Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
~Ronald Reagan
~Ronald Reagan
Somewhere between gardening, fragments of homeschooling, and exhaustion, my mind has been occupied with Atlas Shrugged, a novel that reads like a premonition of today's political policies and social climate. I am just over half way through the over thousand paged book, but I am so moved by it that I cannot withhold my thoughts. It both fascinates and frightens me. I am almost afraid to finish it, because it can only end one of two ways. One would leave me unsatisfied and disturbed. The other...? well, I suppose it would do the same. The hope it might provide would be false, for it is a novel, and I would still be relating it to real life that may not be saved by the cunning of a secret alliance.
Still, as I have been reading the book, I have been facing my own fears of the future; of the lost of liberty and personal rights; of people blurring the definition of freedom to choose with personal rights, and fairness with entitlement; of the trend to demonize the rich and favoring redistribution of wealth; of the government strangling businesses so that it must subsidize them, possibly just take them over for "the good of the people."
Somewhere along my life's journey I recognized that one of the most terrible weapons evil has to use against the righteous is not fear nor even our selfish nature, but our own morality, our choosing to act against our fear and selfish nature, our willingness to sacrifice ourselves to make things right...in our own eyes if not in God's. This book has no religious basis, and yet as I read through it, I find myself thinking that our salvation will not be a worldly one, but a spiritual one, a real one, not fiction.
This book reminds me that there could be a higher purpose--than even this book will suggest--in the allowing of the world to fail completely. When I see decisions made today chipping away our future rather than securing it, as some may be deceived to believe, I am amazed that people do not see the obvious outcome. There is no logic, only what one feels makes something right or wrong. How many more laws do we really need to define common sense, thus defy it? These are some of the philosophies explored in this book.
I watched the movie, Atlas Shrugged Part I, recently and I could not wait for Part 2, which is scheduled to be released this fall. The first movie highlighted key events and elements staying true to the heart of the book altering some things and leaving out some nuances that enriched the story, as expected with the translation from book to big screen. I am disappointed when I discovered the cast for all the characters will be completely different for Part 2. I felt that each actor fit so well with the character. I did like how they modernized the movie version with items that were not yet invented in 1957 when the book was published--things like cell phones.
I wish the book was required reading in high schools across the world, so that everyone could answer this one question: "Who is John Galt?"
Still, as I have been reading the book, I have been facing my own fears of the future; of the lost of liberty and personal rights; of people blurring the definition of freedom to choose with personal rights, and fairness with entitlement; of the trend to demonize the rich and favoring redistribution of wealth; of the government strangling businesses so that it must subsidize them, possibly just take them over for "the good of the people."
Somewhere along my life's journey I recognized that one of the most terrible weapons evil has to use against the righteous is not fear nor even our selfish nature, but our own morality, our choosing to act against our fear and selfish nature, our willingness to sacrifice ourselves to make things right...in our own eyes if not in God's. This book has no religious basis, and yet as I read through it, I find myself thinking that our salvation will not be a worldly one, but a spiritual one, a real one, not fiction.
This book reminds me that there could be a higher purpose--than even this book will suggest--in the allowing of the world to fail completely. When I see decisions made today chipping away our future rather than securing it, as some may be deceived to believe, I am amazed that people do not see the obvious outcome. There is no logic, only what one feels makes something right or wrong. How many more laws do we really need to define common sense, thus defy it? These are some of the philosophies explored in this book.
I watched the movie, Atlas Shrugged Part I, recently and I could not wait for Part 2, which is scheduled to be released this fall. The first movie highlighted key events and elements staying true to the heart of the book altering some things and leaving out some nuances that enriched the story, as expected with the translation from book to big screen. I am disappointed when I discovered the cast for all the characters will be completely different for Part 2. I felt that each actor fit so well with the character. I did like how they modernized the movie version with items that were not yet invented in 1957 when the book was published--things like cell phones.
I wish the book was required reading in high schools across the world, so that everyone could answer this one question: "Who is John Galt?"
~ My Lord, thank you for using this book to help me to understand the need for the world to end horribly as it must for us to be freed completely of evil and that the reward will be worth it. ~
