Context-dropping is one of the chief psychological tools of evasion. In regard
to one’s desires, there are two major ways of context-dropping: the issues of
range and of means.
A rational man sees his interests in terms of a lifetime and selects his goals
accordingly. This does not mean that he has to be omniscient, infallible or
clairvoyant. It means that he does not live his life short-range and does not
drift like a bum pushed by the spur of the moment. It means that he does not
regard any moment as cut off from the context of the rest of his life, and that
he allows no conflicts or contradictions between his short-range and long-range
interests. He does not become his own destroyer by pursuing a desire today
which wipes out all his values tomorrow.
A rational man does not indulge in wistful longings for ends divorced from
means. He does not hold a desire without knowing (or learning) and considering
the means by which it is to be achieved.