Well, Frank,

Glad you liked this one, and have to say, I not only agree with you, but have  known for a long time that "joining" something, like a so-called movement, is collectivist and anti-individual by it's very nature. I've said, there is nothing that people would like to do together or cooperate on that requires them to "join" something.

You are completely right about Objectivism, by the way. What goes by that name today, and those who claim it, Rand would never recognize. It is incredible that so many can read Rand, and completely misunderstand her. It is not as though her writing were so difficult.

Thanks so much for the comments.

Regi

Good stuff, Regi.
Individualism is not, and never will be a part of any "movement," including any "Objectivist" movement. Movements are always fundamentally flawed.
People read Atlas as a step-by-step guide to their lives (it isn't), and ask themselves "What would Rand do?" or "What would Galt do?" instead of "What do I want to do?" They try to mold their lives around what other people...fictional or otherwise...wish to do with their lives. They take principles, transform them into concretes/doctrine, and proceed to mold their lives and others lives in accordance with them. Individualist spirit is lost in the process, if it had ever existed before. They want Atlas to do their thinking for them. They want a new and improved system of thought to replace the old. (Christianity, Islam, etc.) These people will forever be constrained to group-think. That, I believe, is the primary reason that "Objectivism," like every other system of thought, has a high "turn-over-rate." It's because it's accepted as doctrine and therefore dooms itself to collectivism. People think it is a magic formula, a recipe for happiness, and when this idea inevitably fails, they go in search of a new magic recipe. And those stubborn types, stick to this faulty idea of "Objectivism" as a recipe/formula through thick and thin, are doomed to a state of frustration/unhappiness.
It is the tragedy of any idea that the world has been blessed with:
"Any man who afflicts the human race with ideas must be prepared to
see them misunderstood." - HL Mencken


This topic, and my ideas on this topic, are far too in depth to present with my limited time. So I resorted to rambling with random statements of my opinions. Sorry

John