Earth Hour, Meet John Galt

Today is the day to celebrate Earth Hour . I guess it's a "celebration" or perhaps it would be considered some form of 21st century grass roots activism. Perhaps it's symbolic of the impact of carbon emissions on our environment. 

The task? At 8:30 pm, turn off your lights for one hour. The thought? Turning off the lights shows the world that climate change is important. By symbolically reducing your carbon footprint for an hour, you are expressing your belief in the need for change - for responsible energy use and for diminishing the effects on the environment. It makes a "statement" about global warming.

In 2008, 50 million people worldwide switched off their lights. We were witness to such global landmarks as the Golden Gate Bridge (San Francisco), the Colosseum (Rome), the Sydney Opera House and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square (New York) all standing in darkness.

So that's the part that makes sense to most people. But there are some that even consider it symbolic for another reason - the renunciation of industrial civilization. Doesn't that seem a bit extreme?

Well, perhaps not.

First, a bit of history. In 1957, Ayn Rand wrote the epoch "Atlas Shrugged" . A 1991 Library of Congress and Book Of The Month club survey named "Atlas Shrugged" as the book that made the most difference in readers' lives after the Bible. That's a pretty strong statement.

I'd never heard of Ayn Rand - until I heard the band Rush. Their drummer and primary lyricist, Neil Peart , is a Rand admirer and went so far as to note "the genius of Ayn Rand" in the liner notes for the album "2112". Rush was a seminal band in the 1970s and 1980s in Canada. I used to joke that when I was growing up, Rush played every high school in Canada - except mine! In my Canadian literature class is my senior year of high school, I was given the task of either doing a book review on a Canadian author (yawn) or reviewing the lyrics of a Canadian musician. That seemed like a no-brainer. My review and analysis of the lyrics of Rush (including some of the songs from "2112") was my best piece of writing in high school. Lo and behold, Neil Peart has provided me with an initial exposure to someone by the name of Rand. Little did I realize the impact this would have.

I'd always wondered about this author, and then I remember reading about the aforementioned Library of Congress survey. So in the mid '90s, I read "Atlas Shrugged". It was a long read - all 1368 pages of it. And it certainly isn't light reading as it discusses some many important philosophical issues (that later became the foundation for Objectivism). But as I worked my way through it, I repeatedly had those "aha" moments. Things that I'd pondered and considered and reflected upon were right there - it was as though someone had gone deep into my mind and knew exactly what I was thinking. I couldn't put the book down.

In reflection, this is, without a doubt, one of the most important (if not the most important) books I've ever read.  

But back to Earth Hour.

Keith Lockitch presents an intriguing counterpoint - which got me thinking about Rand. Perhaps turning off all the lights to the most symbolic skyscrapers and monuments, those things that reflect our moving to a more advanced way of life, the life-saving advances made possible by that same industrial energy ... perhaps that is symbolic of a renunciation of self and of an industrial civilization. If you've read "Atlas Shrugged", it certainly makes you wonder about the implications.

It doesn't stop there thought. If we ponder her theories and philosophy further (for example, her concept of capitalism), it makes some very interesting sense of today's economy. What would she say if she was alive today?

It all has me wondering. And thinking. And I thank her for that. Imagine - linking Ayn Rand, Earth Hour, and Rush all in one post!

Will you be turning off your lights tonight?