| View Blog
|
|
|
|
| Of Ayn Rand and GK Philippines |
|
I recently read Ayn Rand’s novel “The Fountainhead” and it really made me think about a lot of things. In the novel, Ayn Rand seemed to take a critical potshot on the concept of social service. As an advocate of the charitable organization Gawad Kalinga (GK Philippines), I was hit by this potshot. You see I am a Christian but I do not like to follow the Christian dogma or any other dogma blindly. I question the things that are fed to me. In this way, you might want to call me as a free thinker.
The main antagonist in the story is Ellsworth Toohey. This person is devious to an almost unbelievable level. He is not a villain that simply wants power or money. He does want power, but this guy gets power by trying to destroy the very fabric of human ideals. I mean, what the hell? He is able to appreciate great art, and with such deep and profound appreciation too. But he does not mind destroying great artists as well as great art. He’s that maniacal. I for one can’t really believe that a person capable of deep appreciation of art can be that greedy. That is because the appreciation of art requires deep spirituality and such an intimate life and meaning which inevitably will also entail a reverence for these ideals. But I digress from my point. The point is that this villain used to rally people (his own niece) into the cause of social work because it helps him manipulate these people. Ayn Rand’s idea of first handers and second handers is central to the mechanism of this manipulation. First handers are those people who are wholly individual, who think for themselves, are the masters of their own morality, and who strike out with original ideas and create things function and beauty just because they want to. In doing so, they end up as beneficial to mankind. They are the inventors and the true idealists that finally become the architects of civilization, they are the fountainheads. Those who are second handers live through the praise and recognition of other people. They are people whose every action is done because they want to please other people. Their actions are tainted by other motives and they are therefore not capable of originality. They only leech off other people and other people’s ideas on how to live the right way. Social workers of course to Ayn Rand fall on the category of second handers. And these people are the ones who muck of the world according to Ayn Rand.
It seems to me that Ayn Rand is saying that social work is against true progress because it is an endeavor that in truth is in the end, self serving. So what she is saying is that people in charitable organizations such as GK Philippines are not capable of original actions. I wonder if this is really true.
But if that’s true, who else will help these people who have no hope? Do we who have the power to save them just leave them to die of starvation?
|
|
Posted by weezie23 on 2009-10-29 03:25:58 | Rating: | Views: 21
|
|
| |
|
|
Email This to a Friend 