Survey! How Many Gulchers Have Gone On to Read Rand Since Coming to This Site?
You saw the Atlas Shrugged movies and you found the Gulch. You picked up the book, Atlas Shrugged and learned of a philosophy of life that explained how you've always felt but did not know how to completely articulate. Or-you hadn't read AS in years and were inspired by the movies to pick it up and read it again. Wait! Don't go yet! I want you to also let us know if you have read any of Rand's non-fiction since you landed in the Gulch. But wait! I'd also like to know if you have ventured to other Objectivist scholarly sites after learning about them here (seeing a video or clicking a link which was a cite). Looking forward to your responses.
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P.S. The Hotly Anticipated 2nd Novel in the Hank Rangar Series is Now Available on Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Trails-Injustice-H...
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P.S. The Hotly Anticipated 2nd Novel in the Hank Rangar Series is Now Available on Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Trails-Injustice-H...
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Have fun and no yelling! :)
Best wishes,
O.A.
P.S. Make sure you watch the sunset and share the beauty of it all together.
My acquaintance with Ayn Rand’s work began long before the movie hit the screens. I first read Atlas Shrugged in the 1960’s and immediately took out a subscription to The Objectivist and began reading her other works shortly thereafter. For several years in the 1970’s I participated in a Pittsburgh-area Objectivist group led by Fred Seddon and Herb Heller. Even though I’ve considered myself an Objectivist most of my adult life, it wasn’t until leaving the corporate world and a demanding career that I treated myself to reading further with the books of Peikoff (Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand), Smith (Viable Values and Ayn Rand’s Normative Ethics) and many others. These works served to solidify in my mind that Objectivism indeed offers a constructive, uplifting, insightful, life-affirming outlook unmatched by other philosophies I have encountered.
Anticipating retirement and after moving to a small town in western North Carolina, I found myself longing for the intellectual stimulation and companionship that the Pittsburgh group offered. Not unexpectedly, relatively small towns like Hendersonville and Asheville had no such groups up and going. In fact, for a few years I thought maybe I was the only Objectivist in all of western NC. We are in the midst of the Bible Belt, after all.
In 2010, upon learning that Atlas Shrugged the movie might finally become a reality, I thought maybe its release would bring a few other well-hidden Objectivists out of the woodwork or sufficiently raise the interest of others so that a local Objectivist group might attract a few people and gain some traction. So, I set up an informal group named Western North Carolina Objectivists (WNCO), advertised it on-screen at a small, one-screen local theater for the month preceding the movie’s release. That ad garnered a couple of interested parties as did some other out-reach efforts. We advertised a private showing of AS, Part 1 with a discussion to follow. That showing attracted about 25 attendees, many of whom are still active with WNCO. Our fist series of meetings were book club-style discussions featuring Atlas Shrugged (of course). Over the years we have been meeting monthly with anywhere from just a few to around 20 attendees. Not bad for a little town I fondly refer to as Hooterville.
A couple of years ago another group started up in Asheville headed by Dennis Desimone who last year presented a sold-out extension course at UNC Asheville called, “Ayn Rand: Her Life and Her Philosophy.” Dennis has done a fantastic job of introducing Objectivism to newcomers to Rand and providing a rallying point for others in the Asheville area.
My goal is pure selfish, my betterment. If along the way If I can help others even better that is why I joined this group to help and be helped in our quest of knowledge about objectivism. There are many here I have learned from you and dbhalling are at the top of the list in favorite threads to read and ponder. So please help keep these thought provoking discussion going. I wish I had more time to spend here to learn and contribute more maybe in the future. My days are full caring for my cows calves, gardening for my survival for the next winter. My life is not hard for me but full and productive so here is where I escape for intellectual nourishment. So thanks to you and all here.
You are always such a wonderful supportive spirit. I will try to get to those few remaining Rand treasures. I like to think my bride and I are both very fortunate. We have been together now for about 34+? years with only a handful of disagreements that even rose to the point of raised voices, then sanity quickly returned and one realizes what is truly important and how insignificant the little things are. Don't sweat the small stuff and remember it is almost always small stuff.
Thank you for all of your support,
Your friend,
O.A.
Back here in Mi. the fresh air is finally back to a pleasant temperature. The fruit trees in my yard are blossoming and the lilacs are in bloom. Your comments are like that breath of fresh air.
I also intend to move from Mi. as soon as possible, but I too know in some ways it will always seem like home. My mother is living in Florida and tells me all the time how much she misses the Mi. summers. Winters, not so much! It is my intention to join her there and assist her in her remaining years. She is the only parent still living between myself and my wife. We share her love. I hope she lives a long healthy life so I will be there in time. Many years back I loaned her my copy of AS. She read it and approved. She is more of an objectivist than she knows, but philosophy is not a particular interest to her. She is more interested in less substantive entertainment and John Grisham type novels.
Regards,
O.A.
As far as teaching, I'm still learning.
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