garden adventures

"The secrets of this earth are not for all men to see, but only for those who will to seek them."

"It is my eyes which see and the sight of my eyes grants beauty to this earth. It is my ears which hear, and the hearing of my ears gives its song to the world. It is my mind which thinks, and the judgement of my mind is the only searchlight which can find the truth. It is my will which chooses, and the choice of my will is the only edict I must respect." 

      

-Anthem, by Ayn Rand

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I just finished reading Anthem by Ayn Rand, and I was captivated. Though many do not agree with her ideas, she is human none the less and deserves respect, for her accomplishments, and her courage that many of us lack. I am not trying to push any ideology, but reading things we may not necessarily agree with is imperative in order to keep an open mind. 

Thus, I highly recommend this very short read. Whether or not you agree with the ideas of individuality and objectivism, it will broaden your mind, and make you think. 

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Anthem is a book about communism, not Stalin, and Hitler (he wasn't even communist, he was a fascist dictator), but the original Marxist idea of utopia, meaning no place, a perfect society that will never exist.  Throughout the book, the main character, Equality 7-2521, refers to himself in plural, 'we went here, and we did this'. Why is it like this? Because he is not an individual. His entire existence is centered around the betterment of his brother and sisters and the community as a whole. He does the job he is given, he obeys, and he's supposed to be happy. The problem, as you can assume, is that he realizes that conformity is not happiness

SPOILERS OF THE BOOK ARE FROM HERE ON DOWN

He discovers an underground tunnel, from the unmentionable times and begins to create and think freely. By the end of the book, he has fallen in love and runs away into the uncharted forest with Liberty 5-3000. They come across a house with a library inside, and discover a word that changes their entire existence. That word, is 'I'. 

Equality 7-2521 realizes that as an individual, he is not longer required to conform, and hide his differences, for rather he celebrates them, and understands that ideas are not created out of concurrence, but free thought, and autonomy. 

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So here is autonomy in it's finest. Nature isn't told what to do, and never grows the same way. From the bunnies in my backyard, to the plants growing in gardens, our world is an adventure in the many senses of the word. It is a wonder that we will always know, but never understand.