An active Gulch member and top contributor since Atlas Shrugged Part 1, Rick Poach (Eudaimonia) takes a moment to share with us his appreciation for Ayn Rand as well as his latest Papa Possum verse (EXCLUSIVE).

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QUICK FACTS

* Favorite Ayn Rand book:
My favorite of Ayn Rand's books is the one which I read first, “Atlas Shrugged”. “Atlas Shrugged” is also the book which I most recommend and gift. However, it was Rand's books of collected essays which really solidified her philosophy for me. I often think that these collections are overlooked, but they are excellent.

* Favorite Ayn Rand character:
Heroes: Francisco D'anconia. In 2011, I entered the Atlas Shrugged Scholarship essay contest. My entry was titled “Francisco D'Anconia and the Art of War” (http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/posts/32...). It is a good window into why he is my favorite Rand hero.
Villains: I believe that a great story needs great villains - so, Ellsworth Monkton Toohey and Gus Webb, both from The Fountainhead. These characters are excellent examples of the Ruling Class Left and the Thug Left. I reference them often when talking about today's Leftists.

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Q & A

* When were you first introduced to Ayn Rand?
My first introduction to Ayn Rand was not pleasant. I encountered two people, one in my late teens and one early twenties, who claimed to be Objectivists. The first used Rand as a cudgel to condemn anything which made him feel inferior. The second used Rand as a justification for mistreating people whom he believed inferior. It was not until I had actually read Rand that I realized how mistaken both of these people were in their interpretations of Rand and Objectivism.

In my mid-twenties I was given a copy of “Atlas Shrugged” by a musician with whom I jammed from time to time. He had never personally read the book himself, but said that I reminded him of his brother, and that his brother had loved “Atlas Shrugged.” I accepted the gift but left it unread for months because of my previous unpleasant experiences with people who called themselves Objectivists.

Then, of course, I finally read it, and was amazed at what I read. I came to understand the world around me much better. I even came to see how those two unpleasant people were themselves just immature and trying imperfectly to find their own way with their own circumstances and motivations.

* How has Ayn Rand influenced your life?
The ways in which Rand's works have influenced my life are exactly the opposite of what detractors would have you believe her influence produces. Rather than stifling my intellectual curiosity, I have pursued a degree in philosophy. Rather than engendering arrogance, it has taught me the humility of always questioning whether I am desiring something which I have not earned - whether I have provided value relative to what I have received or expect to receive. Rather than predation, it has taught me that each person is sovereign: to trade fairly if I expect the same - to always keep in mind that each person's motivations are deeply personal to them and to respect those motivations, even if I do not know them, if I expect the same.

Most importantly, it has given me criteria by which to choose my friends and colleagues well, and a framework by which to evaluate the world around me especially as I study philosophy further.

* What passion project are you working on now?
I am one of those scatter-shot people who always have too many sticks in the fire. I have many projects that I bounce between. It's not a perfect method of task management, but it's how I get things done. Here is a sample:

1) Papa Possum (http://www.papapossum.com): At the end of 2008, frustrated at the electoral victory of the 60's Democrat's, I started writing political satire in verse. As a nod to the political satire which we all grew up with, (Mother Goose nursery rhymes), I chose the pseudonym Papa Possum. In 2010, I decided to self-publish fourteen of these satires as a book. Recognizing that the problem with political satire is context (which is why most people don't realize that a lot of Mother Goose was, in fact, political satire), I decided to notate each included satire. The collection is titled (as a nod to the Roman poet and political satirist Juvenal) “Libellus Primus Saturarum – The First Little Book of Satires”. I am currently halfway through notating the last piece and would like to have the book (finally) finished early next year. The collection of Papa Possum satires are available on line.

2) Moving: Joan (Mrs. Eudaimonia) and I are slowly packing up our belongings in an effort to get out of New England and move to Wyoming. The move is strictly political, we are tired of living in an area which grows increasingly more socialist.

3) Education: I have always been self-educated and avoided the expected Marxist indoctrination of a University education. I decided five years ago to finally do battle and get degreed. I have been pursuing part time a B.A. in Philosophy and a B.S. in Mathematics. Unfortunately, finishing these degrees is on hold until we move.

4) Consulting: For a day job, I consult in OpenSource middleware programming on *nix platforms. As a side note, the contract which I was supposed to start this month has been pushed back to January. So, if any Gulchers have some work to be done, don't hesitate to contact me.

5) Languages: I study languages as a hobby. When I'm bored and don't want to work on one of my other projects, I will fire up Rosetta Stone or http://Duolingo.com and run through some language drills.

* Where do you go? or How is Ron?
As some of you might have noticed, I drop out of sight from time to time and for extended periods of time. Those who have asked about it were told about my father-in-law Ron. Ron is a Korean War vet who lives with me and Joan (his daughter). He was diagnosed with congestive heart failure in March. Joan and I have been spending time since then dealing with bureaucracies, driving him to appointments, and caring for him. The good news is that he has been finally green-lit for an aortic valve replacement in early January. We are hoping that his strength will return after the surgery. In the meantime, Ron is doing as well as can be expected, and has no reservation with kicking my ass at Setback whenever he can. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have from time to time asked about him and us. It is very much appreciated.

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See Rick's latest Papa Possum verse: http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/posts/27...
Read Rick's “Francisco D'Anconia and the Art of War”: http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/posts/32...

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ON THE WEB

LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/rick-poach/6...
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/papa-possum/...

Twitter:
@eudaimoniarick
@papapossum

Website:
http://www.papapossum.com

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