Atlas Shrugged – Day 067 – pp. 731-740 (Your bonus section for the day…)
Dagny’s hot for this. It’s the one thing that has consumed her even more than the railroad.
Over the door, there was a sign.
I SWEAR BY MY LIFE AND MY LOVE OF IT THAT I
WILL NEVER LIVE FOR THE SAKE OF ANOTHER
MAN, NOR ASK ANOTHER MAN TO LIVE FOR MINE.
Ominous moment of silent awe and respect.
She want’s to go in but the door’s locked. Got a special lock. He steps back and reads the inscription above the door aloud. Suddenly the lock clicks open.
“It’s a sound lock . . .That sentence is the combination of sounds needed to open it.”
I don’t know. That’s kind of like leaving your passwords out on your desk.
Anyway, time for a nap before the big Mulligan shin-dig that evening.
Later that evening, she and Galt head to Midas’ for a dinner party. All the principals are there.
“You have belonged here for a long time, Miss Taggart,” said Midas Mulligan. “This was not the way we expected you to come, but — welcome home.”
No! — she wanted to answer, but heard herself answering softly, “Thank you.”
“Dagny, how many year is it going to take you to learn to be yourself?” It was Ellis wyatt. . .”Don’t’ pretend that you don’t understand us. You do.”
This is what’s called, in fraternity parlance, the “rush” party. And in the book, it’s the start of a long exposition of Ayn Rand’s philosophical premises.
I’m going to try to summarize a bit.
Each of the guests goes on to tell a little of his story. They didn’t quit their profession, be it law, medicine, finance or what ever. What they quit, was what their chosen professions had become. Service to “the man.” They’re all doing their little side jobs by day, and using their extra time to work on the great applications of their skills and knowledge. Which they will NOT share with the outside world.
Then a little deeper.
“Through all the ages, the mind has been regarded as evil, and every form of insult. . . Yet only to the extent to which — in chains, in dungeons, in hidden corners. . . some men continued to think, only to that extent was humanity able to survive.”
Rand goes on and on and on about how the human body and the soul have been revered and protected by man and society. Labor unions and religion. But man’s mind has never gotten that kind of respect. Man’s mind is the engine that makes him great. That makes him a threat to the lesser individuals who aspire to more.
Bodies can be controlled. Souls used to manipulate behavior. But a mind, an independent thinking mind’ll kick your ass every time.
And for that reason, it is reviled.
But they’re taking a stand. They’ve gone on strike.
Great minds give over to these less able folk by becoming willing victims of their “contradictions.”
“When he preaches contradictions, he does so in the knowledge that someone will accept the burden of the impossible, someone will make it work for him at the price of his own suffering. . .”
“Their plan — like all the plans of the royal looters of the past – is only that the loot should last their lifetime. It has always lasted before, because in one generation, they could not run out of victims. But this time — it will not last. The victims are on strike.”
More to come. . .