Yield not your mind to ‘group think’ and be free to make rational choices

“Getting What You Want”
Robert J. Ringer
G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2000


In the late 70s, corporation watchers and socio-political scientists were saying that a person would soon lose his individuality – because he would become an “organization man”. He would be faceless, his character subsumed under the corporate jungle, his choices limited by the goals assigned to him by the organization – and his life controlled by the “Firm” from cradle to grave.

Instead of accepting the inevitability of the individual melting into anonymity in the ocean of collective structure or corporate thought, more perceptive thinkers reasserted man’s primordial right to be distinct individually, as they cited the dangers of developing “herd mentality.”

Philosopher Eric Hoffer, in his book “True Believer,” gave a ringing rebuke to the fashion at the time to elevate to the pedestal the man who was willing to submit himself to the collective, when Marxism was fashionable and capitalism a bad word.

Another philosopher, Erich Fromm, lamented the all-too-easy abandonment of rational and individual thinking in his book, “Escape from Freedom.” He said people were willing to surrender their minds to their leaders, because “freedom carries with it the terrifying responsibility” to think for one’s self and to face the consequences of one’s own decision.

History has shown that when the majority of people allowed their rulers to direct their own destiny in mindless submission, disastrous results followed – bringing about the Holocaust of Hitler, the Monstrosity of Idi Amin, the Killing Fields of Pol Pot, to name a few.

It is really far easier to ask someone else to think for you. If something goes wrong or a business deal sours, you have someone to blame. This is exactly what “Getting What You Want” is advising against. Author Robert J. Ringer has crafted “The 7 Principles of Rational Living” for you, people, so that you would be “getting what you want in life, whether it be friendship, love, money, respect, or just about anything else that you believe will make you happy.”

Ringer -- the author of “Winning Through Intimidation” and “Looking Out for # 1” decades ago – has written what could be the lasting legacy of his well-argued points on his one formula: rational living.

Obviously acquiring a philosopher’s depth and broad-mindedness with advancing years, Ringer says that “you have a moral right to do what is in your best interest, provided you do not commit aggression against others.”

The seven principles he proposes somehow summarize everything needed for individual and community life. For example, Principle # 1 recommends: “Base your actions on truth.” Before dealing with “scientific truth” and “secular truth,” Ringer (whose religion is not revealed in the book) endears himself to “creationists” when he takes the bull by the horns and throws himself in the middle of the debate between the hotly contending theorists on “creation” versus “evolution.”

In an illuminating paragraph, he argues: “As I rhetorically asked my atheist friend, given that you are infinitely more complex than one line of a book, what are the odds that you accidentally, with all your billions of precise, specialized cells, evolved from rocks and dirt over a period of a few billion years?”

If you think that short paragraph gives you an idea about the compelling logic and lucid thinking of the author, you have just begun with the book because, as you read on, you pick up more gems of thought and well-argued points along the way. Liberating is Principle # 4: “Avoid those who drain your personal resources.” If you just cannot say no to a friend who clings to you in utter dependence for every need, this section tells you how to avoid “people taxes,” and “friends” who keep “taxing” you.

Refreshing and edifying is Principle # 3: “Make choices with civility, dignity, honesty, and humility.” Move over Confucius; ring the bell for Ringer! “Dignity is a rare commodity in our bizarre, modern-day world,” he points out. He cites the example of “talk shows that feature tragic people who emotionally and psychologically disrobe themselves in public while sharing their most intimate thoughts with millions of strangers.”

One is reminded of truly pathetic scenes on television of sex sirens making public their private desires and otherwise decent actors disclosing their all-too-intimate thoughts of loneliness and questings after pleasure following a failed marriage.

Ridding yourself of major encumbrances and acting rationally, not on impulse, are two other principles that are elaborated on by Ringer. “People feel imprisoned by many responsibilities,” the author says, who adds: “There is no such thing as a happy slave. If you’re not free to pursue your dreams and achieve your goals, you are, metaphorically speaking, a slave.” “Act now, regret later” is an advice heartily embraced by a people known for the “bahala na” attitude. The book advises otherwise with a witty blurb: “Curiosity may have killed the cat, but so did impulsive actions.”

One theme runs through the entire book: Don’t be easily swayed by what’s fashionable or socially acceptable. Check the truth that underlies it, your values about what’s good and what’s best for you. Then freely make a choice. “An unexamined life is not worth living,” a philosopher declared centuries ago.” This book gives seven principles by which you conduct such a life- or career-changing examination.