Who is John Galt…?

What is there to live for in a society which dictates the level of success you may achieve no matter how much you strive for more?

I’ve just finished the first part of “Atlas Shrugged” by, Ayn Rand and figured if I don’t start writing now, by the time I finish the book I won’t remember all I wanted to say.

If the powers that be pass a law that makes every man considered equal without considering his level of intelligence, ambition, or ability to succeed, then what kind of world is left for those who have all those traits and are cultivating them in order to achieve their goals? What point is there in living a life where your success is marked as a blemish on your being and your failure is a badge of courage which you proudly display? A person’s will to make his life his own and to live it for himself should not be condemned and despised! People do not exist for the sake or sole benefit of mankind. They exist for themselves alone. They exist for the sole purpose of fighting their own battles, winning their own skirmishes and reaping in the rewards that they have rightfully earned. The key word here being- earned. No man has any right to own, operate or even desire something he hasn’t earned. If they say that posession is nine-tenths of the law, then all should be aware that to rightfully deserve(by earning something) is eleven-tenths of posession. No man should expect to get something for nothing. Everything has a price and the longer you wait, the steeper it gets. The world is your oyster as long as you know what your pearl is, and no man, other than you, can choose to clamp your oyster shut.

Later on…after having finished the second part…

You can’t love something by way of despising yourself. That seems to me to be the main thing that needs to be understood from this. Your life and how you choose to live it may affect other people but should not be the center of their lives and the cause of their actions. You may do things for the good of the people in one way and one way only; Be true to yourself and to your actions and hold fast to your ideals. Contrary to popular opinion, every man IS an island…