Middle East I

Not enough energy for a long post at the moment, but wanted to share a couple of photos up to this point of my Middle East sojourn.

I had an 8 hour layover in London so I made the most of it.

Locals playing football in Bahrain.  (I was in the country for about 14 hours.)

The view outside my hotel room in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Dinner my first night in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

I've been having some incredible experiences and am really enjoying my time.  Lots of fantastic co-workers and other individuals have made this an extremely memorable trip.  In the next few days I expect to post more about the day-to-day experiences.

Maddie's Choices

This may surprise some parents, but our children often get on each others' nerves (and their parents' nerves, for that matter) while driving in the van.  The whining, complaining and pestering start, and I realize that something must be done to keep my inner beast in lockdown.  So, I turn to the time honored tool of the parent--distraction!  My favorite method of late is to give the kids choices.  The choices aren't meant to be taken seriously--they're simply meant to get the kids' attention and make them think for 1/2 second.  I'll ask questions along the lines of the following . . .

Which do you prefer:

- an apple or an orange

- Smashburger or Famous Dave's

- Mario Party or Mario Kart

- Phineas & Ferb or Suite Life

- California or Georgia

- basketball or soccer

- snow or rain

- Bolt or Kung Fu Panda

- crepes or german pancakes

- dogs or cats

- flying or being invisible

- Dumbledore or Sirius

You get the idea.  

Well, the other day we were in the van, and I started up the game and Maddie really got into the spirit of it.  So much so that she started asking her own questions.  A sample . . .

Which do you prefer:

- pink or lipstick

- maps or Princess & the Pea

- buses or doors

- playdates or stop lights

- temples or stores

- medicine or rocks

We were all cracking up!  Madison seemed a bit offended at our laughter, and questioned Brenna and me about it.  What could we say?  We simply told her it was very fun to hear her coming up with her own questions, and we were enjoying it very much.  That seemed to mollify her . . . somewhat.  

Thank goodness for Madison.  She really challenges us at times, but she has such vigor and enthusiasm that you can't help but smile.  Oh, and I would definitely take a playdate over a stop light anytime!

A Weekend for Remembering

NOTE:  This post is quite long and not terribly coherent.  I'm viewing it as a personal journal entry simply to help me remember the weekend.  So, with that warning, proceed at your own risk.

Several weeks ago I got a Facebook message from Kevin, one of my high school basketball teammates, telling me that MHS was having its alumni basketball tournament the week of March 16.  He said I should come play.  I mulled it over for a bit and realized that I could probably make it work.  The tourney is broken into two parts:  pool play followed by single elimination rounds.  Pool play would happen Mon - Wed and the top two teams from each pool would advance to the quarterfinals on Thu night.  Kevin figured our team would make it out of pool play, and I could join for the quarterfinals and beyond.  

It sounded too fun to pass up, so I checked with Brenna, and she willingly supported me.  I bought a ticket to fly out on Thu afternoon and return Sun morning.

The week of the tourney came, and I was on pins and needles each day waiting for the results of the games.  Another teammate, Ryan, provided the good news on Mon--a big win.  Tue was sobering with a narrow loss.  It all came down to the Wed game as to whether the guys would advance.  Ryan called about 11 that night to let me know they had won.  Whew!  The ticket purchase was not in vain!

So I flew out Thu afternoon and my mom and dad picked me up at the airport.  It's a fine feeling to have your parents meet you at the airport.  I can't say enough good things about my parents and how they support me in everything I do.  It's always been like that, and I am very fortunate.

That night we played the 2004 team, and it was quite a battle.  Due to their youth they had to spot us 12 points, and we needed them as we ended up winning by 5 or so.  It was a very physical game, but both sides were pretty cool about it.  They had two main guns--one was a big kid--probably about 6' 7" or so who was a good post player, and the other was the outside gunner.  We went to a box & one in the second half to slow down the gunner, and that worked out well.  I huffed and puffed and concluded that I wasn't playing church ball!  I felt fine about the way I played, but I came away impressed with two things:

1. I don't feel old, but after running up and down the court with the '04 grads, it definitely hit home that I'm getting there.  I haven't been sore after playing basketball for a long time, but I was sore on Friday.

2. I hadn't had that much fun playing ball in a long, long time.  So many memories of high school ball.  Watching Kevin pull up for a three pointer, seeing Joey do his little shimmy-shake on the wing before starting a drive to the hoop, watching Brian slash to the basket with perfect timing, seeing Ryan get feisty going after rebounds down low, and watching Eric battle for position and be a complete team player.  I played with all five of them at MHS, and it just thrilled me to be on the court with them again.  That doesn't even bring up the other guys who played with us and were just amazing in their effort.  Carl, Tyler, Nick, Jess--all of them were just a riot to play with.  Nobody seemed to care that much about who played the minutes or scored--we all just wanted to be part of a team that wins.  It was really cool!  It was also fun to see some of the people in the stands.  My friend Ben had come to cheer us on as well as others that I hadn't seen for a long time.  It's always nice to have people cheering you on.

I went home and stayed up til 11 or so talking basketball, family, church, politics and all kinds of other stuff with my parents.  I savor those opportunities.  Just me and my parents.  While growing up I never really made an effort to spend good, quality conversation time with my folks.  Now, I really enjoy it!  Just making up for missed chances, I suppose.

Friday was filled with work and family.  I had taken my laptop so I hooked into my parents broadband and worked away.  With all my work files on a jump drive and the ability to access my email wherever I have an internet connection, I can pretty much work anywhere I like.  So that was fun.  Mom and dad got to see a little of what I do as I prepared a presentation to provide training to folks in various countries around the world.  Cool stuff!  

I also helped my dad better navigate the internet and gain some familiarity with Facebook, and worked with my mom on her desktop wallpaper and screensaver.  Little fun things like that did take place throughout the day.  Linda came over for lunch, so we sat around and did what we do best--amuse ourselves and laugh.  Thanks, Lin, for being such a great sis!  

That night we went to Sizzler for dinner.  What a great place to people watch on an early Friday evening.  We sat around for 15 minutes or so just kind of finishing up our meal, but mostly watching the people around us.  What a diverse place the world is!

Saturday was the piece de resistance of the weekend.  A few weeks ago I found out the Taeoaliis were moving to a new house on Saturday.  I realized that it was likely I would be able to help.  So I walked over to their house around 10 Sat morning.  I took the route I used to take as a kid--cutting through the Grant Elementary school grounds.  I hadn't walked through those grounds in probably 20 - 25 years.  Talk about a flood of memories:  Prisoner's Ball, Soccer, Mr Laney, Miss Glenn, Wall Ball, 6th grade presentation on Ecuador, Joe Nelson getting hit in the head with a baseball bat, giant snowballs at recess, Mrs Taylor, Mr Gray, 2 against 15 football games, and all of my dear, dear friends.  What a great time I had in elementary school.

Soon I was at the Taeoaliis' house.  The people there brought back more memories--Daela, Fred, Jer, Semi, etc., etc.  Of course I had to think about riding around on the hood of Shirley's car through the neighborhood and so many sleepovers at Jer's house.  

At any rate, we got the big items loaded in short order and the crew headed to their new house.  They told me to come because there would be BBQ!  I went home to borrow mom and dad's car, and took the opportunity to do a video chat with Brenna and the munchkins.  Eliza still doesn't know quite what to think of the video chat.  So strange to see Dad's face on a computer screen.

At length I headed to the new house, but by the time I got there all the unloading was done, so what could I do but help them eat the food.  I excelled in that area!  Jer cooks up some mean BBQ chicken--almost like a satay flavor.  Really good!  Fotu also showed up while I was there.  More memories--9th grade football and lots of pickup basketball.  

I helped Jer with the BBQ and even got to hold his baby girl and watch her fall asleep in my arms.  It made me feel like I was at home!  Way too fun for words.  Thanks, Jer, for all the memories created over a lifetime.  You are the best.  

I drove back to mom and dad's, and we made our way to MHS for the tournament semis.  Several more people in the stands, including Jed and his son Jacob.  I really enjoyed taking a few minutes to talk to Jacob and to let him know that his dad used to run around and play ball with us (now all his athletic time is devoted simply to running--or biking).  Jacob made me laugh when he indicated that he could probably take his dad in a game of basketball.  Jed didn't protest very strongly, so I'm only left to think that it may be true!

Our game in the semis was against 2002.  They had to spot us 10 points (5 in each half), so that was very helpful.  The game was fairly intense, but not as physical as the quarterfinals.  For the most part we took the lead and held onto it, with them making a run or two here and there.  Each of our team members made tremendous contributions with timely three pointers, rebounds and steals to seal the victory.  We ended up winning by right around 10 points.  I think I enjoyed this game the most of all of them because we again beat a much younger team who didn't know anything about us.  There's just some satisfaction in that.  Plus, I actually sank my two free throws and a three pointer!  What's not to like?

We then had a 1 1/2 hour break while we watched the other semifinal in which 1997 defeated another (very good) team from the 2000s.  In fact, it was the team that had defeated us in pool play.  So, we weren't disappointed to see them go down.  And, we got the added benefit of playing against a team of guys that we knew pretty well.  Several younger brothers of our classmates were on the 97 team, so it made for a friendly atmosphere in the championship.  In addition, they were gassed big time from their hard fought semi win, and with only one sub they simply didn't have the stamina to put up the fight they wanted.  There wasn't too much drama in the championship as we led be a good amount most of the way and ended up winning by 15 or so.  Ryan, Brian, Kevin and Joey all played great games--again with some timely outside shooting and good inside post play.  We were disappointed that Jess didn't shoot a three-pointer at the end, but I'm sure he will next year!

So, we emerged as the Alumni Tournament champions and got some slick t-shirts as a reward for our efforts.  I can't think of a better prize.  Lots of family members of my teammates were there.  So good to see the parents of these guys.  I had spent a lot of time in each of their houses during my high school years, so it was a real treat to see the Johnsens, Wells, Carlstons and Prices and remember the amazing support they always gave us over the years.  I also was able to meet the wives of several of my teammates and Jed came back for the championship and brought Brooke with him.  I only wish I'd been able to spend a bit more time with them this trip.  So many dear friends, so little time.

After the game a group of us went to Eric's house (gorgeous by the way--well done Eric and Jenn) and enjoyed some pizza benders from IV and just sat around and talked and laughed.  As usual, Joey had us all laughing at stories of his various misadventures--his life and death experience in Costa Rica was particularly memorable.  I just basked in the fun of being with them all again.  Memories galore!  And very fine people, too.  Thanks guys, for letting me come ball and hang out.  I'm already looking forward to next year! 

Here's a picture of the tourney champs.  Go 92!

Final Thoughts on Atlas Shrugged

Last week I read the final page of Atlas Shrugged.  I confess it was something of a relief to be done with the book.  I enjoyed it very much, but Ms. Rand has all the subtlety of a sledgehammer and after nearly 1200 pages of being beaten about the head and shoulders with her ideas I was ready to be done and move on.  In fairness, my complaints about the book and its redundancy pale in comparison to the compliments I would pay the book.  As mentioned before, this book made me stop and think on many occasions.  It provided a challenge--I am not able to take the philosophies espoused by Rand with a grain of salt.  She had serious things to say, and I felt it worth my time to give them serious consideration.  Though I do not subscribe to all the tenets of Rand's Objectivist philosophy, I must say that I believe much of what she says is right on the money.  So, what did I like and what left me empty?  Below are a few thoughts on each.

I took notes throughout the book and finally decided to record the most intriguing aspects of the book in a sort of index at the front.  My index reads as follows:

- Consecration / paradigm shift: page 82

- Importance of Need: page 143

- Developments -> Job losses -> New Opportunities (similar to Friedman's TWIF education concept): page 290

[I covered that topic in a previous post]

- Francisco's Money speech: pages 410-415

- Purpose of Government: pages 576-577; 1062-1063

- Impacts of Socialism (consecration): pages 660-670

- John Galt story: pages 671-672

- Scorn for faith, hope and charity: page 742

[I also covered this topic in a previous post]

- Definition of happiness: page 1014

- Refutation of Original Sin: page 1026

- The reality of self loathing: page 1046

I don't have the inclination to discuss all of the above at length, but I will take the time to explore a couple of those items in more detail.  First, I though the definition of happiness on page 1014 was fantastic.  The definition was provided toward the beginning of John Galt's 60-page speech outlining Ms. Rand's premise for the novel.  He states, "Happiness is that state of consciousness which proceeds from the achievement of one's values."  I believe that is true.  If you live by the values you hold dear and are true to those values then you will have happiness.  If you live contrary to those values you will have misery.  Obviously, there is much action and work that goes behind those words, but the principle is sound.  The trick is to truly understand what you value most.  I think sometimes we confuse surface feelings and ephemeral dalliances for true values.  I certainly have at times.  I believe the world today would encourage us to sit down and think, no meditate, on our values and record them in a mission statement (thanks, Mr. Covey) so they can provide a guide for our lives.  If we spend the time, mental effort and, dare I say, spiritual resources we can arrive at our deep-seated values.  Such can them be our compass to happiness.  Achieving those values and resulting happiness is another question altogether.

At any rate, I appreciated the happiness definition because it made me ponder values and happiness and where I sit in relation to both.  Something that can cause such introspection is something to be appreciated.

Next, you will note that I mention the word consecration twice in my little index.  This is a topic of some import to active LDS such as myself.  I'm sure plenty of others consider it frequently, but I come to it with an LDS lens, and I won't try to represent my thoughts any other way.  This subject pervades Atlas Shrugged, and overtly, not in a good way.  Rand hammers home time and again the reasons we should never feel obliged to live for someone else or to provide anything to someone else without receiving value in return.  Pure evil is how she describes efforts to establish some type of society based on the principle of consecration.  In politico-speak we would simply say socialism or perhaps even communism, though that is viewed as a dirty word by many these days.  Rand certainly viewed communism as the most loathsome of evils and seeks to imbue her readers with a feeling of the same.

However, the fact of the matter is that consecration is at the heart of LDS theology.  It's not currently practiced, but it was attempted in the early days of the church and failed miserably.  Ultimately, we believe it will be the social structure that carries the day.  I, for one, have a hard time with the concept of consecration/communism.  I believe that I should be the one to choose how the rewards of my labors are disseminated.  I don't relish the thought of some governmental big brother looking over my shoulder and dictating to me what I will receive as a result of my efforts.  The fear, obviously, is that someone less deserving will be rewarded with the fruits of my labors, and I will be caught in a downward spiral of having no incentive to work hard because there is no reward for such as the rewards go to others.  When all diligent workers start to feel the same pain then overall productivity plummets and society becomes depressed, in every sense of the word.  This is what happens in Atlas Shrugged.

But, we must consider the premise on which the AS communism is constructed.  As I've said before, AS is Animal Farm on steroids.  Fraudulent and deceiving men head the government and ultimately seek not their own happiness, but the misery of others.  They disguise their motives by professing to only be interested in the good of the whole.  Rand disagrees with that philosophy on the face of it.  The only good to be considered is the individual good.  No one else matters--each should be expected to be concerned for his own good.  And, if each is so engaged then the ultimate result will be a prosperous society.  

Fine. I expect that is true, but the fact is that not all will be so engaged and, in fact, some are not capable of being so engaged.  Do we simply leave them behind?  From everything I have been taught the answer is no.  But at the same time, we should not trust their care into the hands of men represented by the AS government.  (Brief aside: thanks to my sister, Linda, for hitting me with Helaman 7:4-5.  Check those verses and you will see the type of men who ran the AS government).  

The result of all this is that I am left in a quandary.  I want to be rewarded for my work and have dispensation over how those rewards are allocated.  Generally speaking, I do not trust government to wisely allocate the rewards I have earned.  However, I do not want people to be left behind without any reward and recognize that I do not have the resources of thought or time to understand all the best ways to allocate my rewards for the best benefit of myself, my family and society.  In addition, I believe that consecration is a societal construct whose time will come.

Ultimately, I end up with two thoughts that I believe will cohabit to make consecration a reality.  One comes from my religious teachings and the other comes from Ms. Rand herself.

First, as I see it, the reason communism has failed is because the individuals at the top have been weak.  They were unable to truly implement the system and inspire the people.  Instead, they governed with fear and hatred.  No system will work in the long term with such an underlying philosophy.  Consequently, any true system of consecration must be led by someone who can truly be trusted and loved by all--not just for a week or month or year, but for eternity.  Someone who will not fall into the foibles of human nature or succumb to the temptation of power, but someone who will be true to the philosophies espoused by consecration and who can inspire others to be true to the same.  Only when such a person arrives can consecration be successfully implemented.

Second, in the end Rand believed that the Thinkers (those with the ability to save society in the AS world), would all work to their utmost abilities to derive personal rewards.  She expected those rewards to be in terms of money.  In fact, the $ would be the symbol of her society and gold would be the currency.  Strangely, I don't think she is too far off.  For consecration to work, individuals will need to work just as she envisioned--each to the best of her ability.  But, a paradigm shift will also have to take place in that money would not be the ultimate reward for such efforts.  It may be a vehicle for obtaining the reward, but it would not be the reward itself.  Instead, all would have to be willing to work to full capacity while seeking the reward that would benefit all.  In an interesting way, that is exactly what the Thinkers in AS would set out to do.  They were interdependent.  None would last long without the others.  They were a symbiotic society, and each knew that by putting forth his best efforts he would be able to enjoy the best efforts of all those around him.  

It's a paradigm shift if you will, but ultimately I don't see Rand's philosophy as opposed to the form of consecration that I expect will be successful.  The right leadership and implicit and complete trust in those around us will one day provide the society Rand envisioned . . . with consecration as its framework.

What a difference a year makes!

Our little girl is one year old today!  What an amazing year it's been.  We love you, Eliza.

The International

No, I'm not talking about the movie; I'm talking about my job.  I was laughing to myself today at how amazing the world we live in is.  In an instant we can be in touch with people thousands and thousands of miles away.  Today illustrated for me how flat the world has become...

Work started at 6:30 this morning with a revenue recognition training call where I discussed various topics with one of our teams from what we call the "Emerging Markets."  On the phone we had people based in Switzerland, Russia, Israel, South Africa, United Arab Emirates and Greece.  Remarkable.  Several individuals participated in the conversation, and I was likely the only person who could only speak English.  My colleagues' abilities with English are amazing, and I am grateful for those abilities that make it possible for us to communicate. 

Around lunchtime I received a call from my colleague in Argentina.  She had just returned from vacation and needed to catch up on some things she had missed while being out.  We discussed deals being worked by the teams in Brazil and Mexico.  Again, remarkable.  

Later in the afternoon my boss called to discuss a few items of import.  He is in Australia, and had a need to talk about two deals--one in Japan and one in Australia.  So we spent some time talking about those items and the revenue recognition impacts for the company.  GAAP is nothing if not an effort to keep accountants employed!

Finally, at 8:30 tonight I got on the phone to have a conversation with a couple of folks in Singapore and my boss in Australia.  Sadly, that call was canceled at the last minute.  Never fear though, it's been rescheduled for tomorrow afternoon.  By the time it rolls around I will have already met with individuals in England, California and (gasp) here in Colorado!

What a cool job.  I love interacting with these people from all over the world.  It keeps me on notice that there is a lot going on around the globe, and it's good to be aware of it.

On a different note...

While typing the below entry I had the pleasure of chatting via Facebook with two friends--one from high school days and another whom I've only known for about a year.  What a cool world we live in where we can simply im each other because we're both online.  I love being in touch with friends new and old.  Thanks for keeping me on my toes and creating so many fabulous memories!

More Atlas Shrugged

I recognize my last post was pretty haphazard.  So many things going on in that book that I was just trying to get a general overview of where I am with it.  A few days after I last posted my niece asked what the book was about, and I gave her the following answer, "Probably a very simplistic description of Atlas Shrugged is to call it Animal Farm on steroids and approached from an entirely different perspective.  Socialism vs capitalism.  Sadly, the author seems to believe that where one exists there is no room for any aspect of the other."

I'll stick with that description for the overall theme of the book.  But there are so many sub-themes and fascinating aspects that I try not to get too bogged down with frustration in the overall either/or premise on which Rand operates.

In my last post I briefly alluded to one aspect I found very fascinating--because it elicited from me a comparison with Thomas Friedman's book The World is Flat.  Before delving into the specific topic I must confess I have not spent much time in reviewing TWIF to find specific quotes to back up my point here, so you'll have to forgive me for that.  However, one of the fundamental ideas I took away from my reading of TWIF was that Friedman believes we should stop all the hand-wringing about offshoring.  Instead of talking about the evils of offshoring we should embrace the opportunities it creates.  The basic way of doing so would be to invest more in education and encourage those whose jobs are at risk from offshoring to enhance their skill set so they will be better equipped to work in the new, flat world.  In short, the types of jobs that are being offshored are frequently the kind we would want offshored to allow people at home to turn their minds to something higher and more challenging.  Obviously, this is very difficult to manage in the short run for those who have just been laid off, but in the long run if we embrace the change, both individuals and our country will be far better off!

The comparison with Atlas Shrugged comes when Dagny and Hank discover the "super motor" that would have changed the world.  Dagny says to Hank, "Do you know what that motor would have meant, if built?"

Hank's response, in part, "Consider how many things it would have made easier and cheaper to produce, how many hours of human labor it would have released for other work, and how much more anyone's work would have brought him."

My mind fixated on how many hours of human labor it would have released for other work. Expected, coming from Hank, but there is no hand-wringing over potentially lost jobs due to this new development--only immediate thought for what else could be done given such improvements.  People would be freed to move on to bigger and better.  Let's challenge ourselves and be grateful for external events that force us to do so rather than whinging about changes to the world that was.  I enjoy the quote by Eric Hoffer:

"In a time of drastic change it is the learners who inherit the future.  The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists."

We must be prepared for, and be willing to embrace, change.  Changing what is happening around us can often be difficult, but changing our response to it is well within our grasp and should be something we practice.

That's it for today's thoughts on Atlas Shrugged.  I'm about 2/3 through now, and still enjoying it but recognizing more and more that Rand has put together a framework that could only exist based on the premises she has created.  In my mind she does not take into account the realities of existence and clearly no recognition of a higher power.  I found particularly distasteful her refutation of Paul's counsel to the Corinthians about the importance of faith, hope and charity--to be replaced by facts, proof and profit (Mulligan's speech while Dagny is visiting "Atlantis").  Obviously these things are important and should be pursued.  But, and this is my predominant issue with Rand's philosophy, they are not the only things that matter.  There is so much more to life, and concern for our fellow man must be one of those things.  

Will that result in us being taken advantage of?  Yes, at some point and in some way, absolutely.  Is that a price I'm willing to pay given our current societal construct?  You bet it is.  When facts, proof and profit become the sole aim of humanity you can count me out.  Middle ground does, and must, exist.  And this seems to be where we're locked in the constant struggle as a nation.  How do we determine the best middle ground for everyone.  No one's figured it out perfectly yet, and I'm convinced Rand's approach is not the panacea she would have us believe.

I hope to post more soon.  This book is so thoroughly enjoyable!  

Early Thoughts on Atlas Shrugged

My brother-in-law, Mike, and I don't see each other or converse frequently, but when we do it is always a rewarding experience for me.  Mike often challenges my thinking and makes me dig a little deeper into understanding why I believe what I believe--politically, socially, religiously--you name it.  One of our favorite topics is books.  Several years ago I mentioned to him I had recently purchased Atlas Shrugged, and he indicated his excitement to discuss it once I had finished.  Sadly, as of this past Christmas I hadn't even cracked the cover.  Mike and I spent some time together at Christmas, and I briefly mentioned that I was now seriously considering reading Atlas Shrugged.  Mike, in turn, raved about Walter Isaacson's biography of Einstein.  I got so excited about Einstein that I went out and picked up a copy in early January.  I'd been reading it for only a day or two when the following article showed up in my inbox with commentary from Mike included:

Jesse -

As you contemplate digging into Atlas Shrugged, I thought you would enjoy this piece tucked into the very last page of the very last section of today's Wall Street Journal.

As I suggested to you recently, the book has taken on a rather striking, and unfortunate, relevance as of late. 

Enjoy!

Michael

 

'Atlas Shrugged': From Fiction to Fact in 52 Years

By STEPHEN MOORE

Some years ago when I worked at the libertarian Cato Institute, we used to label any new hire who had not yet read "Atlas Shrugged" a "virgin." Being conversant in Ayn Rand's classic novel about the economic carnage caused by big government run amok was practically a job requirement. If only "Atlas" were required reading for every member of Congress and political appointee in the Obama administration. I'm confident that we'd get out of the current financial mess a lot faster.

Many of us who know Rand's work have noticed that with each passing week, and with each successive bailout plan and economic-stimulus scheme out of Washington, our current politicians are committing the very acts of economic lunacy that "Atlas Shrugged" parodied in 1957, when this 1,000-page novel was first published and became an instant hit.

Rand, who had come to America from Soviet Russia with striking insights into totalitarianism and the destructiveness of socialism, was already a celebrity. The left, naturally, hated her. But as recently as 1991, a survey by the Library of Congress and the Book of the Month Club found that readers rated "Atlas" as the second-most influential book in their lives, behind only the Bible.

For the uninitiated, the moral of the story is simply this: Politicians invariably respond to crises -- that in most cases they themselves created -- by spawning new government programs, laws and regulations. These, in turn, generate more havoc and poverty, which inspires the politicians to create more programs . . . and the downward spiral repeats itself until the productive sectors of the economy collapse under the collective weight of taxes and other burdens imposed in the name of fairness, equality and do-goodism.

In the book, these relentless wealth redistributionists and their programs are disparaged as "the looters and their laws." Every new act of government futility and stupidity carries with it a benevolent-sounding title. These include the "Anti-Greed Act" to redistribute income (sounds like Charlie Rangel's promises soak-the-rich tax bill) and the "Equalization of Opportunity Act" to prevent people from starting more than one business (to give other people a chance). My personal favorite, the "Anti Dog-Eat-Dog Act," aims to restrict cut-throat competition between firms and thus slow the wave of business bankruptcies. Why didn't Hank Paulson think of that?

These acts and edicts sound farcical, yes, but no more so than the actual events in Washington, circa 2008. We already have been served up the $700 billion "Emergency Economic Stabilization Act" and the "Auto Industry Financing and Restructuring Act." Now that Barack Obama is in town, he will soon sign into law with great urgency the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan." This latest Hail Mary pass will increase the federal budget (which has already expanded by $1.5 trillion in eight years under George Bush) by an additional $1 trillion -- in roughly his first 100 days in office.

The current economic strategy is right out of "Atlas Shrugged": The more incompetent you are in business, the more handouts the politicians will bestow on you. That's the justification for the $2 trillion of subsidies doled out already to keep afloat distressed insurance companies, banks, Wall Street investment houses, and auto companies -- while standing next in line for their share of the booty are real-estate developers, the steel industry, chemical companies, airlines, ethanol producers, construction firms and even catfish farmers. With each successive bailout to "calm the markets," another trillion of national wealth is subsequently lost. Yet, as "Atlas" grimly foretold, we now treat the incompetent who wreck their companies as victims, while those resourceful business owners who manage to make a profit are portrayed as recipients of illegitimate "windfalls."

When Rand was writing in the 1950s, one of the pillars of American industrial might was the railroads. In her novel the railroad owner, Dagny Taggart, an enterprising industrialist, has a FedEx-like vision for expansion and first-rate service by rail. But she is continuously badgered, cajoled, taxed, ruled and regulated -- always in the public interest -- into bankruptcy. Sound far-fetched? On the day I sat down to write this ode to "Atlas," a Wall Street Journal headline blared: "Rail Shippers Ask Congress to Regulate Freight Prices."

In one chapter of the book, an entrepreneur invents a new miracle metal -- stronger but lighter than steel. The government immediately appropriates the invention in "the public good." The politicians demand that the metal inventor come to Washington and sign over ownership of his invention or lose everything.

The scene is eerily similar to an event late last year when six bank presidents were summoned by Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson to Washington, and then shuttled into a conference room and told, in effect, that they could not leave until they collectively signed a document handing over percentages of their future profits to the government. The Treasury folks insisted that this shakedown, too, was all in "the public interest."

Ultimately, "Atlas Shrugged" is a celebration of the entrepreneur, the risk taker and the cultivator of wealth through human intellect. Critics dismissed the novel as simple-minded, and even some of Rand's political admirers complained that she lacked compassion. Yet one pertinent warning resounds throughout the book: When profits and wealth and creativity are denigrated in society, they start to disappear -- leaving everyone the poorer.

One memorable moment in "Atlas" occurs near the very end, when the economy has been rendered comatose by all the great economic minds in Washington. Finally, and out of desperation, the politicians come to the heroic businessman John Galt (who has resisted their assault on capitalism) and beg him to help them get the economy back on track. The discussion sounds much like what would happen today:

Galt: "You want me to be Economic Dictator?"

Mr. Thompson: "Yes!"

"And you'll obey any order I give?"

"Implicitly!"

"Then start by abolishing all income taxes."

"Oh no!" screamed Mr. Thompson, leaping to his feet. "We couldn't do that . . . How would we pay government employees?"

"Fire your government employees."

"Oh, no!"

Abolishing the income tax. Now that really would be a genuine economic stimulus. But Mr. Obama and the Democrats in Washington want to do the opposite: to raise the income tax "for purposes of fairness" as Barack Obama puts it.

David Kelley, the president of the Atlas Society, which is dedicated to promoting Rand's ideas, explains that "the older the book gets, the more timely its message." He tells me that there are plans to make "Atlas Shrugged" into a major motion picture -- it is the only classic novel of recent decades that was never made into a movie. "We don't need to make a movie out of the book," Mr. Kelley jokes. "We are living it right now."

Mr. Moore is senior economics writer for The Wall Street Journal editorial page.

The article grabbed my attention, and I have been whole-heartedly plowing through novel since.  For those unfamiliar with the novel let me start by saying it is over 1,000 pages long.  So when I say plowing through, I mean it.  I'm just over a third of the way there, and I must say I'm enjoying it immensely.  The characters are so extreme--in every way and in every direction--as to be completely unbelievable.  However, the overstatement of personality serves to drive home the point.  Ayn Rand is the author of the book, and through her usage of character development she seems to be stressing that only black and white exist--gray areas are for the weak who like to hide behind excuses.  At any rate, this approach makes for outrageous and wildly entertaining, if often frustrating, reading.  

Once I got used to the approach Rand took to character development I began to seriously think about the myriad messages she is sending.  I'm not going to take the time to delve into specific messages at this point (I hope to do a few, perhaps several, more posts on this book), but I want to point out that the book has made me think, and think hard.  Truly, this book is making me live up to the title and intent of my blog.  My mind is meandering all over the place--socialism, capitalism, consecration, greed, weakness, sacrifice, charity, money, power, motivation, effort, morality--it's all in there.  

Ultimately, I'm completely captivated by the main thrust (so far) of the novel--which I believe is to expose economic parasites while extolling the virtues of the intellect who applies his/her talent to production.  What happens when economic parasites completely overrun society and productive intellect is forced to carry ever more of the nation's fiscal burden?  An interesting email story on this topic landed in my inbox a few years ago.

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for dinner.

The bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four men-the poorest-would pay nothing;

The fifth would pay $1:

The sixth would pay $3;

The seventh $7;

The eighth $12;

The ninth $18.

The tenth man-the richest-would pay $59.

That's what they decided to do. The ten men ate dinner in the restaurant every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement-until one day, the owner threw them a curve.

"Since you are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily meal by $20." So now dinner for the ten only cost $80. The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes. So the first four men were unaffected. They would still eat for free. But what about the other six-the paying customers?

How could they divvy up the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his "fair share?"

The six men realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would end up being PAID to eat their meal.

So the restaurant owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so the fifth man paid nothing, the sixth pitched in $2, the seventh paid $5, the eighth paid $9, the ninth paid $12, leaving the tenth man with a bill of $52 instead of his earlier $59.

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to eat for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.

"I only got a dollar out of the $20," declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth. "But he got $7!"

"Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got seven times more than me!"

"That's true!" shouted the seventh man.

"Why should he get $7 back when I got only $2? The wealthy get all the breaks!"

"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!"

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night he didn't show up for dinner, so the nine sat down and ate without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They were $52 short!

And that is the ride Ms. Rand is taking me on.  I'll have to leave it at that for tonight.  I recognize that I haven't included much meat of my own analysis.  But my mind is still rushing in several directions about the contents of the book, and I need to let things percolate a bit more.  Let me note, though, that I have noticed that Atlas Shrugged and Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat share a few similar themes.  Better education is a key to so much.  I must remember to return to that thought in a future post.  

Suffice to say I am enjoying it because it is engaging and provocative, if frequently outlandish.  I look forward to discussing the book with others who have read it.  I'm clearly not a great literary or philosophical critic, but I think we're all entitled to share our thoughts.  After all, I've long enjoyed Edmund Wilson's quote:  "No two persons ever read the same book."

Daddy's Girl

I just finished putting Eliza to bed.  It's hard to believe that next month she will be a year old.  Watching her learn and grow has been the most amazing experience.  The kids, Brenna and I are all simply enthralled by every little thing she does.  It's fun to watch her learning how to crawl and sit up, and she's even started pulling herself up to standing position now.  All standard fare for the first year of a baby's life, but remembering how hard she worked just to get here to our home with us makes us treasure every little thing she does.  

It's been particularly rewarding for me, because she treats me like a rock star!  As far as she's concerned Daddy is the greatest person on earth.  I was sitting with her in Sunday School today, and my friend, Jared, took her to hold her for a second.  She immediately reached her arms out to me making it clear that she had no intention of letting someone else hold her when Daddy was so close by.  Not unusual that a child would behave in such fashion toward someone who is not her parent, you say?  True.  However, when you see her do the same thing to Mommy, you'll know how cool she thinks Daddy is.  Observe . . .

Fortunately Brenna takes it all in stride and is glad Eliza loves her dad.  We laugh about it frequently and are just glad she's home with us.  Here's to being a parent!

Long Time

Clearly blogging has not been high on my priority list for the last few months.  No real reason, my interest just waxes and wanes.  Given that it has just waned for several months let's hope some good waxing is on the way!

A few things actually compel me to record some thoughts this evening.  First, the inauguration of Barack Obama and second, some changes at church.

I may as well say up front that I did not vote for Obama, but I was not unhappy that he won the election.  And, as I have watched events since election night it seems to me that his presence in the White House may be able to bring this country together in way that hasn't happened since 9/11.  Trying times tend to focus our energies and attentions--just as 9/11 did.  Now, again, we are faced with trying times and Obama has a singular opportunity to take advantage of the nation's collective attention.  When the people get behind a president, the president can make things happen.  The question is whether they are the right things.  And, honestly, it's pretty close to impossible to know in the heat of the moment when something is right from a historical perspective.  Obama has my attention and my admiration.  I hope he will also have my long-term gratitude.

The inauguration itself was beautiful, in my opinion.  I've spent my share of time on the National Mall in DC, and it was simply stunning to see so many people gathered there today.  I loved the camera shots that looked out from the Capitol across the reflecting pond to the Washington Monument and all the way to the Lincoln Memorial.  All of it covered in people.  In Americans there to participate in history and to show support for our new president.  That by itself was very impressive.  Add to that spectacle the significance of the event and the grandeur of the ceremony, and it was a great day, indeed, to be an American.  

I loved Aretha Franklin's "My Country 'Tis of Thee," and the subtle nod she gave to MLK with her quiet inclusion of references to Georgia and Alabama at the end.  I particularly loved the quartet performing John Williams's arrangement of Copeland's Appalachian Spring.  I was struck as much by the composition of the quartet as by the composition itself.  A Jew, an Asian, an African American and a woman combined to elicit from me a sense of wonder and joy based on the music they created.  I thought it was a fantastic tribute both in song and in appearance to what is possible.

I even enjoyed Justice Roberts's bungling of the administration of the Oath.  It simply made it feel more real and memorable.  Then came the speech, which was fantastic as is par for the course with Obama.  I'm really glad that he called us all out and basically said we were lazy and that the blame for the mortgage and financial meltdown belongs with all of us.  We all contributed to this society that idolizes greed and carelessness.  In fact those who were able to combine greed and carelessness often seemed to get most of the public's adoration.  With the mortgage benders so many of us went on simply because we could (never mind whether we should) we all contributed.  Now is our chance to show ourselves worthy to be called the descendants of our parents and grandparents and restore to our economy and this country the dignity and strength which have simply been taken for granted as a birthright for too long.  Yes, the speech stirred something in me as I had imagined it would.

Most of all I enjoyed the moment--I believe it was during the quartet--that showed Obama from behind and above as he sat looking over the assemblage.  Truthfully a tear ran down my cheek as I thought to myself, "I hope he can deliver on all of this goodwill.  I hope he can achieve those things he has set before us all."  I hope we can all work together to effect the change that he champions.

Along with 9/11 this may be the seminal American event in my lifetime to date.

I suppose that is enough on today's events.  Now to something more personal.  Given that I no longer attempt to keep a written journal anywhere but here, I feel compelled to record some feelings about the experiences I have had for nearly the past five years.  

In May 2004 I was called to serve in the bishopric of our ward.  I was very humbled by such a calling and felt wholly inadequate.  I'm guessing many of you can relate to those feelings--not unique or unusual.  It didn't take me long to realize what a tremendous trust individuals and families place in bishopric members.  Before being in the bishopric I would sit in the congregation with my family and look at the people around me and assume their lives were wonderful.  Sitting on the stand provides a completely different perspective.  I learned of people's struggles that I would never have been able to guess at.  I was fortunate to participate in individual and familial triumphs that provided incredible joy.  The experience was a true cornucopia of life lessons and spiritual growth.  

Earlier this month I was released from the bishopric.  People don't know whether to tell you congratulations or not with something like that.  In my heart I felt that I had provided the service in that calling that the Lord needed of me.  I learned many lessons and gained a better understanding of myself and the many things I need to do better.  We all have so far to go, and I gained an appreciation of that fact for me, personally, while I served in the bishopric.  

Our stake president asked me and Brenna to bear our testimonies on the Sunday I was released.  I don't remember much of what I said, but I do remember some of my thoughts.

While serving in the bishopric I saw and heard things that truly broke my heart.  But I also experienced things that brought incredible joy into my life.  And I experienced all emotions in between.  I had personal conversations with so many people--people I never would have made the opportunity to get to know if not for the calling which I held.  I found that I loved conversing with people about the things that were most important to them, and above all I learned that when it comes down to it, people just want . . . to be loved.  And that is what Christ provides for us all--love.  The Atonement is an act of perfect love and enables us to spread the love of Christ to all.  We can love and serve, and if we love and serve, eventually the Father's plan will be carried out.  Love and service coupled with an understanding of our purpose can enable us to achieve amazing things that benefit us as individuals, our families, our neighbors and society in general.  Not surprising that that is how the Father works.

Brenna said some beautiful things and paid me compliments that I don't deserve.  She and the children deserve all the credit in the world for being so faithful and supportive of me as I tried to do what we all believed was right.  I feel that we have been rewarded for the way in which we worked together as a family while I was in the bishopric.  I can't think of anything more precious than having a wife and children who love you.  I believe that is the pinnacle of manhood and achievement.  I hope that I can stay there.

I suppose I should conclude.  I do so by returning to the things I learned while in the bishopric. People deal with struggles we would never guess at.  The power of the human spirit is remarkable.  I love the way Victor Hugo describes it in my favorite book, Les Miserables:

"[T]here are many great deeds done in the small struggles of life.  There is a determined though unseen bravery, which defends itself foot to foot in the darkness against the fatal invasions of necessity and of baseness.  Noble and mysterious triumphs which no eye sees, which no renown rewards, which no flourish of triumph salutes.  Life, misfortunes, isolation, abandonment, poverty, are battlefields which have their heroes; sometimes greater than the illustrious heroes."