The Fountainhead

Hello Gentle Reader

Recently i had finished reading "The Fountainhead," by Ayn Rand. It was not a "great," book by all means. in fact i think in today's world this entire Ayn Rand, craze is a little overblown in many ways. That being said, Ayn Rand, did produce an interesting book with interesting idea's, and gave interesting characters. Did the book have to be so long? Probably not, i think the length of the book made the tale or the characters a little bit drawn out, and wind bagged, and boring, at times. There is nothing wrong with a slow paced book, but at the same time, a person needs to get the book interesting to keep the reader reading.

An interesting point Ayn Rand made was her views on socialism, and how it was absolutly unnecessary. The idea of collectivism, and how some times people don't know what's good for them, so they need to be forced to know whats good for them, made the work interesting in the ways that the antagonist Toohey was radically a socialist.

The interesting point was that the antagonist Toohey believed that people, needed to help each other. that it was of absolute importance that everyone help the other person out no matter what. that essentially we were our own "brothers keeper."

However, the way Toohey saw people as being each others brothers keeper, was by being forced into it. By telling them they have to help each other, that they have to do everything they can in order to help each other no matter what. Which is wrong. Socialism can only survive on a matter of choice. People do not need to be each others keeper, people can only help each other out when they themselves can afford to do that. If little Johnny is down on his luck, why on earth should someone else help him out when they themselves are just barely getting by? I don't know, and quite frankly i don't see any logic in that matter.

Of course the argument is that the rich CEO's and the wealthier people, should be helping little Johnny out because he is out on his luck. Which is fine, if they choose to help him out. If they didn't that's their own, choice. People demand freedom, and one freedom is choice. choice is a freedom that people deserve. But when people start enforcing their will, on others, that starts to cause problems.

No one likes to be told that the way they dress, the way they think, the way they look, or how they run their lives is wrong. Yet some people feel the need to enforce their views and opinions on others and make them, and make them live their lives the way they choose. that's wrong, a person can only live their life the way they choose.

So in many ways i think Ayn Rand points out that we are independent creatures; social creatures yes, but independent nonetheless. Apes, are social creatures as are elephants, they look after each other out of choice, not because they are being forced to. That's completely different.

Marx was a Utopian thinker, who had thought about the workers, and their rights. they were living in pretty rough conditions and were not being paid all that well let alone being given much to anything. But thanks to him the workers were given rights, they were living a better life. However that time of thinking and day has passed. Now there is legislature that is in place that keeps their rights in check.

Now Socialism is the idea of taking everything of everyone and displacing it out to everyone equally. China is a good example. its thriving, but at the same time, if the western nations and other nations cut off their resources and stopped giving them to China, China's economy fails. that problem, is what causes China to be a very weak nation. They are a economic parasite. Once the source of its economy is removed it will fail, and turn out like Burma or North Korea.

Socialism is unable to thrive in society, because people are independent social creatures. They demand freedoms of all choices, they demand the freedom to wear what they want, do what they want with their bodies, et cetera. They are social creatures, because they have friends (usually some don't, but they are labeled as abnormal by society and scientists) as well as the young stay with the parents until they are 18 (usually/generally).

Just because Human beings are social creatures, does not mean they do not demand a certain amount of Independence and need for Independence either. Its only natural to a degree that people run for the warmth of other people, that does not mean we need to be our "brothers keeper," at all.

Ayn Rand produced an interesting work of her idea's of politics of Independence and egotists. It gives one to think whether or not they should really drop their standards because that's what they want. Howard did not do that, and he lived a rather comfortable life, he lived by his standards and they did not fail him. However that can be risky. The most important aspect of the book i would say is that we can choose to help each other, but we are not meant to be forced to.

Thank-you for reading Gentle Reader

Please have a great rest of the week.

take care

Morose-Mary