My few readers may have noticed a pattern in the posts I’ve made and the articles I’ve linked to so far. That pattern is in pointing out the negative aspects of the current economic and political situation that we find ourselves in. I must admit, that based on my understanding of economic and political history, I believe that this generation is in for some turbulent times in the coming years. I firmly believe this and have been voicing my opinions on it quite vociferously for some time now to family and friends.

But…that doesn’t mean I’m a doomer in regards to humanity and our short-term or, especially, our long term future. Quite the opposite in fact. As such, I plan to write from time to time about why I’m so optimistic about our future. My main reason for starting this blog was to share my ideas about the benefits of freedom and free markets, and the positive economic, ethical, moral, and maybe even spiritual implications surrounding freedom.

One person who has had a profound influence on my life, through his books and articles, is Leonard Read. My blog website is named after one of his profound insights on the nature of spreading human liberty. I will be writing more about some of his insights as time passes on. He had a profound perspective on freedom and human progress that he called “the freedom philosophy.”

Here is one brief article that describes Leonard. Here is a second article about his legacy by Jacob Hornberger.

Read created an institute to study freedom and he dedicated his life to this cause. A movie could be made about his life. He was instrumental in bringing Austrian Economics to the US and he was personal friends with key people in the movement, including Ludwig Von Mises and Henry Hazlitt. Ron Paul was inspired by Leonard Read and has said that Read was one of the largest influences on his life. Read’s list of personal friends included people ranging from several US Presidents to Walt Disney.

Read was a prolific writer on the topic of freedom. His many articles were turned into books and his complete works are available for free in one e-book here. His books are full of profound ideas, and mention countless books that influenced him. One such example is The Mainspring of Human Progress.

I’ve only been able to find one YouTube video of Read online. It’s a lecture called “How to Advance Liberty,” and it’s a stroke of genius with profound insights that he accumulated during a lifetime dedicated to the spread of human freedom.

I don’t use the word profound lightly. This man’s teachings had a profound effect on Ron Paul, and Ron Paul has had a profound effect on the freedom movement in this country and around the world. I believe Ron Paul will go down in history as possibly the greatest Statesman in American history and be ranked among the leading proponents of freedom in human history.

Anyway, it’s good to step back from all the noise and nonsense prevalent in the media today, to read and learn from people who have been working on behalf of human freedom for centuries. They were optimistic about the future of mankind, and I am too. Truth always wins in the end…always.