Recently, a well-established Bank of America (BB&T) donated a lavish amount of more than $30 millions to 27 universities, along with the University of North Carolina Charlotte, for the approval that “Atlas Shrugged” would become vital reading for students, BB&T agreed to donate $2 million to the University of Texas at Austin to construct a chair in Objectivism’.
The question arises that what is that in the book Atlas Shrugged, which the bank want the new generation students of America to read and understand, and is there anything in that book which makes it important to be read by the new generation of India too?
India is a mixed economy which is just beginning to liberate, just recently in 1991-1992 India started liberalization of economy, it prospers to the scope that capitalism is permitted to flourish and fails to the degree that socialism deteriorates it.
It is a known fact that Capitalism and Laissez-Faire System is the only moral system for Market, because of the reason that it is the system based on the security of individual rights. It is not the system of centrally-dictated money, or destructive regulations from SEBI or RBI, nor welfare and socialized medicine, nor subsidized water, education, food, or grains, nor bailouts of mortgage lenders or borrowers. It is a system embedded in the reasonable individual rights, freedom, and the personal accountability innate in both. Ayn Rand was the first person to identify the moral basis of capitalism, and to let India out of the morass and quagmire of altruism-collectivism-communism-socialism, we need her ideas more desperately than Americans.Rand is about taking absolute responsibility for everything in your life with or without fault. As a matter of fact, Ayn Rand’s ideas are nothing different than the basic Indian philosophy of Dharma, Karma, Yoga and Bhoga.
Every Individual is free to choose the rational ethical lines and ways (Dharma) for his life, once an individual determines his ethical values and way of living by his own with complete freedom in absence of any peer pressure, he is expected to devote his life on his own chosen ethical rational lines and act accordingly (Karma). His actions will be judged by the reason and will summation (Yoga) as result. Whatever will be the result of his endeavors based on his own chosen ethical rational lines will have to be accepted by him either as the happiness for his success or sorrow for his loss or satisfaction for his efforts, he cannot escape from the result of his own chosen actions (Bhoga). Ayn Rand raised the rational egoism and disparaged the greed and assumption of the people who tries to maneuver the system for their own profit through the machinery of the government instead of letting money flow aptly to those who produced it.
Her books are simple treaties of rational ethics and morality which thoroughly invalidates the nit-pickers, whiners, complainers and losers who don’t put their back into it and rather try to mooch people through wealth redistribution. .
Her egoism is based on the principle of “rational self-interest” which promotes the confidence of an individual in his own self and helps him in making rational decisions and moving forward with determination, not looking for others to decide for him or judge him.
Ayn Rand provides an outstandingly moral defense of capitalism that one can’t find anywhere else. By “Rational Selfishness” she means that your center of attention must be on what you know you can do for what you can accomplish on your chosen rational line…for the advantage of your own aims, applying creativity and generating opulence for your own self and all others you impact and engage. Theft of Sprit and subjugation of Individualism has created a cohort of people who are asking “what’s in it for me” rather than asking “what can I accomplish for me”.
Objectivism is the tone of voice of the post-confirmative morality and counter-culture. It brings in a new set of ethical principles to shield Individualism, freedom and Capitalism that is embedded in reality, neither praying to mystical gods in heaven nor the peers and neighbors next door, but to the Individual’s own innate nature as a being who lives by his rational faculty (MIND) and the things it can produce using it. Ayn Rand’s books give an absolutely innovative mental picture of what a proper man and apposite rational life should look like. This is the reason why it is more enjoyed as a philosophy, and not merely a political theory. She also posits innovatory theories on aesthetics and epistemology. She is required reading for any ambitious thinker.
Those who refuse Objectivism but endeavor to be defenders of Capitalism will ultimately fall back on the ethical battle-ground and that is prevalent all around these days.
Objectivism is a philosophy with the purpose of rejecting the fake alternatives of the past and challenges an Individual to question the fundamental values and virtues by which he should guide his life. Objectivism is neither theistic nor relativist or subjectivist. It is neither liberal nor conservative. It advances life in a brand new way.
Ayn Rand never advocated hedonism; she propounded a principled, ethical, rational existence suitable to an Individual. There can be no compromise on Rational Vital principles Atlas Shrugged has a simple philosophy that is easily summed up. It is to fight irrationality. The Idea of Atlas Shrugged is not, “Greed is good,” but that “Sloth and entitlement are bad.” The book clearly present that it is easier for elected administrative governments to prevail and persist under the guise of Robin Hood serving to “benfit” a population of envious unskillful voters. That’s what is happening in India, and should be opposed.
The intention is not that greed is good, but that welfare is a fatally degrading insult to the Individual spirit“Man’s ego is the fountain head of human progress.” Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
Reading and understanding Ayn Rand’s work possibly will be fairly constructive today in a society that promotes and forces conformity, from infancy and keeps indoctrinating Individuals. Being an individualist, who is ready to go against the dogmatic establishment, has advanced every field and form of art, science and technology which according to me, is the right meaning of progress.
I will certainly recommend each and every student whole round the world to read each and every book of Ayn Rand by himself. But to force it as compulsory course at graduation levels won’t be right, let the students decide for it. Yet, her books should be promoted at High School and senior secondary school levels in India also.
I keep promoting her books in my new generation friends’ lol.