I just found another Ayn Rand fan.
Posted by richrobinson 8 years, 5 months ago to The Gulch: General
Across the street from our family business a demo company has been tearing down 3 old abandoned homes. It's a small town so a number of people came up to watch. I heard a lot of them comment on the skill of the heavy equipment operator. His boss told me that he was the best operator he had. I talked to him today and when he saw my Atlas Shrugged sweat shirt he called it the greatest book ever written. He asked if I had read any of her other books and he told me he had read just about everything she had written. Not surprising that someone highly skilled in their profession is a fan of Rand. He said he had read AS while in college and that it didn't make him very popular. He said Penn State was filled with libtards (pretty cool hearing someone else use that term). It's always fun to find like minds. I told him about the Gulch. Hope he joins.
I'm sure that had I learned about things like this, I would have demanded a better wage for myself and my talents and probably would have started my own business when I was at my most productive instead of keeping a job for the benefits.
Then, I watch the nightly news where they interview young schoolchildren who's main goal in life is to help others.
We've forgotten what it's like to be somewhat selfish and take care of ourselves, first. I think we need to re-learn that skill and teach others how to properly practice "selfishness".
Lastly, when I "help others", I usually focus on those who show some initiative to help themselves, rather than the moochers, who merely take...
_ *For you younger Gulchers, that was the way film for photographs were illuminated in darker situations before strobe light circuitry was invented.
Comment on writing. the way to learn is write. But it helps to have some guidance some structure. I found fiction to be the most challenging so much so I saved it for retirement and finished the first draft at 5k plus pages. Then the tear at your heart part commences. Slash slash slash ...But I still have the original. first drafts. For publication? Probably not.For gifts undoubtedly.....as a way of thanking people who made a difference in my life.
I also realize I re-read books that were contemporary to the author's day...and then I compare the situations to the modern day. This can be rather eye-opening
Never realized how much of my thinking and behavior is on autopilot. The Gulch, oddly enough, has served to impart to me what the New Age drivel couldn't: living in the present moment, being aware of actions and intent :)
But I can say I rarely watch a movie or a TV series more than once. The exceptions are the AS movies and the Firefly TV series and movie, Serenity.
I was on Malaysian Air recently and my mate seated nearby was re-reading the AS i gave him ages ago
A chap stops to talk about it.
As we're disembarking at KLIA i wrote WIJG and our gulch address and gave it to him. Big grins.
It was my private 'Dannesjold with burlap package' moment.
Keep up the good work Rich.
I hope you will enjoy being in our group.
carrying AS with my books and slide rule. . I am certain
that my grading was different as a result -- some better
and some, worse. . it was a curious thing, because
my primary purpose there was not grades, but knowledge. -- j
.
and the PE, I aced them both. . that, and since my engineering
bosses loved the fact that I really knew the trade, told
my professors that I got it. -- j
.
A while later I mentioned Ayn Rand to someone else from that congregation. She said she remembered reading it long ago and really liked it. It's almost like she was cautious about admitting it becuase people would wrongly think you can't be liberal and be an Ayn Rand fan.