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Regular comments from a mix from the earnest or the misguided to the glowies make suggestions about "doing something," or "why aren't you taking care of this?" as the nation and world continue to crumble. Often the accusation of "being comfortable" or "complacent" is leveraged against those who have opted to stay their hands. However, it isn't comfort or complacency. It isn't even ignorance. It's virtue.

The virtuous man is no radical. He is a conservative in its purest form. He wishes to conserve his family, his way of life, his beliefs. He wants things to be as they should within his own sphere. He is a man of peace and defense, who knows what there is to lose, balancing costs and benefits. He leads by example rather than threat or use of force. His first focus is on the preservation of life and values, especially for those he cares about.

This is why it takes so long for the virtuous man to move to action. I the other day, and it offers some light, but it doesn't completely get to the core of what takes place to drive men to "fight back."

The change and spark occurs, not through a point of some last straw or end of patience, but when he realizes the threat is headed for his door. The virtuous man wants to believe that he can protect his family through defense and fortification, that he can support them through thrift and hard work, and that he can guard their hearts through vigilance and faith in his Creator. It is when these pillars are removed, when he sees the framework he has put into place for his loved ones collapse, that he accepts the terms for action.

There's a saying in economics, "a civilization is three missed meals away from complete breakdown," and it's true. However, it isn't to a virtuous man's own appetite that this applies, but to that of his family and for those he includes in his care. He will compromise his granite virtue to feed, shelter and secure them. And once he compromises that virtue, nothing remains to protect those who threaten his family. His hands that cradled his children will be instruments of war. His honed mind, sharpened by studies and observations for business, will plot annihilation against his newfound enemies. His heart, once set on peace and charity, will fixate on havoc and retribution. He will feel the flames of hell lick his heels as he efforts to restore order.

At that point, as described elsewhere, he becomes a very dangerous man.

Don't mistake his patience and hope for frailty and denial. Don't confuse his inaction for fear.

Fear is what lurks in the minds of those who understand that he could ignite at any time.

Regular comments from a mix from the earnest or the misguided to the glowies make suggestions about "doing something," or "why aren't you taking care of this?" as the nation and world continue to crumble. Often the accusation of "being comfortable" or "complacent" is leveraged against those who have opted to stay their hands. However, it isn't comfort or complacency. It isn't even ignorance. It's virtue. The virtuous man is no radical. He is a conservative in its purest form. He wishes to conserve his family, his way of life, his beliefs. He wants things to be as they should within his own sphere. He is a man of peace and defense, who knows what there is to lose, balancing costs and benefits. He leads by example rather than threat or use of force. His first focus is on the preservation of life and values, especially for those he cares about. This is why it takes so long for the virtuous man to move to action. I [shared this](https://poal.co/s/What/446503) the other day, and it offers some light, but it doesn't completely get to the core of what takes place to drive men to "fight back." The change and spark occurs, not through a point of some last straw or end of patience, but when he realizes the threat is headed for his door. The virtuous man wants to believe that he can protect his family through defense and fortification, that he can support them through thrift and hard work, and that he can guard their hearts through vigilance and faith in his Creator. It is when these pillars are removed, when he sees the framework he has put into place for his loved ones collapse, that he accepts the terms for action. There's a saying in economics, "a civilization is three missed meals away from complete breakdown," and it's true. However, it isn't to a virtuous man's own appetite that this applies, but to that of his family and for those he includes in his care. He will compromise his granite virtue to feed, shelter and secure them. And once he compromises that virtue, nothing remains to protect those who threaten his family. His hands that cradled his children will be instruments of war. His honed mind, sharpened by studies and observations for business, will plot annihilation against his newfound enemies. His heart, once set on peace and charity, will fixate on havoc and retribution. He will feel the flames of hell lick his heels as he efforts to restore order. At that point, as described elsewhere, he becomes a very dangerous man. Don't mistake his patience and hope for frailty and denial. Don't confuse his inaction for fear. Fear is what lurks in the minds of those who understand that he could ignite at any time.

(post is archived)

[–] • 2 pts

Good stuff, totally agree. John Galt would certainly approve.

Have you noticed how closely the real world is tracking with the world in Atlas Shrugged? Prophetic as hell.

[–] • 1 pt

Fuck your gay jewish fictional character.

[–] • 0 pt

Fuck your gay jewish fictional children.

[–] • 1 pt (edited )

The book lays out the future aptly. Anyone who had a solid grasp on economics could see the only logical outcome if the path of destruction, laid out even then, was followed.

The solution, it took me longer to realize than I care to admit, was a metaphor. John Galt's "magical generator" was the stuff of science fiction within the story. In reality, it was intended to represent the engine that drives man, law, commerce, and innovation - self-determination. Self-determination is the engine, the flame of Olympus, burning within man, that inspires him to do more than scrape the dust for survival. It is the core of human institution of justice. It is the hunger that encourages trade. It is the germ of the idea to synthesize raw materials into something greater than the sum of their parts.

One area where the book seemed to falter was in the absolutely rigid "individualist" tendencies. Man is not pure logic. Logic and reason must be his foundation and his framework, but for human interaction, compassion and empathy must exist. This isn't to say another man is entitled to my compassion, but instead, that out of my strength, maintaining the rigid framework of my core virtues and reason, I can extend some to him at my discretion, not due to obligation, but from a place that can't be ascribed to logic.

Overall, though, it is always an enjoyable re-read.