Reading Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand these days. 1069 pages, but doesn't matter - I don't think I want it to end!
So this novel is not for the weak of heart or for the narrow of mind.
Ayn Rand's philosophy is called Objectivism - the celebration of man's ego instead of its damnation.
The most evil person in the world is the one who is aimless is what she says. One without purpose, without work, ready to blame other people or the government or any other system for his failure.
The book asks a question repeatedly, 'Who is John Galt?' Different people have different theories about who he is. And all of them are true! He is a person who claims would stop the motor - the functioning of the world - and actually manages to accomplish it.
The other day while reading the book, I suddenly felt the urge to read what other normal people like me were saying about it - not because I was unable to form an independent opinion, but only to see how others were taking or had taken it.
I found caricatures of Ayn Rand, of her novels, of her theories - all of which was expected, but still saddening.
Why, I fail to understand, do people of my age mostly have to resort to making fun of things in order to express their views about it? I appreciate humor but not the kind which ridicules and scorns something which doesn't deserve it.
The book portrays tough men and women - those who think that life doesn't mean sadness at every step. The natural law of nature does not require sacrifice. Thinking that life is supposed to be sad and tragic is wrong. It is in fact supposed to be a succession of joyous and only joyous events - created by you, for your own benefit and no one else's. Selfishness is right and natural. Every man for himself and no one else.
It opens a whole new set of ideas and questions, and while I am only beginning to understand the basics here, I'd like to know, what do you think about it?
