The hyper-rationalism of radical individualism isn't, in the end, rational at all. You'll recall that during the Iraq war, we heard a lot of talk about ancient Mesopotamia - the land of the Sumerians, Akkadians and Hittites - being "the cradle of civilization". That's the point. Without a cradle, it's hard to sustain a civilization. (Mark Steyn)
The only man of whom I would ever say, "I wish for you to surpass me in every way." (Augustine, speaking of his deceased son Adeotus)
If you are a father or mother, Mark Steyn sounds more convincing than John Galt. Offspring are our time machines, extending the reach of our values into centuries we will not live to see. Unless an outside agency initiates force to change the natural order of things, children normally carry forward the passions of their parents.
We don't see many normal families, with children, in Ayn Rand's novels. She deals with education in her essays collected in the book The Anti-Industrial Revolution. I recommend the essay Home Schooling for Liberty for more reflections on this theme.
Is it ever proper to help another man? No, if he demands it as his right or as a duty that you owe him. Yes, if it’s your own free choice based on your judgment of the value of that person and his struggle. This country wasn’t built by men who sought handouts. In its brilliant youth, this country showed the rest of the world what greatness was possible to Man and what happiness is possible on Earth.
I agree with you. Rand’s world is a fantasy world. I don’t have kids myself, but I teach kids, so I’m around them, and their parents, all the time. It’s been very rewarding to interact with kids of all ages. I always said I was born to be an uncle, but my siblings have not helped in that regard. But as a private teacher, I get to work with kids and hopefully, carry some of my weight in the boat when it comes to posterity.
Rand had very non-traditional views of marriage and the family. In that sense, she is not someone who conservatives would hold up as a model. In fact, she encourages right down immoral personal relationships and practiced them as well. She’s definitely libertarian and I am not. But her stance on personal relationships is not the reason why I read her.