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Corruption Being Rewarded and Honesty Becoming a Self-Sacrifice

I’m an attentive yet ADD reader so I’ve been getting through this book rather slowly… forgive me… more Ayn Rand.

“When force is the standard, the murderer wins over the pickpocket. And then that society vanishes, in a spread of ruins and slaughter.

Do you wish to know whether that day is coming? Watch money. Money is the barometer of a society’s virtue. When you see that trading is done, not by consent, but my compulsion - when you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing - when you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors - when you see that men get richer by graft and by pull than by work - and your laws don’t protect you against them, but them against you - when you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice - you may know that your society is doomed. Money is so noble a medium that it does not compete with guns and it does not make terms with brutality. It will not permit a country to survive as half-property, half-loot”(383).

This quote itself comes from a long rebuttal given by one of the main characters in Atlast Shrugged in response to the idea that ‘money is the root of all evil’.

I’ve been thinking about this and trying to put my thoughts to words but I can’t seem to do them justice…

Disregarding the overarching theme of the speech, the idea that hit me the most was “when you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice”. I think that this can be applied to so many aspects of society. From the large scale economic/societal corruption referred to by Francisco d’Aconia in this passage to local communities to the relationships within families and friends. The idea that corruption can overpower righteousness and honesty is chilling to me, especially growing up in an environment where I was taught that good always overcomes evil. But it doesn’t. And I’ve realized this. There are impossible struggles. There are situations that cannot be improved. There are people that cannot be helped. Despite all of the goodness, righteousness, and honesty that is thrown at it…some battles are won by corruption. The worst of it is, that being truthful does not only lose an individual the battle, but it is suicidal to the cause! Being a fighter for truth can lead to the individuals personal downfall, REGARDLESS of how right they may be! And when this unjust reality is evident in all of society…then what?

It's Addressed To The Public

The following quotes are from Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.

“But, Good God! The feeblest imbecile should be able to see the glaring contradictions in every one of your statements!”

“Let us put it this way, Dr. Stadler. The man who doesn’t see that, deserves to believe all my statements”(321).

…and…

“Now you see, Dr. Stadler, you’re speaking as if this book were addressed to a thinking audience. If it were, one would have to be concerned with such matters as accuracy, validity, logic and the prestige of science. But it isn’t. It’s addressed to the public. And you have always been first to believe that the public does not think.” He paused, but Dr. Stadler said nothing. “This book may have no philosophical value whatever, but it has a great psychological value.”

“Just what is that?”

“You see, Dr. Stadler, people don’t want to think. And the deeper they get into trouble, the less they want to think. But by some sort of instinct, they feel that they ought to and it makes them feel guilty. So they’ll bless and follow anyone who gives them a justification for not thinking. Anyone who makes a virtue - a highly intellectual virtue - out of what they know to be their sin, their weakness and their guilt”(322).

I am in love with this book and fascinated by Ayn Rand’s philosophy. My mind cannot move fast enough to process it all, but her words make me think, make me feel, and make me excited! Have you ever read a book that made your brain feel like its own single, breathing entity?

the internet

- is more than just the internet. Anyone who spends as much time as I do on blogtv and youtube knows that what happens here is not merely something superficial that can be easily disregarded. We make friends and enemies in this strange and very highschool-esque alternate universe.

I felt the need to write a blog about the internet because of the recent dilemmas I have encountered on it. I’m going to keep this short and sweet, seeing as I don’t like being the person who types their heart and soul into a word document and spills every single bit of drama and scandal that’s happened in their life, internet or otherwise.

Over the past couple of months, I’ve realized that the full spectrum of human emotion can be found in places where human emotion is still moderately taboo - online. Throughout my realization of this, I have been exposed to the true nature [at least of what I percieve] of many people - for good and for bad. I’ve made friends, enemies, and was unlucky enough to have friends morph into people I did not recognize anymore.

The one thing that I have taken from these experiences - the one thing that I am truly grateful for because of how seriously I will apply it to my life - is how crucial it is to be honest and communicate openly. I will remain a fighter for opening dialouge with people, because I have realized that the only way to truly create and mend bridges is to express what your heart feels and what you think is right.