corrupt business practices and teaches it’s readers that even in our modern times virtues like integrity, courage, honor, and respect are integral parts of a succesful business. It tells the reader that since childhood we all have a moral (subcouncious) compass that guides us, wether we listen to it or not is up to our councious selfs.

The book provides value to those those who are seeking to be genourous in their business practices.  It speaks briefly about business management and gives several childhood and young adult examples of what leadership should be.  Jon M. Hunstman seems like a very extraordinary person and it would certaintly be an honor to know him or anyone else from his family for that matter.  I purchased the book to read about Jon’s “3 R’s” of leadership; risk, responsiblity, and reliability.  I will say that the book was a little lacking in describing and talking about risk, which is the main reason I bought the book, but it covers the other two R’s perfectly.

The book goes on to say that trust is an invaluable  part of business and it warns that:

“Trust, should not be blind. Save blind faith for religion.”

What it meansby this  is that you should be aware of whom you give your trust too.  Don’t leave it up to chance and don’t give your trust to just anyone. When Jon speaks about trust he goes on to say that words are binding and that keeping your word is one of the most important actions that define great character.

In my favorite part, Jon speaks about philantrophy and how it is important for the individual to give back to his society.  He speaks about his genours contributions to multiple schools, hospitals, and organization that were created to find a cure for cancer.  He states that:

“Philanthropy is plain good business. [Because] It energizes a company.”

He goes on to say that one does not have to be rich to give.  That one of the most valuable things we can give is time.  

A notable excerpt from the book is a poem Jon quotes entitled “No Man Is an Island”:

No man is an island,
No man stands alone,
Each man’s joy is joy to me,
Each man’s grief is my own.

 

We need one another,
So I will defend
Each man as my brother,
Each man as my friend.

This book is recommended for those who are interested in ethos, business, leadership and those who want to learn more about the way Mr. Hunstman’s mind works.

Ayn Rand’ book entitled Philosophy: Who Needs It is an excellent introduction to Ayn Rand’s objective philosophy.  She gives many examples on how her objective philosophy allows individuals to live a more practical, rational, and conscious life.  In the book she summarizes her philosophy and explains why other forms of thinking are contradictory and ultimately unpractical.

She boosts reason as the highest human value and goes after those with superficial knowledge:

“Reason is the only objective means of communication and of understaning among men; when men deal with one another by means of reason, reality is their objective standard and frame of reference.  But when men claim to possess supernatural means of knowledge, no persuasion, communication or understanding are possible.”

As is Ayn Rand’s signature, she is always introducing her other projects in her current work. That is something to look forward to in her books.  She always explains her  ideas clearly and describes WHY she thinks that way.  Here is my favorite excert from her other book Atlas Shrugged:

“You seek escape from pain.  We seek the achievement of hapiness. You exist for the sake of avoiding punishement. We exist for the sake of earning rewards. Threats will not make us function; fear is not our incentive. It is not death that we wish to avoid, but life that we wish to live.”

In Philosophy: Who Needs It, she takes on many complex problems that have been plaguing humanity: false religion, goverment involvement in economics, government stiffling of individual freedoms, contradictory philosophies, wrong moral codes and plenty of other controversial subjects.  Even though she takes on these hard subjects she never loses her focus on explaing why objective thinking can be the solutions to these problems.

I will state that in her book Ayn Rand predicted the current economic state and blames it on too much government interaction with the economy.  Which logically I would have to agree.

Ayn Rand goes on to show that the current system rewards those who are lazy, unmotivated, and ultimately without integrity.  She brilliantly states:

“Whome would these men fear most, psychologically -and least, existentially?  The brilliant loner -the begineer, the young man of potential genius and innocently ruthless integrity, whos only weapons are talent and truth.  They reject him “instinctively” saying that “he doesn’t belong” (to what?), sensing that he would put them on the spot by raising issues they prefer not to face.  He might get past their protective barriers, once in a while, but he is handicapped by his virtues -in a system rigged against intelligence and integrity.”

The book is an excellent source for those who are interested in thinking clearly, objectively, and those interested in integrity and Ayn Rand’s philosophy.

Reason, logic, and science. This is what I choose over religion and faith.  It might not be the most popular choice but it is the choice I choose to live by.  Why?  Because there is a self evident truth; that observation & experimentation are the keys that lead to success and progress. Just as some people make up their own hallucinations and beliefs.  I make my own ideas, and luck, and I won’t exploit that.

Now don’t get me wrong. One paragraph is all I need to express this subject. I am not agnostic or even atheist.  If I were to be called any type of religious stereotype it would probably be Christian. I was brought up in Christian fundamentals and I know that God exists, as I know the beauty of numbers do. So much for the subject of “religion.”

There are people through out history that I have true respect for and whom I truly look up to because of there choice of reason over ignorance, these men are my heroes, my inspiration, and my guidance. Some of my more modern heroes include Nikola Tesla, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Warren Buffet.  There are also a few historical men that I really look up to and whom are pillars in my fundamental ideology.  A few of my pillars include men like, Leonardo DaVinci, Aristotle, Alexander (The Great), Beethoven, Mozart, and Bach.  These men fought and defended everything they believed in. Men like these are what every man with a scientific & creative mind should strive to be like, I know I do. Now there are men that I admire because of there humility and non-violent teachings, these men include Jesus, Confucius, and Buddha. I am not ashamed to say that the scientific figures and inventors are my true heroes though.

 The rest of this blog will be based on self evident truths like reason, logic, and science and more interesting subjects like politics, technology, and economics. I always look at everything in a scientific and systematic method, that’s just how my mind works and that’s the truth.