The Irreplaceable Spark Conference - Part II
Discovering Independence Minds
A small bit of history was made last month with the inauguration of the Irreplaceable Spark Conference in Irvine California. Hosted by the intrepid leaders of the Ayn Rand Centre UK, it may be the only conference dedicated to thinking and practicing every aspect of your life with principles grounded in the moral excellence of reality.
What is the moral excellence of reality? And what are the principles? For a complete analysis of those questions, it is best to become a student of Objectivism and learn from the fountainhead – Ayn Rand. But for conference attendees, Catherine Dickerson’s presentation was a great place to start.
To understand why Cathy’s message is fundamental to applied Objectivism, this paragraph from her conference biography is a good introduction,
Catherine’s work spans generations—from stabilizing foster placements to developing emotionally intelligent leaders. She has mastered Parent Effectiveness Training’s core skills—active listening, “I”-messaging, and value-based problem solving—and connected them to Ayn Rand’s reality-first philosophy.
As a highly trained Montessori teacher and psychotherapist, Catherine understands the irreplaceable sparks with which we are all born and our cognitive development into adulthood. And a big part of that is the skills needed for building relationships with colleagues in a business culture.
To that end, the title of Cathy’s training session, “The Effective Detective,” was a workshop in the “tools that honor the mind and awaken the joy of being fully understood.” After all, applied Objectivsism includes persuasion and requires the elimination of coercion. For me, Dickerson’s role-playing session demonstrated “respect for the independent mind” of your colleague and listening for “the facts that only the other person can reveal.”
It may sound simple, but that is a difficult thing to do well - and it is gratifying. If you have done your best raising children to be productive and independent adults with self-respect, you understand this. This excerpt from Chapter 8 of The Moneyball Method affirms that,
Fortunately, the hallmarks of childhood are the independence and pride that come from doing things for themselves . . . From childhood to adulthood, from perception to abstract ideas, the possibilities are boundless when the fire of learning stays lit.
For guidance on the facts that only you can reveal to yourself, the conference did not offer specifics that would apply to a large and diverse audience. But a great place for anyone to start on their journey toward independence are the fundamental laws of economics and personal finance - also from Chapter 8:
Productiveness is an existential human need and a spiritually important virtue. Not only does character develop with the ideas you discover and put into action . . . The information on the worksheets below can also be captured on a blank sheet of paper.
“Whether you’re raising children or leading teams,” you must think actively and listen to others to discover the facts and values that will achieve your defined objectives. The next article in this series will continue that theme and highlight another memorable speaker from the first Irreplaceable Spark Conference hosted by Ayn Rand Centre UK. Stay tuned!