Galt's Gulch

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Posted by $ SarahMontalbano 9 years, 5 months ago to The Gulch: Introductions
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Hi. I am a high school sophomore keenly interested in Ayn Rand's ideas. I'm hoping that through coming here I can learn as much as possible about Objectivism. I look forward to learning with everyone.

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  • Posted by $ SarahMontalbano 9 years, 5 months ago
    Thanks for all the welcome! I found the Gulch by looking for the Atlas Shrugged movie. I had been excited to see "Atlas Shrugged movie" pop up in the Google search suggestions, so I followed the trail here.
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  • Posted by VetteGuy 9 years, 5 months ago
    Hi Sarah,

    Welcome to the Gulch. I wish I had discovered Ayn Rand and Atlas Shrugged in high school. The world would have made a lot more sense. Enjoy!
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  • Posted by Flootus5 9 years, 5 months ago
    Hi Sarah; Great to see your post.

    I first read Atlas Shrugged when I was about 12, and that was almost 50 years ago. Ayn Rand was alive and very active back then. I subscribed to her newsletter at the time and into the early 1970's. I read everything of hers I could get my hands on.

    That all helped me survive the major wave of cognitive dissonance that hit the scene in the late 1960's. And it has helped keep me sane as over the decades we have seen Atlas Shrugged now become non-fiction.

    Let us know how some of your interactions in high school proceed!
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    • Posted by $ SarahMontalbano 9 years, 5 months ago
      My English One teacher two years ago assigned our class Anthem. I absolutely loved it, and since then I've read The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged, and The Virtue of Selfishness. Ayn Rand's ideas pulled me out of a deep depression, and I owe her my current way of thinking. I would have loved to meet her and be alive when she was.
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      • Posted by Flootus5 9 years, 5 months ago
        Excellent! I am sure you are moving on to many other works as well. Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal comes highly recommended. I was particularly affected by that one as it contains the famous essay on gold by Alan Greenspan. I went on in life to watch him become the Federal Reserve Chairman and implement policies of fiat money that have contributed to this country's monetary woes. That was my first major real life experience watching someone who knows better go over to the dark side (there have been many more since then). A real life Dr Stadtler. But interestingly and recently, Mr. Greenspan came out with some remarks in support of gold.

        I was 9 years old when they took silver out of our coinage in 1964. I didn't know why, but something about that did not set right with me. So, for a few years there, I would go to the bank, buy a roll of dimes or quarters (with my lawnmower money), pull out the silver based coins, replace them with the new copper-nickel based junk, return to the bank and trade it in for another roll. I still have those silver coins today!
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        • Posted by $ SarahMontalbano 9 years, 5 months ago
          Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal is on my Christmas list, as is several works by Dr. Peikoff and Yaron Brook. I'm really excited to read it.

          Regarding the second paragraph: That's absolutely fantastic! I'm glad that you did that!
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          • Posted by Flootus5 9 years, 5 months ago
            Wow; You're doing great. Keep it up. Leonard Peikoff's Ominous Parallels is a very advanced read, but also very important. Addressing a depth of thought across history I have not seen elsewhere.

            The topic in Ominous Parallels was another formative thought process that preoccupied my teenage mind in the late 60's. Back then, the end of WWII was only 20+ years ago. My Dad was part of the invasion of North Africa, Sicily, and Italy to free Europe. It bothered me very much that all of that incredible depth of totalitarianism had already occurred on this earth. I always wondered how it could be that a modern western civilization could descend into that kind of darkness that fast. Dr. Peikoff in Ominous Parallels and of course, Ayn Rand really, really helped for the answer why.

            Part of the thing with the silver coins included some very formative memories at my grandparents very rural home in SW New Hampshire in the early 60's. My grandfather and I would sit at the dining room table in the evening after dinner poring over his coin collection. Back then, there was no TV, very little radio out there, no stereos, cd's etc. People just kind of quietly occupied themselves with interests and with each other.

            My gosh, I don't mean to carry on, but it is great to relate these things to the gulch type of audience. There are a bunch amongst us individuals that are still 20 - 30 years yet my senior and I love hearing from them.
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  • Posted by Non_mooching_artist 9 years, 5 months ago
    Hello Sarah!

    I wish that I had found Ayn Rand in high school! You are certainly headed in the right direction, and I hope you introduce your friends to Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, objectivism and all of AR's other works.

    Kind Regards,

    NonMoochingArtist
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