A Sigh of Relief (and Contentment) For a Job Well Done

Made it to page 1,168 of Atlas Shrugged.

That would be the last page.

My God what an experience. Took me quite a while to get through this one because life always gets in the way of pleasure.

And because the book is rich with philosophy and challenging thoughts.

It stands tall as a work of fiction; it is a great story well written and well told.

It stands even taller as Ayn Rand's expression of her philosophy of life.

There were days I did not even bother to pick it up because I was too damn tired and knew I could not focus enough to get all the protein out of the words.

When I did read it I was mesmerized. Definitely one of the best books I have ever read. Along with "The Fountainhead", also by Ayn Rand.

Which leads me to the truth that I must go to her website and study up on her philosophy. Not just talk about it like I usually do. It is 2015, it is warm and I am inspired. Inspired especially to beef up what is left of my brain.

Some of what I read about her philosophy appeals to me. What scares me is that many republicans were quoting her during the last Presidential election,using her writings in their twisted way to justify their approach to the economy and business.

Of course I can easily dismiss those associations because most republicans cannot read. Those that can are confused by the concepts revealed in "Good Night Moon".

What appeals to me at the moment about Rand's philosophy, given my limited knowledge thereof, is summed up in a quote of hers in the "About The Author" section at the end of the book.

"My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute."

She emphasizes in the books I have read that happiness should be the number one goal of every human being. That you should identify what makes you happy and go after it with every fiber of your being. That you should never sacrifice or compromise anything about yourself to satisfy the whims of another, and that humans do not have to accept suffering as the unconditional way of life.

There is a lot more to this but that is a pretty good start.

Anyway I put a lot of time and effort and thought and concentration into the reading of this book and I am glad I did. It has inspired in me a commitment to investigate her philosophies.

In the meanwhile, I think the next book I'll explore is "Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground."

My brain needs a break.