So, I'm 53 now, but way back when I was in my late teens and early 20's, I was an Ayn Rand fan. I'm not so much, anymore. I do think that if, like Ayn Rand, I

So, I'm 53 now, but way back when I was in my late teens and early 20's, I was an Ayn Rand fan. I'm not so much, anymore. I do think that if, like Ayn Rand, I had grown up in Russia during the early days of the Soviet Union, I would likely be as fanatically pro-individual and anti-anything that sounds like communal thinking. But, having spent the last few decades in a society (the USA) that is slowly unraveling, I have become convinced that there is a benefit to thinking about how those individuals fit together, and relying on rational self-interest is not enough. One positive thing I can still say, is that Rand's emphasis on rational thought, was an excellent pathway out of her philosophy and into something less exciting, but more adapted to the way people actually function. There's probably a reason most religions don't place a primacy on rational thought; it makes it too likely that you will eventually leave.