Atlas Shrugged—Chapter 2

When Hank Rearden came home after pouring his first order of Rearden Metal, he was met with rudeness from his mother, his wife and his brother Philip. Philip said that Hank worked too hard and his enjoyment of work was a form of neurosis. He called Hank conceited when he gave his wife a bracelet made from the first pouring of Rearden Metal.

Philip was weak and unhealthy and had never started a real career. He was raising money for Friends of Global Progress. He had the gall to ask Hank for money after he insulted him by implying that Hank had no sense of moral duty or social conscience. Hank thought that he would somehow surprise his brother, by instead of taking offense, give him money for the friends of global progress. But Hank was surprised that Phillip wasn't happy about the donation. Hank's wife Lillian said that Hank gave the money for selfish reasons. For Philip it wasn't enough for Hank to give money, Philip wanted Hank to feel the same way he did about the underprivileged children and feel the same way about the society.

Philip reminds me of people that have so much invested in solving a problem, that even when the problem is solved, they must still keep the problem alive to keep themselves employed. Politicians who have never had a real job, environmentalists engaged in doom-mongering, and race hustlers like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton come to mind. These people seem most prominent in wealthy nations—Nations that have gotten rich through the very capitalism that they despise, nations that have the best environments, and seem to have the least amount of racism in comparison to poor nations. Perhaps collectivism is an natural but ill side-effect of freedom and prosperity.