I didn't really understand the meaning behind the book and I doubted it's purpose, thinking it was simply just a book about trains. It wasn't until we had discussions about it in class that I realized it's true meaning and I really got into it. My parents always tell me how much they dislike the socialist reform but I never comprehended politics enough to know what they meant. All I knew, from what they told me, was that the economy in France was crumbling because of socialists. This book helped me understand. Not only do I now know what socialist actually do, I also know the reason why my parents hate it so much, and Rand did an excellent job in convincing me to hate it too.
When the world turns into mindless zombies who seek nothing but the profit of others, do you continue to endure for their needs? How much is the mind willing to sacrifice for those who don't even want to live and how strong are we to survive in a race against time? Only those who understand that they should work for their own profit will survive in the world and those who expect everything for nothing will perish. Characters like Jim Taggart who believe everything should be sacrificed for those less capable are incompetent and just as bad as the helpless. I really grew to hate the society portrayed in the book because they never believed anything was their fault and they thought it was the DUTY for the more capable to carry them on their back. This is why Atlas shrugged, because he had to carry the weight of the world. This is a lazy mentality and will only promote people to sit around and not work because they'll get payed for it in the end. This is bound to collapse over itself eventually. If I'm working to my full extent only to have my money given to those in "need", why should I work if I am not benefiting. If I'm barely working at all but receiving all of the money I need to support myself, regardless of my work ethic, why should I continue to work?
In the end, nobody has the motivation to work anymore and without people to make the world go round, the economy will eventually cease to sustain itself. The government thinks that as long as everyone is satisfied and has a sustainable life, they will continue working, regardless of the reward they get. This is their mistake. People in essence, are lazy and will try to do as little work possible to get what they need. There is only a few handful of people in the world who are strong enough to take the constant beatings and give up their profits for "the better good of the nation", but even they will buckle at some point and demand more. In the end, as cruel as it may seem, people need to understand that they must work and strive to support themselves and not live off of others. The reason I believe why people seem dead and no longer want to live is because they lost the value of their lives. When you no longer have to work to accomplish anything, you forget the value of a dollar and it exchanges into a free rider problem. Your life comes so easily to you that you forget what it's worth.
Overall, I thought this was an amazing book and I really got into it. Coming from someone who doesn't read often and normally doesn't have the attention span to sit with a book for more than 30 minutes, I found myself lost in it for hours. Some people found the book to be a bit excessive and could have been shortened, but I think all of the extra explanations and stories were essential to deepen the meaning and thoroughly get the point across. I might even read The Fountainhead because I enjoyed Rands writing so much. I've learned so much from this book that I actually thank Rand for teaching me politics.
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