I'm a Shrug pusher :)

My father was a builder. He influenced my life greatly. I thought someone wrote the song, 'I did it my way' with him in mind. He didn't tolerate fools. Once he showed up at the company I worked for (my boss was Executive V.P. and Chief Financial Officer). Dad stuck his head in the door of my office (hard hat still on his head) and said, 'You have to come see history in the making!' My boss heard him and joined us. Dad explained the most recent skyscraper being built in Houston was having the foundation poured and it was a 'floating foundation'. He went on to say all buildings in Houston will henceforth have these floating foundations. He was so excited, I looked at my boss and he said, "Let's go!' We hurried over to the boardwalk that was built around the site and got to see history! That man was in love with his work. He was GC on so many fantastic jobs I can't recall them all. He was sought out by the Federal Government to build Silos for rockets, housing projects in Arabia, atomic energy facilities, and things I wasn't allowed to hear of. He never lost his enthusiasm for his work.

A good friend of mine once said years ago, as we walked up the 18th fairway together at our favorite local golf course early one morning, "If you read Atlas Shrugged and watch Idiocracy you pretty much obtain total clarity." ...I repeat this regularly with the young guys I work with. It's true...

I don't have to. My "Who is John Galt" ballcap does it for me. Received comments are interesting!
Those who don't know are often offered a copy of
Atlas and The FountianHead. Most accept.

It's such brilliant learning. I promote it all the time. Wish I had more people in my life that were learning this material.

I have mentioned I sign all of my emails (fewer now that I’m shrugging) with Who is John Galt? I have a small share of quick bounce backs and I have a chance to spread the good news.
My emails now are more personal friends and not customers or suppliers spread all over the country. So the sales manager in me would say I have fewer cold calls but higher closing rates.
Another great one to share is:
When the looters state collapses we producers will return and those who wish to live by our code can join us.
Always Be Closing.

Yes, I am telling people about Atlas Shrugged. I am authoring a textbook on how to make things, as I discussed in a prior thread. My sponsor, the Kern Family Foundation, wants me and its other grantees to focus on entrepreneurial mindset development with regard to engineering. While there are many examples that I use, several of the best are from Atlas Shrugged:

1) From Galt's speech: " “So long as men, in the era of savagery, had no concept of objective reality and believed that physical nature was ruled by the whim of unknowable demons—no thought, no science, no production were possible. Only when men discovered that nature was a firm, predictable absolute were they able to rely on their knowledge, to choose their course, to plan their future and, slowly, to rise from the cave. Now you have placed modern industry, with its immense complexity of scientific precision, back into the power of unknowable demons—the unpredictable power of the arbitrary whims of hidden, ugly little bureaucrats. A farmer will not invest the effort of one summer if he’s unable to calculate his chances of a harvest. But you expect industrial giants—who plan in terms of decades, invest in terms of generations and undertake ninety-nine-year contracts—to continue to function and produce, not knowing what random caprice in the skull of what random official will descend upon them at what moment to demolish the whole of their effort. Drifters and physical laborers live and plan by the range of a day. The better the mind, the longer the range. A man whose vision extends to a shanty, might continue to build on your quicksands, to grab a fast profit and run. A man who envisions skyscrapers, will not. Nor will he give ten years of unswerving devotion to the task of inventing a new product, when he knows the gangs of entrenched mediocrity are juggling the laws against him, to tie him, restrict him and force him to fail, but should he fight them and struggle and succeed, they will seize his rewards and his invention."

2) Francisco's money speech

3) Rearden looking at his first run of Rearden Metal coming off the production line

Yes. I make certain friends and family have read Atlas Shrugged or watched the movie. I'm surprised at how many of them had already done so. N

Gotten a few comments from my “who is John Galt” magnetic bumper sticker.

Sorry for the long spiel and rant, but I am frustrated.

I am trying my best to spread the word, but only a small few have investigated. One person I know has actually read the novel after I mentioned it and only a couple have even watched the three part movie.

Many of the people I encounter in the area I live want liberty and freedom, but don't understand it in an Objectivist, rational, Capitalist sense as presented in the novel.

They seem to want liberty and freedom to do what they want, but only when it suits them. I don't believe they truly want to be fully responsible for their lives, and still want to be looked after by the government at their convenience.

They want change but don't really know what they want and won't put in the effort to become educated so that they know what Capitalism should look like as presented in the novel or movie.

An example of this is that many believe the government should increase taxes on the rich people and large conglomerates, but fail to understand that some of the wealthy people and businesses get that large because of government interference.

They won't even watch the short movie clip "The Trial of Hank Rearden," or listen to the video of the "Twentieth Century Motor Company."

I've had "Who Is John Galt?" stickers on all my vehicles for years and only three people have recognized it and given an appropriate response.

We had a radio talk show in my area that had a strong Randian as the host. She was a voice of reason. A few of her followers were also Randians. She is now trying to get back into politics for our province, but I fear the people are not ready for what she would really like to do and that her efforts will be stifled by the people and the rest of the government.

Here in Canada (under the hand of a minority government), the minority is able to vote away the rights of the rest of the population.

We are rapidly marching into a state of socialism in Canada.

I just shrug and say “The State is going to need a lot of money to keep this ship upright. And I do not know from where it will come. With the productive workers throwing in the towel more and more each day.” Let the conversation start from there.

No. They don’t understand the connection between ideology and practical results. That’s why we are where we are now!!

yes Atlas Shrugged is not just a novel it is the truth and rational reality of obejctive life

Yes, especially if the person I'm talking to is making sense about the current state of things.

Recently, I spoke to a representative from the university attended about their Alumni Oral History Project. The rep asked me to relate my experience there and other questions such as the most influential books I have read. I told him that it was "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand, there was a pause then the interviewer stumbled in his response stating that it is a heady book. I continued to talk about the relevance of the book and he politely asked other questions. After the phone call, I mused over the interviewer's momentary loss of communication and if my oral presentation would go into their project?