Introducing The Atlas Project

There has been only one book that has touched my life as profoundly as Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged.

For me, it is a manifesto, an ideal, and a roadmap that has been used each time I encounter a fork in the road. It's been almost 10 years since I first picked it up and have read it almost annually, yet I never tire of it. Why am I so deeply moved by a fictional book about a woman and a railroad? Because the format (fiction) brings character and life, accessibility and context, to a philosophy that is downright challenging to grasp in its raw form.

 Why should you read this book?

To gain a better understanding of man's moral purpose. When asked what most people want in life, the answer is more often, "to be happy". Ayn Rand's quest to defend man's right to his own happiness is nothing short of heroic. And for those of you who are wondering, her definition of happiness is likely not what you are expecting. To Rand, happiness is freedom as the inherent right that each man has to live his life, to pursue his passions, and to create and exchange value.

Above all else, Atlas Shrugged outlines the virtue of selfishness-- not the selfie-taking, materialistic, narcissist that may spring to mind when you hear that word. Selfishness is individualism. It is anti-tribe, anti-group-think, anti-collective. The literature spends a great deal of time helping the reader dissociate the negative connotation that comes to mind when the word "selfishness" comes into play. The Objectivist philosophy-- the topic of then entire book-- is really a call to action for man to fully realize and embrace his individuality by using rational thought as a pillar for his life. The philosophy is quite clear in the context of social networks-- a network is a collection of individuals. A network is itself not an entity with a mind, senses or feelings. An individual, therefore, has the responsibility of committing himself to pursuing his highest purpose and rejects the concept of martyrdom and altruism. 

I could go on about this all day, but the idea here was to keep it short and invite all you to join me in the ATLAS PROJECT, beginning September 2. It's simple, buy Atlas Shrugged, join the Facebook group, and read a chapter each week. The guided discussion is hosted by students and teachers of the Ayn Rand institute and is an extraordinary way to digest the concepts for the first time, or to brush up on some of the deeper philosophy you missed the first time (or few times) reading the book!

This book has impacted me in ways that I can't even express. As a way to pay it forward I have purchased 10 copies of Atlas Shrugged, to be given to the first ten people who email me at sordisinternational@gmail.com