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If I ever do have a biography, these are the four words which would definitely appear on the cover page. If I had to have an Epitaph, this would be it. It’s only fitting that the title of my first blog post, reads the same.

Once Upon A Time, (these are the only four words which would be eligible to introduce the Fairytale which the words “Who Is John Galt?” led me into), there was this Visionary (this is the equivalent to Princess in a Fairytale written in the third millennium).

Her work if stumbled upon would lead you to plummet down a rabbit hole, into this Utopian world; a world whose existence, you and me, can only question.

This world had a unique palette, which differed immensely from the world we reside in. In this palette, the black was black and the white was white, they were not allowed to coexist with the greys. The “I don’t knows” of the world were not allowed to mingle with the “I know what I am doing/saying.” Grey is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is a color “without a color”. That statement is invariably a contradiction. And according to our Visionary and I quote, “Contradictions do not exist. Whenever you think you are facing a contradiction, check your premises. You will find one of them is wrong.” (But no, Instagram bios and posts propagate the coolness of the conflicted contradiction, because that’s the way to be.)

Her world was driven by the most targeted human attribute that exists, Selfishness. In this Utopian world, Selfishness was considered a positive trait and selflessness was considered otherwise. Yes, you read that right, hence the utopia.

Enter, the Driving force, the Go Getter, the Doer, (this is the equivalent to Prince Charming in a Fairytale written in the third millennium), the protagonists of the world this Visionary had built. They operated in congruency with the Mad Hatter of our fairytale, who not only asked the riddle, the Why, but followed up on it until they had the answer. They knew that the mind was the true motive power which fuelled the world. These were the people who established the importance of the word “I” (universal mascot for the word selfish). They understood that the only way to exist was by acknowledging that not only are you the beginning and the end but also the means to take you to that very end. They knew that being an egotist was the way to be. They lived their life first hand.

Now, for the sake of a Fairytale, let’s bring in the Queen of Hearts. Enter the second hander (the third millennium equivalent to the villain), who thrived as a parasite (not even symbiotic).

The second handers are truly self-less (heads up: that’s not a compliment). They mirror the lives of others, what others want them to be, in accordance with what others think is right and wrong. Their existence is suspended in the space between themselves and others. They live for others (I quiver with the thought alone). They live life second hand. They don’t want to earn money for luxury or for travel, but for ostentation. They don’t want their children to educate themselves and follow their passions, but they have this innate need to flaunt their wonder child to the world with that degree he possesses from some prestigious university. They don’t want a content relationship, but a mantle to showcase the best boyfriend or girlfriend (In a snow globe with glitter and strobe lights).

It has all come down to the lack of self, the self-lessness. The word self exists in no form in their worlds, not in self respect, not in self love and not in self drive. It is an “others driven” world for them.

Thus, when they see otherwise they begin to detest it, they begin to treat it as an outcast. Being Selfish becomes a legit criminal offense then. But selfishness is existence in its nascent form. “I am an utter egotist. I love myself the most, I respect myself the most and I put myself ahead.”- is a language they do not comprehend.

Let’s address some primal questions. Why do you go to your place of worship? Why do you donate to the underprivileged? Why do you help people? The answer to that is because you feel good about your existence post these acts of philanthropy. You do not do things because someone else needs you to. These acts are the answers to the question, “Whatever helps you sleep at night!” You do it for YOU. Every basic need of ours is driven by our own being. Someone else may feed you, but only you can digest your own food.

Why the moral schizophrenia? Why call a selfish person a rebel when that is what our truest form is.  Why make the hero the villain and why put the villain on a pedestal? To this the second hander would say, “Who is John Galt? (Since answering a question with a question is the way we function). Now what they imply (they don’t think, so they imply) by that is, “Why ask useless questions? How deep is the ocean? How high is the sky? Who is John Galt? Don’t ask questions nobody can answer.” These are the people that are yet to discover the fundamental truth of the English language: Words have an exact meaning.

But the truth of the matter is that there is an answer. The answer lies in the work of this Visionary, in the thoughts of the First Hander, in the utterly egotistical people, the people whose minds are the motors of this world, the people who understand that only a value can be traded for another value. They understand the value of money, they understand it’s a tool and they understand that it will not replace them as the driver. These are the people from the Utopian world; these are the people we must summon to alleviate the grey skies that cloud our world.

In conclusion, I think the question of the hour now becomes, “Where is John Galt?” Only when we have that answer will we live our happily ever after. (Imagine drum rolls, massive fireworks display, unicorns, confetti and sparkles)

Also,

  • The Visionary: Ayn Rand
  • The Driving Force, The Doer, The First Hander: John Galt
  • the second hander: I don’t think they deserve a mention (they don’t even deserve an initial capital letter)

You’re going to be intrigued enough by now to want to know the references. So here goes: Atlas Shrugged and Fountainhead. When some passerby (the notorious unsolicited advice giver) told you that you will never be too old to read fairytales; these were the fairytales he/she was talking about.

Also, leave comments. I know you’ve got something to say.