Seeds of the Future

Seeds of the future

Imagine yourself in a future where individuality has been eliminated. Every human being exists only to serve the greater collective of mankind: the "great WE." You have no say over how you live, who you spend time with, what you study, or what job you get. You can't smile or laugh without reason. Every hour of the day is scheduled, managed, and policed by society. You're never allowed to be alone. And you're never allowed to use the word "I," which means that you're always pinned the royal "we". Thereupon one man's desire to become an individual in a nameless society presents a compelling refutation of collectivism in all forms. The hero, labeled "Equality 7-2521" by the State, chooses to challenge conventional authority as he learns the joys of experimentation and discovery, the ecstasy of human love, the challenge and fairness of liberty, and the happiness of self-interest with the help of his companion Liberty 5-3000; in the same way these two characters resemble the two gods Prometheus and Gaea for their prominent actions.

The name "Prometheus" for Equality 7-2521 was chosen emblematically because as Prometheus committed the crime of stealing Zeus' fire and giving it to the mortals only to be punished and tortured. Yet, Equality, although his idea was shut down, was symbolically enlightened and hoped to spread his knowledge to the rest of the world. Accordingly, this knowledge illustrates the true meaning of objectivism. According to Rand, a man is a rational being. Reason, as man's only means of knowledge, is his basic means of survival. But the exercise of reason depends on each individual's choice. Therefore, "Man is a being of volitional consciousness". Thus the

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belief of determinism, which states that man, is a victim of forces beyond his control (such as God, fate, upbringing, genes, or economic conditions) should be truly be erroneous. Furthermore, this knowledge already existed in the Unmentionable Times but was taken away before the Great Rebirth.

In Anthem, the Unmentionable Times were filled with this power of shrewdness but was taken away when men allowed the "worship of the word "We." Like Prometheus, Equality wanted to improve his society by doing something he thought was helpful. He wanted to introduce his discovery of the light box to the World Council of Scholars. And in the case of Equality the name Prometheus was chosen not just because of will to give something of benefit to the society of man, but through his unconquered spirit. In the same way, Equality considers himself a hero who, like Prometheus, must defy the conventions of his time. Rand intends Equality 7-2521's name to be ironic, since we know that Equality 7-2521 is far superior to his peers and does not believe in the doctrine of equality. His decision to discard his given name shows his frustration with his society, his unwillingness to be held back among the masses. Moreover, by renaming himself Prometheus he showed us the vindication of the oppressive society.

In renaming himself Prometheus, Equality 7-2521 shows that he identifies himself with the bringer of light, fire, and progress in Greek mythology. So, the discovery of the light bulb pushes Equality 7-2521 into complete rebellion. Here, he shows us that there is no larger purpose to life, other than individual happiness. This as whole is the central idea of Rand's egoism, which opposes to any philosophy that holds that individuals can or must serve a higher purpose than their own happiness. Equality 7-2521 realizes that he actually created the light bulb for his own sake and

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that he does not have any obligation to serve "mankind". With the light, Equality yearned to bring the real meaning of life to a realm all his own. He's the lone source of thought and individuality in the dark mass of his fearful and oppressive society, and the only source of hope, too. He swears that he will be the one who will spread hope and freedom to those who suffer under the burden of collectivism when he says: "And the day will come when I shall break all the chains of the earth, and raze the cities of the enslaved, and my home will become the capital of a world where each man will be free to exist for his own sake." Therefore, he does want to live because his body is strong and youthful and beautiful--a realization that severs his last connections to society and makes him a free man by having this light.

Once he has broken from society, Equality 7-2521 adopts a vanity and pride unknown in the society