Heroicism

I am an individualist and insist that enlightened self-interest is more about self-discipline than self-indulgence, more about delayed gratification than immediate succumbing to temptation and desire. I admire courage in individuators but do not agree that self-sacrifice--up to and including giving up one's life in service to one's country or for the sake of one's cause--is the moral high ground, and one's duty to fulfill, unless it cannot be avoided. In that instance, it is one's duty to sacrifice oneself for others, the country or one's faith. That being granted, life is for the living, and living well and doing well requires that one live and stay alive to enjoy life to the fullest, even if that does mean staying alive at any cost, including betrayal of one's moral values and training. We should suffer, self-sacrifice and deny ourselves as we must, but we also should seek to be should be happy, seek joy, imaginative wonders and fabricate such creations based on this--these are a few of the results of living life with wonder, enjoyment and enthusiasm.