Selfish man?

Since late High School and through out college I have heard about the book Atlas Shrugged. Written by Ayn Rand and how it is a darling book of modern Right Wing conservatism. With me being the sensible open minded liberal that I am immediately discount it as nonsense. Makes sense right? Why attempt to read/understand something I already know to be wrong? Never mind that I have no idea what the book is about. And it is LONG. No no I'd much rather finish off Harry Potter than be bothered.
Fast forward a few years and I finally start to get a sense of the story albeit through liberal talk radio or left leaning pundits on TV. Now at 33 I just finished what I have had access to in my library to since I was 22. I can now honestly say that was a long winded, proselytizing, kind dry book. But I am not sure if I have read the same book as everyone else.
Sure the idea of selfishness is seen as virtue, there is an aspect of looking down on people less fortunate than yourself, and a large degree of generalization but most books do the same. In the end I, again the liberal, empathize with the heroes of the book. Almost even look up to them. Doesn't sound wrong because the reader is supposed to root for the protagonist. But from what I have heard I thought it was going to be unrelated to how I think or see the world. It wasn't. If anything it is probably a truer description of me than most left things I have read.
What is going on with me? Have I become a yuppie? Am I not "down" anymore? Realistically I don't truly care. I find myself relating to business and not the Occupiers. And I think that is what kinda scares me. However in the end I know I want money. I want to be driven towards better things. I want to "make it" in this world.

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