I am an American!

I am a sovereign man, responsible for my own actions and their consequences. I am the supreme authority of my life, and I may do with it as I please. I hold this to be an inalienable right of my humanity, and I will not suffer it to be infringed upon.

I wish to assume the calculated risk, to wager my livelihood and well-being upon the decisions I make; I desire to test my skill and intelligence against all form and fashion of challenges. Danger is the spice and variety of life: all danger is simply risk, and I weigh the risks and pursue those that offer the highest return; whether that return be material gain, spiritual enlightenment, temporal pleasure or simply the euphoria of success.

I will neither ask for nor receive unearned handouts; I will trade value for value. I will work for what I own, and I will own what I work for. I abhor debt, considering it as merely a front for economic slavery. I do believe in the principles of capitalism, where one is rewarded according to his ability and productivity. I make money, not just gather it: producing products and services of value, squaring off against my competitors in an effort to win.

I am fiercely competitive, and proud of my country and myself. I strive to be the best I can be, not by pulling other people down and restraining them, but by striving to outdo them, to better them at every opportunity. I will not apologize for my ability, nor will I cower before any foe; I resolutely embrace my skills and intelligence, and use them to my best profit. It is my right to be uncommon, to walk the path less traveled by. I hold that if everyone were to work for their best interests while refraining from infringing upon others, then the competition would drive quality up and price down: that we would raise each other up, instead of pull each other down.

I choose my friends and company from among my betters, constantly seeking to improve myself. I maintain an inviolate sense of honor, my word is my bond: I deal with people in a straightforward way, expressing the truth, with tact, in all I do and say. I communicate precisely and simply, speaking and writing what I mean to convey exactly.

I neither impose my will upon others, nor do I forcefully oppose their will; if I choose to attempt to convert someone to my point of view, I use logos, swaying them through reason and immovable logic. I will readily yield to another point of view, maintaining an open mind, provided I am convinced through the use of persuasion that the other party is correct. I refuse to coerce or be coerced.

As the logical result of my economic and moral conscience, I believe in living under my means and preparing for a rainy day. I fix things myself. I become the master of my possessions, learning their inner workings and using them to best effect, not to be held in their thrall. I buy things of superlative quality, both for the item’s intrinsic value and because something made to such a high standard shows a mind and mentality such as mine.

I am always a student. I enjoy studying the literary works of great acclaim, apprenticing under the tutelage of a master in his trade, and exposing myself to fresh experiences. This does not mean I accept everything I come to understand, I apply myself to think critically and skeptically of all new material: keeping the grain and letting the wind blow the chaff away. I do not limit myself to any particular trade or subject, but seek out and delve into diverse topics.

Being responsible for my own fate, I do not deign to leave it in other people’s hands. I take it upon myself to acquire skills and knowledge that I can use to defend myself and those I love, and to give myself as much of an advantage in any situation as I can. I maintain a high level of awareness, both of my surroundings and myself. I respond decisively and with no apology to defend myself, my possessions or the lives of others.

I dress immaculately. I present myself with composed confidence, sure in myself, certain in my choices. I am tactful and good company, not to curry favor with others, but because anything less would be disgraceful and below the level at which I hold myself. When the time to work comes, I wear clothes whose form is expressed in flawless function.

I do not dwell on that which is outside my control. I accept it and adjust accordingly: I am permanently flexible and perpetually stoic. I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.

I consider religion a personal matter. Whatever I believe, I separate it from my politics and my judgment of others.

I voluntarily surrender a measure of my authority over myself to my government, which I hold to exist for the sole purpose of removing coercion as a viable means to achieve an end. I participate actively in the politics of my land, not as a method to raise myself above my peers or achieve a position of power, but to serve. I consider political service a necessary duty, not a career; I regard a large, intrusive government to be the greatest of all evils, because all that is required for it to succeed is for good men to do nothing. For this reason, I am a proponent of citizens being free to arm themselves, as they ought: the point of arming the populace is not pleasurable pastimes nor is it individual protection, the point is to empower the people. If the people have less force available to them than the government, then the government is free to coerce them. At that point, they are no longer citizens, they are now subjects.

I am an American. I own my life, the product of my labor and my mind. With these, I will contend with fate. I will not trade my freedom for a guaranteed existence. I am, therefore I think.