Following the current discussion about SOPA and PIPA, and Wikipedia's 24-hour black out response to it I can't help to think about Ayn Rand.
Ayn Rand was, foremost, a philosopher who developed her own understanding of how people and the world works. She called her philosophy "Objectivism".
In various essays, lectures, and even novels Rand explained her ideas. "Atlas Shrugged", her master piece which she worked on for 12 years, came to my mind when I read Jimmy Wales', co-founder of Wikipedia, interview with CNN.
Asked why Wiki decided to shut down its English site Wales said: "Free speech includes the right to not speak. We are a community of volunteers. We have written this thing that we believe to be a gift to the world. We don't charge people for it. It's freely available to anybody who wants to (use it)."
In "Atlas Shrugged", in the face of increasing government regulations and forced takeover of intellectual and private property, the inventors, the entrepreneurs, the productive people of society decide to shut down. Not violently. They simply make use of their right to walk away from their invention, their investment, and their volunteered effort to serve society.
Needless to say that Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged world soon sinks into chaos as the incompetent take over.
Freedom of speech is yet another topic in this whole discussion, which is covered nicely under the veil of "protecting the rights of the people". I agree, intellectual as well as physical property should be protected by all means. But at what cost? Civil liberties such as freedom of speech?
As Wales' says: "The Supreme Court has held that code is speech. And it doesn't matter that it's done on a computer or done face to face or done in a newspaper, reporting the facts of the world is protected speech. I don't believe the DNS blocking provisions will pass First Amendment muster... [...]".
Are we about to over regulate the internet into censorship? Just like China does?
Of course, no democratic government would openly infringe on people's rights to freedom of speech. There would be a law "protecting" society which might force us to give up a little piece of our personal rights. And most people would nod in agreement that society needs to be protected from terror, thieves, and pornography. What they don't realize is their giving up on constitutional rights. Once those rights start corroding, there is no stopping it. As the Wiki page sums it up: "SOPA and PIPA build a framework for future restrictions and suppression". Ayn Rand argued the same line when the first laws to prohibit pornography in the US came into ruling.
It is incredible for me to see what foresight Ayn Rand (1905 - 1982) had and how her observations about people, society, the government, and laws and regulations hold true, especially today. Atlas Shrugged first published in 1957! It is one of the most fascinating books I've ever read. Today, it reads like the script of the world wide stage play we see on the news.
Turning 31 is nowhere near as exciting as turning 30. (Especially if work takes you to another island on your special day...) No jokes about entering a "new decade", no play of words with the "big 3".Thanks to Facebook more than 60 friends remembered my birthday and painted my wall with warm wishes and "thumbs ups" because they... liked me getting older?! Ehm, wiser, I suppose.Gifts, of course, are always exciting! It seems they get more exciting the older I get. Definitely more unique and tailored to my personality (which I find charming since it's a sign of a) having a personality and b) people really knowing me).Let's start with the sugar-less apple pie Glenn made for me! He's been bragging about his perfect apple pie crust for the longest time. I finally got the chance to try and... confirm! More than the crust I appreciated the time and effort he put into making it (given we have a sub-standard oven and baking utensils of even lesser standard).
His creativity didn't end with pie making. What started as a joke became a beautiful and very unique... wind chime! Readers who follow my blog are familiar with the odyssey of my broken arm. Once my beautiful blue "cobra" fixator was removed we were pondering what to do with its remains. (Don't get me wrong, I don't plan to use it again but since I paid for the surgical steel, I might as well keep it!)Ideas ranged from key chain to wind chime but for the longest time the parts and pieces were collecting dust on the shelf. Not anymore! Let the wind sing through my metal friends! A piece of art, indeed!
That I'm a coffee addict is no secret. And, I'm a tree-hugger when it comes to disposable coffee cups. I guess this is known, too. Adding the two together my friends Boy Garrovillo and Uli came up with this unique re-usable coffee mug. Unique, since Boy designed and painted the face of the mug to personalize it. More, he researched old Tagalog script which now spells "cup of Jana" on the cover.What a great gift! The "Kalinga Blend" (whole beans for extended freshness) came along with the cup. What else would have?!
With age comes wisdom or in my case more thoughtfulness of what I'm eating. For almost four years now I'm a fish-eating "vegetarian". What some might call a "difficult personality" others accept as the "complex nature" of mine. Serving Bratwurst and Hamburgers during our spontaneous birthday dinner, Dondi and Esmi had prepared vegetable paddies made of kidney beans! It's not to imitate the taste of meat but for me to enjoy condiments such as mustard!
Unique because it's mine is my new bike!!! Now that I'm headed for 40 I should take care of this body of mine. I can't do much about the wrinkles around my eyes but at least about my physical condition. So I can spend many more "31st" birthdays in the years to come, to get to know more interesting people while bonding the ones already in my life closer to me, to explore life to the fullest with Glenn and only stop to get my cup of coffee!
Without discrediting the art of embroidery I do have my doubts with the wisdoms (or subtle indoctrination?) they display.
This one I found at my doctor’s office. I’d title it “Twisted Standards for Personal Success”. It reads:
To laugh often and much
To win the respect of intelligent people
And the affection of children.
To earn the appreciation of honest critics…
For the first time I thought “wow, this is actually nice…”. Then came the punch line that completely threw me off:
And endure the betrayal of false friends.
[...]
This is to have succeeded.
What?
First, what is a false friend? Isn’t a “false friend” an oxymoron? A person who is false is not a friend. Congratulations to everybody who can tell a friend from a non-friend.
Second, why would I endure the betrayal from anybody, let alone an identified “false friend” (read: non-friend or even enemy)?
Nobody with a spark of self-respect would endure betrayal. No matter who betrays. Friendship is based on mutual respect and trust. If one is missing or has been abused it’s time to call it off!
