I love my sister & Atlas Shrugged!
I am so excited!! My sister, whom I love dearly but who is a flaming liberal, is re-reading Atlas Shrugged! We both read it as teens when our two older brothers introduced it to us. I have read it two more times since and will probably read it again soon.
She is the only one of our family that turned out to be so illogical in her thinking and has so much of a looter mentality. We both have tried to talk philosophy and politics calmly but she would always resort to name calling and anger and I would shut down. So much so that I have had to block her on Facebook until she promised not to be so vicious with my political posts.
Today I received an email from her. She told me she is in the process of re-reading Atlas Shrugged with an open mind. Here are her exact words:
Betti (my sister): I ordered Atlas Shrugged, the unabridged version, so I can listen in my leisure, one more time. It is a 52 hour Audio Book and I am on Chapter 20 or so. It is amazing that although I have read it twice, I still don't really remember what happens next for certain and I am enjoying the tale.
I am hoping when I finish, I can ask you questions about your interpretations and tell you some of my own interpretations of how she characterizes things, without us arguing or getting defensive, nasty or impatient with each other. I have been making some mental notes when I think our interpretations are diverse and when they are probably close.
I know it is a work of fiction, and because it is now a historic book, written several decades ago she is describing a USA that suits her theme, though it is dated. But it is not too difficult to envision her characterizations of America today fictionally, in a modern world. She, like other writers of that era never imagined the vastness of the coming of the computer age and telecommunications, renewable energies, ordering everything imaginable online, or overnight delivery. She would be as amazed as any of us that has been alive during the past 60 years are.
Anyway, I just wanted you to know I am listening to an unabridged reading, with an open mind in another attempt to figure out why you think the way you do, and perhaps to get at least a glimpse of a plausible "Alternative " point of view. That is my honest hope.
See your in Azeroth. And Speaking of that, I need to do a bunch of Suramar, Broken Shore adn ARgus Raids and dungeons On Bet. If you ever want to try to get a group together. I have been trying to get CAmbria to get geared up so she can do at least Heroics if not Mythics.. My DH got a Legendary level 1000 on a world Boss in Argus last night!!
Bye”
Well, here’s hoping. I just had to share it with you. Oh! The last paragraph is about World of Warcraft. We play that together all the time.
She is the only one of our family that turned out to be so illogical in her thinking and has so much of a looter mentality. We both have tried to talk philosophy and politics calmly but she would always resort to name calling and anger and I would shut down. So much so that I have had to block her on Facebook until she promised not to be so vicious with my political posts.
Today I received an email from her. She told me she is in the process of re-reading Atlas Shrugged with an open mind. Here are her exact words:
Betti (my sister): I ordered Atlas Shrugged, the unabridged version, so I can listen in my leisure, one more time. It is a 52 hour Audio Book and I am on Chapter 20 or so. It is amazing that although I have read it twice, I still don't really remember what happens next for certain and I am enjoying the tale.
I am hoping when I finish, I can ask you questions about your interpretations and tell you some of my own interpretations of how she characterizes things, without us arguing or getting defensive, nasty or impatient with each other. I have been making some mental notes when I think our interpretations are diverse and when they are probably close.
I know it is a work of fiction, and because it is now a historic book, written several decades ago she is describing a USA that suits her theme, though it is dated. But it is not too difficult to envision her characterizations of America today fictionally, in a modern world. She, like other writers of that era never imagined the vastness of the coming of the computer age and telecommunications, renewable energies, ordering everything imaginable online, or overnight delivery. She would be as amazed as any of us that has been alive during the past 60 years are.
Anyway, I just wanted you to know I am listening to an unabridged reading, with an open mind in another attempt to figure out why you think the way you do, and perhaps to get at least a glimpse of a plausible "Alternative " point of view. That is my honest hope.
See your in Azeroth. And Speaking of that, I need to do a bunch of Suramar, Broken Shore adn ARgus Raids and dungeons On Bet. If you ever want to try to get a group together. I have been trying to get CAmbria to get geared up so she can do at least Heroics if not Mythics.. My DH got a Legendary level 1000 on a world Boss in Argus last night!!
Bye”
Well, here’s hoping. I just had to share it with you. Oh! The last paragraph is about World of Warcraft. We play that together all the time.
also have another one 15 years younger). Anyway, #1 Sister, some years ago (I guess in about 2007), mentioned that she would like to read Atlas Shrugged. (She was converted to Christianity at about 12; I didn't try to discuss it much with her, and I had moved about 100 miles away, and thought that arguing about it would be counterproductive). Well, I gave her a paperback (or software) copy for Christmas, and some months later she mentioned that she had been reading it, and thought it was great. I mentioned Rearden's gift of the bracelet, and Lillian's reaction, and my sister said, "I wanted to slap her!" Well, she seem enthused, until she got to Galt's speech, which she called a "harangue"; still, she finished the book, and seemed to think it was one she should keep as a classic. (Politically, she is what you might call a
"conservative"). Later, I gave her Capitalism: the
Unknown Ideal, and she said she loved capitalism, but not atheism. Still, I suggested she read the article "Requiem for Man"; as she is a devout Baptist, I also thought she might not be much in sympathy with a Papal encyclical. But I don't know if she ever read it or not. But, I do love her; since that time I saw her lying on my parents' bed in a diaper with that little scab on her belly; and she is like the baby I never had.
It is really hard, but YOU are forced to be the adult.
My suggestions are:
1) Keep your conversations private
2) Don't use email/text
3) Let her be wrong, think/act like Socrates. Without being condescending, ask her where it leads?
I was in Australia on a Train ride, and the young ones in front of me were Boeing employees, talking about how Socialism would be better (and even Gates Said so).
I was shocked (but held it in), and asked them "How how did you work for your degree?". Okay, so if you were guaranteed graduation, and a decent paying job,
just for showing up, and not trying. Would you have tried harder or less hard than you did?
Would that make you a better or worse student/future employee?
Now multiply by 300 million people. Every day, Every year. Not trying their best.
What do you think happens in those countries?
What would innovation look like?
Where would the quality be?
And I said "I believe that your form of government should focus first on expecting people to be the MOST They can be, and not the least they can get by with... Think about that, and then tell me would you rather live in a Socialist country that is slowly dying, or something closer to what I described?"
You could literally see him engage the concept and realize NOBODY made him think like that. His friends joined in by nodding approvingly. And he actually said "Yeah, I think I see the difference"
4) Recognize in her that she CARES about people. But occasionally ask her "When it becomes ENABLING?" and "As long as the government doesn't do it".
5) Also, consider trying this. Take it ONE step further than you think she would tolerate.
Assign a Neighbor in her Neighborhood, who keeps coming to her house, and taking her kitchen supplies (whatever she likes), to help someone who is refusing to help themselves.
Just thoughts. Remember to LOVE HER, not her ideals. She is not wrong for FEELING differently. But she is not CORRECT in how she is THINKING...
Finally, find a way to make a game out of it. Payers vs. Takers...
Let her be a Payer, and you be a taker. Slowly become the worse taker ever. Finding the point at which she realizes Taking over consumes, and when Paying is done by force, you lose the ability to say.
Oh, I use an argument that says: If you are a mom who can't feed one of your 3 children, and that child dies. Does that mother become more careful about having another child? But what if the government is paying? This is the crux.
HTH
Former Green peace founder. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpBnJ...
The grand solar minimum https://youtu.be/pZ4_mGIXvSM
https://denierlist.wordpress.com/2012...
Won't happen. They want those who disagree with them to be dead. After all, they view themselves as superior elite betters.
https://hallingblog.com/2017/01/12/mo...
Too bad all the effort to help is wasted by policy that feeds the problem.
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