In my January 24th Daily Freedom, “Dead, or Alive and Free?,” I mentioned Richard Rieben, who wrote:
“Each individual has the power to take liberty and make it a reality in his own life.”
There I expressed an almost hopeful doubt that Mr. Rieben’s reported demise might not be true, since I could find no details, or even a date, for his supposed death. I have sadly discovered an interesting Obituary for Mr. Rieben, written by his brother William, with some details of his life, family, and works, with some photographs. For anyone interested in learning a little more about Mr. Rieben, who apparently found freedom in his own life, that obituary is entitled, simply, “Richard G. Rieben.”
Eccentrics
It is obvious Richard Rieben did not live his life as other men do, but then, no independent individualist ever does. That of course does not mean they do nothing other men do, it means whatever they do, the motivation and reason for what they do comes from within themselves, never in conformance for conformance sake.
To the world of the socially accepted the independent individualist will always be considered an “eccentric.” As I emphasized in the January 19th Daily Freedom, “Against The Flow,” the individualist is always a non-comformist—freedom and individualism require going in the opposite direction of the mass of human society which is rushing headlong into totalitarian uniformity and oppression.
Not all eccentrics are individualists, of course, but it is interesting how many people who just live their lives differently, that is independently, are classified as “eccentrics.” I found many of the so-called characteristics of eccentrics identified by the psychologist David Weeks, in the article, “Eccentrics: they live longer, happier and are odd!“could be a description of most independent individualists:
“The eccentric is very creative and curious and has vivid visual imagination in the daytime and vivid dreams at night. Eccentrics are intelligent, opinionated, and frequently have a mischievous sense of humor. Many of them are loners, and they often have unorthodox living arrangements.”
Looks as though he is describing people who pretty much live their lives as they choose. They only seem “odd” to people who don’t, that is, the mass of conforming collectivized unfree.