John Galt Effect

by Dr. Arthur Robinson

A hidden effect of the November 4 elections and the national events
that preceded them during this past year is perhaps best called
the "John Galt Effect" in honor of Ayn Rand's famous character in
Atlas Shrugged. It is occurring to a very significant extent.

Our technological civilization stands upon the shoulders of many
generations of free Americans and the great accomplishments that they
bequeathed to us.

Among those Americans and their counterparts in other countries have
been a small special group of people whose unusual genius, work
ethic, and love for their specialties were especially outstanding.

These men, by their examples, their creations, and their leadership
of free enterprises, have led our civilization upward. One of the
greatest privileges of my life has been to know a few such people.

Without this small group of people, the technological attainments of
their generations would not have taken place. We know the names of a
few of them, but there were many more -- constituting perhaps one
person in a thousand. Ayn Rand called these people the "men of the
mind."

In Atlas Shrugged, under the leadership of John Galt, they
withdrew their services. They would only work in freedom. They would
not work under tyranny.

In reality, most men of the mind never withdraw. They love their work
too much to stop and -- most of them -- love their fellow men too
much to desert them. The forces of tyranny depend upon this.

Without these people, even the small technological advances required by Marxist
and Socialist societies would not occur. Yet, while the men of the mind do not
fully withdraw, they have families and other loved ones for whom they are
responsible and to whom they are more devoted than to the state.

As the pendulum of politics now swings toward tyranny in the United
States and dangers to those whom they love increase, these men and
women partially turn their talents more toward their personal
responsibilities.

Part of their thoughts, efforts, and ingenuity are lost to society -- and this
loss cannot be recovered by either negative or positive incentives.

Throughout our country today, the men of the mind ( women, too) are
watching the awful scene in Washington and its reflection in state
and local capitals throughout the United States.

They understand the consequences of the government oppression that has dogged
their own footsteps for many years and that will grow much worse in the near
future. So, they are taking actions to protect themselves and their families.

We have no way to measure the societal effects of this distraction of
the men of the mind. There are immediate effects upon our well being
and long term effects from the things that they are no longer working
full time to create.

What is the cost of the distraction of our real leaders -- of the men
of the mind -- of the John Galts among us? I estimate that it is
greater than the trillions of dollars being lost on government
printing presses. Call this Y2009K -- and this time it is very real.

Our existing power plants are still operating; our petrochemical
plants are still producing; our military defense is still performing;
our food supplies are still flowing; and the rest of the
technological infrastructure upon which our lives depend is largely
still in place.

But the key people -- not those we see but those we do not see because they are
constantly engaged in real work -- are seriously distracted and now partially
engaged in personal survival.

Of one thing we can be certain. When the essentials of our
civilization begin to seriously falter and this causes real harm,
those who would be our masters and their fellow travelers in the
media, academia, business, and politics will cast blame upon some of
these men of the mind -- and drag them before us for punishment. Our
John Galts know this, too, and it is a further distraction for them.

Some of these people are leading great enterprises. Others are in the
basements of our power plants and other heavy industries. Some are
closeted away in universities quietly at work on the next generations
of possible advances in science and engineering. They are easily
recognized -- by their genius and by the love of their work that
permeates their whole beings.

One way to recognize them is that they constantly talk about their
work to anyone who will listen.

Now they are distracted.

What are they talking about today?

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=30506