The strike from "summary" of Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
The men of the mind went on strike. They withdrew their minds from the world, refusing to be slaves to those who sought to exploit their ideas and their labor. These men, the producers, the inventors, the thinkers, the creators, chose to disappear rather than continue to be shackled by a society that devalued their contributions. As the world descended into chaos and collapse without the guidance and productivity of these men, those who remained were left to grapple with the consequences of their own actions. The looters, the moochers, the parasites who had thrived on the productivity of others now found themselves unable to sustain their way of life without the thinkers and creators who had kept the world running. The strike was a rebellion against the idea that one's mind and one's labor could be owned by others. It was a declaration that individuals had a right to their own thoughts, their own creations, their own values. It was a refusal to accept the notion that one should sacrifice oneself for the sake of others, that one should be forced to support the unproductive at the expense of the productive. In withdrawing from the world, the men of the mind sought to create a new society, a society based on reason, on individual rights, on voluntary cooperation. They sought to build a world where the genius and the innovator were celebrated, where the value of one's work was determined by the free exchange of ideas and goods, where each individual was free to pursue his own happiness without interference from others. The strike was a radical act, a bold statement against the prevailing ethos of self-sacrifice and altruism. It was a challenge to the established order, a rejection of the idea that one's life belonged to society, to the state, to the collective. It was a demand for recognition of the sovereignty of the individual, for respect for his rights, for the celebration of his achievements. And as the world crumbled around them, as the looters and moochers fought over the scraps of a civilization in ruins, the men of the mind watched from their hidden sanctuary, waiting for the day when reason and justice would once again prevail, when the world would be ready to welcome them back from their exile.
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