I appreciate Ayn Rand’s contributions to the capitalistic, individualistic ethos as much as the next borderline-misanthrope dissident disenchanted with modern society — especially in this age of techno-fascistic anarcho-tyranny.
While the tone and examples given may be harsh, I completely I agree with her message to her niece. And in fact, I think it’s a great example of Rand putting time and effort into an educational and thoughtful response to someone asking for a favor.
Ayn is my personal hero and has shaped my political thinking more than any person along with my dad, but that being said, from all I have read, I think she was hell on wheels at the personal level and most likely insufferable. No matter, she was brilliant and lit with truth. What she said to her niece was heavy handed but nonetheless true.
I agree with you. I have given this same lesson to young family members to understand the terror of debt. This is the lesson of the evil of credit card debt. The reason to use those credit cards is the same. I am a softy and in the end I would drag them trhoug the lesson but once in a while I would send the gift with no strings
Rand had been burned by the girl's sister, in a year-long extortion--providing money for high school, and then art school, neither of which she finished. The sisters likely talked, and the first extorter likely told the second sister that Rand was a great source of easy money, and an easy touch.
Provide that context before reading the letter--it then takes on a whole new light.
Relatives--parents, aunts/uncles, grandparents--are classic enablers of manipulative, narcissistic young adults. Those who can see through the manipulation and provide tough love may appear "mean" to outsiders. But that "meanness" is valuable, and potentially breaks the cycle of manipulation that the kid is learning. Breaking that cycle could lead to a massive improvement in the kid's life.
Rand's lesson is verbose and repetitive, but she was a writer. Of course it was.
By the way, Connie turned out pretty okay==she could have gone to Hollywood and wasted her life, but she stayed in Cleveland, had 6 kids, and became a nurse. Thanks, Ayn!
"Elizabeth "Connie" Pastrano, 81, of Painesville, went home to be with the Lord Sept. 20, 2012, surrounded by loved ones, after a long and complicated battle with diabetes.
Born Aug. 18, 1931, in Cleveland, Connie was a well-known actress and nurse around the Lake County area. She lived out her passion for acting in the community theater for many years. When she was not performing, Connie was a nurse for Lake County hospitals and nursing homes. Connie was dedicated to making the lives of others better.
Connie is survived by her husband of 61 years, John A. Sr.; children, Denise Carroll (David Alexy), John Jr., Aline, Susie, MiMi Sajewski, and Ellen (Steven Fambro); grandchildren, Kyle (Joe), Brianna (Nelson), Carly (Scott), Damien (Heather), Anthony (Gina) Paul, Rachel (Chuck), Aaron (Rachel), Matthew, Emily, Alex, Julie and Molly; five great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her mother and father, Agnes and Allen Papurt; sister and brother-in-law, Miriam and David Sutton; brother Lee Papurt; brother-in-law, Fabe Wolfe; niece, Marta Wolfe; and granddaughter, Chrissy Pastrano.
There will be a memorial service held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012, at St. Mary's Church in Painesville, followed by a remembrance gathering. Connie was a loving wife, mother, daughter, sister, grandmother, and friend. She will be dearly missed and loved by all who were lucky enough to know her."
I think exactly the same as Ayn Rand. Borrowing money without the intention of repaying is fraud committed by a despicable person. In particular because the person asking for the money invokes the relationship with the person providing the money. So who is moralizing here? There is a better word for it: emotional blackmail aka virtue signalling.
The niece might have been an entitled brat like the sisters used as examples of why Rand was hesitant to loan the girl money. Rand was smarter and more wordy than I could ever be, but my children have all received similar lectures. My parents were Rand devotees and passed the philosophy of objectivism on to me.
The biggest problem with Rand in my view is her own lack of children. The concept of self and never living for the sake of another remained intact after I became a mother, but it was definitely less strident and idealized. Being a parent means living for the sake of your offspring in many ways, especially when they are younger, but in some manner ways until they become adults.
Since the letter exists, either Rand made a carbon copy for her records or the niece sold the letter for a pretty penny. Probably the former, because if the niece sold the letter we would likely know the outcome of the loan.
Carlos Castaneda (writing as Don Juan) set in my mind the concept that children are like a hole in your torso that never heals. Once you step into procreation you cannot retreat. A friend of mine (a drunk as I often am) once told me me not to get too attached to your children... I kind of understand now that I am 73 years old and just became a great grandfather. So, not to throw a stone at your comment, I think that Rand was just one smart cookie... and we are lucky to get a hand in the jar.
We now view this letter as over the top lecturing. Maybe it was. But as many have said there are no small opportunities to educate someone. Even if at that moment they were not ready to hear a truth there also may never repeat the perfect conditions to plant the seed. Especially in kids and young adults. I know I figured out things my parents and teachers said that made sense only once I matured and gained experiences.
I also assume that by 1949, 1950, Ayn Rand was in a position where she'd get requests due to her celebrity. It's like a lottery winner who has relatives literally come from the woodwork. It's possible this was her opportunity to firmly delineate mooching by relatives and strangers alike. I've long taken from Objectivism that, sure, you have to take care of #1 first but that does not preclude charity and teamwork. It just requires expectations to be honest and clear.
The letter simply sounds like good parenting to me, and aunts and uncles can have an important role in helping raise good, responsible people, too. Especially in light of her experiences with the kids siblings, not harsh at all.
I wished I'd had a copy of this letter to hand when my daughter and her husband asked me for what they termed a 'gift' when they wanted financial help starting a now-failed business venture a few years back. Not a loan, not a stake in a share in any of the profits. Just a handout (shakedown?) with no thought of terms for repayment or a commitment to a return on my 'investment'. I respectfully declined, but I seemed to have lacked the words to defend my choice - and give them a much needed lesson, like Rand gave here - at the time.
"The conclusion I’ve been forced to draw is that fusing the personal and political is not a healthy way to live." Which is fine for those who want to get on alone: individualists. However, as Trotsky pointed out: You may not be interested in the war, but the war is interested in you"
Individualists are threatening to collectivists, who collectivize for power and control, or for security/comfort, or because they envy people who can get ahead on merit.
So every other social system (Communism, Islam, Buddhism, Shinto, Nationalism, Christianity etc) makes the political a core element of the personal. It is better to build in some defenses by infusing your small-P politics with the personal.
Rand, btw, had already given money to Connie's two elder sisters and seen it wasted. I'm with Ayn Rand on this. Have a great weekend.
I think it is a great letter and a great lesson that sadly almost nobody in the West understands today. I wish this lesson was taught early on to every politician in Congress, or anyone in the position of authority who "borrows" our own money without our consent and then spends it on destroying our society, ruins our children, traffics in crime and literal Satanism, and then sends us a tax bill for it. Everyone should be taught this lesson as early as possible in life if we hope for a better, more just society. The only thing I fault Rand for - she could have written that in 1 paragraph. Her books could be written in 250 pages instead of typical 1000, but I hear she never put up with any editors.
I am inclined to agree with Ms. Rand. Unlike her, I have a place in my world view for charity. Again, however, I am not blindly charitable. In lieu of repayment, the recipient must demonstrate virtue. I have long posited for a healthcare system that displays prices for comparison, with most transactions being in cash between the parties. The costs would drop considerably. Insurance would only cover catastrophic expenses. What about those who can afford neither the doctor fees nor the premiums for catastrophic insurance? Charitable organizations, supported by generous tax laws, could be formed to align with affinity groups. Healthcare for Jews, Catholics, Lutherans, Mormons, blue-haired girls that look like the walleye I pulled from lake superior, hooks and all. If someone will fund it, we give them a tax break. Then, people would apply for the financial assistance with the affinity group they align with. That group could require some kind of virtuous behavior from its recipients, thereby forcing at least the appearance of virtue.
I liked her work, as a young man, but everything I've read about her on a personal level makes her sound insufferable. Much like her hated enemy, the similar mastermind-personality Karl Marx.
Whether one loves Rand or hates her, I can't recommend "Mozart was a Red" enough.
For me The Fountainhead and Anthem were her best works. I also think The Virtue of Selfishness is clear and well-reasoned. I believe Rand's biggest flaw is that she had a problem with amphetamines. Separate the amphetamines from the woman, and you have an amazing person. People who write her off as someone who appeals to a child and is readily outgrown are incapable of accurately describing her philosophy. They think rational self-interest is "mean" while insisting that we sacrifice everything for the ambiguous needs of the state. Sacrifice simply for the sake of sacrifice is an obscenity.
Ms Rand offered her niece a true, useful, and heartfelt lesson —and opened a door to so much more, too.
I wish people had engaged me with such thoughtful conversation in my youth.
I can only imagine what Ms Rand would think of the claim by the author of this article, that 'the conclusion [he's] been forced to draw is that fusing the personal and political is not a healthy way to live'.
While the tone and examples given may be harsh, I completely I agree with her message to her niece. And in fact, I think it’s a great example of Rand putting time and effort into an educational and thoughtful response to someone asking for a favor.
I think that letter was great, and very fair. And all it is, is something called "tough love".
Ayn is my personal hero and has shaped my political thinking more than any person along with my dad, but that being said, from all I have read, I think she was hell on wheels at the personal level and most likely insufferable. No matter, she was brilliant and lit with truth. What she said to her niece was heavy handed but nonetheless true.
I agree with you. I have given this same lesson to young family members to understand the terror of debt. This is the lesson of the evil of credit card debt. The reason to use those credit cards is the same. I am a softy and in the end I would drag them trhoug the lesson but once in a while I would send the gift with no strings
Rand had been burned by the girl's sister, in a year-long extortion--providing money for high school, and then art school, neither of which she finished. The sisters likely talked, and the first extorter likely told the second sister that Rand was a great source of easy money, and an easy touch.
Provide that context before reading the letter--it then takes on a whole new light.
Relatives--parents, aunts/uncles, grandparents--are classic enablers of manipulative, narcissistic young adults. Those who can see through the manipulation and provide tough love may appear "mean" to outsiders. But that "meanness" is valuable, and potentially breaks the cycle of manipulation that the kid is learning. Breaking that cycle could lead to a massive improvement in the kid's life.
Rand's lesson is verbose and repetitive, but she was a writer. Of course it was.
It's a great case study of tough love.
Tough Love can be seen as Real Politic (or however it is spelled) on a National level.
I think the MAGA movement is an example to witness as Rand's letter to her niece.
I would like to see the complete destruction of the Dept of Education as an example.
But of course I am merely fantasizing.
By the way, Connie turned out pretty okay==she could have gone to Hollywood and wasted her life, but she stayed in Cleveland, had 6 kids, and became a nurse. Thanks, Ayn!
"Elizabeth "Connie" Pastrano, 81, of Painesville, went home to be with the Lord Sept. 20, 2012, surrounded by loved ones, after a long and complicated battle with diabetes.
Born Aug. 18, 1931, in Cleveland, Connie was a well-known actress and nurse around the Lake County area. She lived out her passion for acting in the community theater for many years. When she was not performing, Connie was a nurse for Lake County hospitals and nursing homes. Connie was dedicated to making the lives of others better.
Connie is survived by her husband of 61 years, John A. Sr.; children, Denise Carroll (David Alexy), John Jr., Aline, Susie, MiMi Sajewski, and Ellen (Steven Fambro); grandchildren, Kyle (Joe), Brianna (Nelson), Carly (Scott), Damien (Heather), Anthony (Gina) Paul, Rachel (Chuck), Aaron (Rachel), Matthew, Emily, Alex, Julie and Molly; five great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her mother and father, Agnes and Allen Papurt; sister and brother-in-law, Miriam and David Sutton; brother Lee Papurt; brother-in-law, Fabe Wolfe; niece, Marta Wolfe; and granddaughter, Chrissy Pastrano.
There will be a memorial service held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012, at St. Mary's Church in Painesville, followed by a remembrance gathering. Connie was a loving wife, mother, daughter, sister, grandmother, and friend. She will be dearly missed and loved by all who were lucky enough to know her."
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/113990422/elizabeth_connor-pastrano
I think exactly the same as Ayn Rand. Borrowing money without the intention of repaying is fraud committed by a despicable person. In particular because the person asking for the money invokes the relationship with the person providing the money. So who is moralizing here? There is a better word for it: emotional blackmail aka virtue signalling.
The niece probably did not understand the letter a just shrugged it off...just as most people do to Rand's Objectivism.
The niece might have been an entitled brat like the sisters used as examples of why Rand was hesitant to loan the girl money. Rand was smarter and more wordy than I could ever be, but my children have all received similar lectures. My parents were Rand devotees and passed the philosophy of objectivism on to me.
The biggest problem with Rand in my view is her own lack of children. The concept of self and never living for the sake of another remained intact after I became a mother, but it was definitely less strident and idealized. Being a parent means living for the sake of your offspring in many ways, especially when they are younger, but in some manner ways until they become adults.
Since the letter exists, either Rand made a carbon copy for her records or the niece sold the letter for a pretty penny. Probably the former, because if the niece sold the letter we would likely know the outcome of the loan.
Carlos Castaneda (writing as Don Juan) set in my mind the concept that children are like a hole in your torso that never heals. Once you step into procreation you cannot retreat. A friend of mine (a drunk as I often am) once told me me not to get too attached to your children... I kind of understand now that I am 73 years old and just became a great grandfather. So, not to throw a stone at your comment, I think that Rand was just one smart cookie... and we are lucky to get a hand in the jar.
Wow! That wall of text in a day when she would have been hammering away at a manual typewtiter on onionskin paper!
If she were around today she might have melted the servers and literally broken the internet.
Lol indeed
We now view this letter as over the top lecturing. Maybe it was. But as many have said there are no small opportunities to educate someone. Even if at that moment they were not ready to hear a truth there also may never repeat the perfect conditions to plant the seed. Especially in kids and young adults. I know I figured out things my parents and teachers said that made sense only once I matured and gained experiences.
I also assume that by 1949, 1950, Ayn Rand was in a position where she'd get requests due to her celebrity. It's like a lottery winner who has relatives literally come from the woodwork. It's possible this was her opportunity to firmly delineate mooching by relatives and strangers alike. I've long taken from Objectivism that, sure, you have to take care of #1 first but that does not preclude charity and teamwork. It just requires expectations to be honest and clear.
The letter simply sounds like good parenting to me, and aunts and uncles can have an important role in helping raise good, responsible people, too. Especially in light of her experiences with the kids siblings, not harsh at all.
I wished I'd had a copy of this letter to hand when my daughter and her husband asked me for what they termed a 'gift' when they wanted financial help starting a now-failed business venture a few years back. Not a loan, not a stake in a share in any of the profits. Just a handout (shakedown?) with no thought of terms for repayment or a commitment to a return on my 'investment'. I respectfully declined, but I seemed to have lacked the words to defend my choice - and give them a much needed lesson, like Rand gave here - at the time.
"The conclusion I’ve been forced to draw is that fusing the personal and political is not a healthy way to live." Which is fine for those who want to get on alone: individualists. However, as Trotsky pointed out: You may not be interested in the war, but the war is interested in you"
Individualists are threatening to collectivists, who collectivize for power and control, or for security/comfort, or because they envy people who can get ahead on merit.
So every other social system (Communism, Islam, Buddhism, Shinto, Nationalism, Christianity etc) makes the political a core element of the personal. It is better to build in some defenses by infusing your small-P politics with the personal.
Rand, btw, had already given money to Connie's two elder sisters and seen it wasted. I'm with Ayn Rand on this. Have a great weekend.
You as well Bloke
I think it is a great letter and a great lesson that sadly almost nobody in the West understands today. I wish this lesson was taught early on to every politician in Congress, or anyone in the position of authority who "borrows" our own money without our consent and then spends it on destroying our society, ruins our children, traffics in crime and literal Satanism, and then sends us a tax bill for it. Everyone should be taught this lesson as early as possible in life if we hope for a better, more just society. The only thing I fault Rand for - she could have written that in 1 paragraph. Her books could be written in 250 pages instead of typical 1000, but I hear she never put up with any editors.
Perhaps it was the absolute avalanche of text that struck me more so than the actual content.
I am inclined to agree with Ms. Rand. Unlike her, I have a place in my world view for charity. Again, however, I am not blindly charitable. In lieu of repayment, the recipient must demonstrate virtue. I have long posited for a healthcare system that displays prices for comparison, with most transactions being in cash between the parties. The costs would drop considerably. Insurance would only cover catastrophic expenses. What about those who can afford neither the doctor fees nor the premiums for catastrophic insurance? Charitable organizations, supported by generous tax laws, could be formed to align with affinity groups. Healthcare for Jews, Catholics, Lutherans, Mormons, blue-haired girls that look like the walleye I pulled from lake superior, hooks and all. If someone will fund it, we give them a tax break. Then, people would apply for the financial assistance with the affinity group they align with. That group could require some kind of virtuous behavior from its recipients, thereby forcing at least the appearance of virtue.
Thanks for all the insightful comments. People get their passions stirred by Ayn Rand and her Objectivism thing, I have come to understand.
I liked her work, as a young man, but everything I've read about her on a personal level makes her sound insufferable. Much like her hated enemy, the similar mastermind-personality Karl Marx.
Whether one loves Rand or hates her, I can't recommend "Mozart was a Red" enough.
https://mises.org/mises-daily/mozart-was-red
For me The Fountainhead and Anthem were her best works. I also think The Virtue of Selfishness is clear and well-reasoned. I believe Rand's biggest flaw is that she had a problem with amphetamines. Separate the amphetamines from the woman, and you have an amazing person. People who write her off as someone who appeals to a child and is readily outgrown are incapable of accurately describing her philosophy. They think rational self-interest is "mean" while insisting that we sacrifice everything for the ambiguous needs of the state. Sacrifice simply for the sake of sacrifice is an obscenity.
Ms Rand offered her niece a true, useful, and heartfelt lesson —and opened a door to so much more, too.
I wish people had engaged me with such thoughtful conversation in my youth.
I can only imagine what Ms Rand would think of the claim by the author of this article, that 'the conclusion [he's] been forced to draw is that fusing the personal and political is not a healthy way to live'.