The Origins of My Blog Title

The Search for John Galt... so who is John Galt?


It's a great question that can only be answered by reading the novel Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, the most important book I've ever read.  Ayn Rand is not alive today, but her philosophy can be applied to every aspect of politics in present time; it's fascinating how she was able to do this.  Atlas Shrugged was actually written in the fifties and takes place during that time.  It's about two independent companies, Taggart Transcontinental and Rearden Steel, that are manipulated by the government, known as the Unification Board, in a recession, and as a result, the recession worsens.  One of the driving forces of the Unification Board is James Taggart, brother of the CEO of Taggart Transcontinental.  Taggart is a looter: a man who produces no thoughts of his own, feels to decide what is the best solution to a problem, and takes money and ideas from the men that use their minds to innovate and prosper.  He is also a phony, pretending to be capable even though he truly is not.  He feels pity for the struggling companies in the recession, and he hates the "dog-eat-dog" competition that Taggart Transcontinental and Rearden Steel are facilitating, so he tries in every way possible to hamper it.  As a result, the CEOs of these companies, who are actually the chief stimulators of the economy, pick up and leave, leaving America to fend for themselves amid chaos.  That is Atlas's shrug.  As for John Galt, I will keep it a mystery unless you read the novel and find out for yourselves, and you'll see why my blog title includes "The Search for".


I believe that the novel is not just focused on economic conservative values, but it is also focused on how to think.  The novel concentrates primarily on the importance of the mind. According to Rand, the mind is the most valuable tool for the individual, and the mind (reason) should be used rather than the heart (emotion) when reacting to outside forces.  Instead of feeling to solve problems, the most successful people use their minds and logic to think to solve problems.  The novel drove home this idea so effectively that I now follow and apply this philosophy to my life.  Atlas Shrugged has forever changed my life for the better, and I believe it changes anybody that reads it.