In class we discussed the philosophy of Ayn Rand, and the idea of individualism. The idea of her perfect man can be seen through Howard Roark, from The Fountainhead. She believes completely in the idea of individualism, and people making their own path in the world rather than doing what everyone expects them to do. Howard Roark may even have been considered stubborn when it came to his ideas. He did not want input from anyone, and he wanted to do everything his way. At one point, he even blows up his own building because he does not want there to be an alterations made to it. This is very significant in the society that we live in today because people have the option to be a completely original person, or they can conform to how those around them act. Individualism comes along with being independent, Rand believed that everyone should fend for themselves and be able to stand on their own two feet without the help of others. She believed very strongly in her philosophy, and I truly believed that she would back up her words with her actions.
A recent article, "The hypocrisy of Ayn Rand," states that once Rand was diagnosed with cancer she used money from her husband's Medicare in order to pay her bills. This goes completely against anything Rand claimed she believed in. She mostly likely had a lot of influence from those around her, telling her that the money was there for her. However, as someone who so strongly backs the idea of individualism it's hard for me to fathom that she actually did this. The Fountainhead changed the way some people looked at life, and they started living by Rand's philosophy and based on this it would seem as though all of that is a lie. The article also state that Rand "despised government involvement," and she still took the money from her husband's Medicare. I always thought that you could tell a lot about someone's character from the way they act in a moment of crisis, or crucial thinking. Based on those facts alone I would say that Rand is a complete fraud. She talked all about being independent and having a complete identity of your own, but as soon as things got a little rough in her life she became a coward and ultimately the type of person she despised.
I think that more people are starting to think on their own and have ideas that are completely of their own fault. This can be seen in our country through people who protest government or even corporations. They think that things are not being taken care of in the right manner and they want to do something about it. When this country started people would do whatever they possibly could to "fit in" with society and be socially accepted. In present time, some people prefer to stand out and more importantly make a difference.
It would be wrong to sit here and point fingers at Ayn Rand and call her a hypocrite, even though she went against everything she felt so strongly about. However, the truth to the matter is that at some point in our lives we have all said one thing and did something different. My mom would always say, "Do as I say, not as I do." This is also in the article, and even though Rand could not live parallel to the philosophy she created, it does not mean that she wouldn't want others to do so. Everyone makes mistakes, but as time goes on maybe more people like Howard Roark will exist in this world.
