If you are an Entrepreneur Owner-Manager (EOM), do you ever wonder, why do we do what we do? We have a requirement for freedom, exploration, space, novelty, change. Freedom is the space between autonomy and belonging. Freedom comes with responsibility and that’s different than the mass popular culture, right? How do we feed that hunger?
Last month I had the fun of sampling some delicious new brain food to feed our “growth mindset” by attending the Galt’s Gulch Summit hosted by The Atlas Society, held this year in Nashville. The Atlas Society is dedicated to educating interested learners about Objectivism: the philosophy of reason, achievement, individualism, and freedom (most widely written about by the author and philosopher Ayn Rand).
In the brief two and a half days of the get together, we had the chance to meet the other 100 attendees, have meaningful conversations and vigorous debates from some scholars and practitioners, and generally be in the company of other entrepreneur freedom-lovers who perhaps feel a bit isolated in today’s “nanny culture.” The sessions included scholars Stephen Hicks, Ph.D. expounding on “Who Needs Philosophy?” and the entertaining Richard M. Salsman, Ph.D. on “Capitalism: The Premier Habitat for Humanity.”
Sure, understanding the foundational principles of any philosophy is always essential, but deeply understanding the broad theoretical foundations of objectivism is an important cog to understanding the whole gear. To me, the rubber meets the road with the practical application (skin in the game) of these principles. Jay Lapeyre the Chair of The Atlas Society (and Entrepreneur Owner-Manager of Laitrim, Inc) illustrated how principals can become practitioners in his powerful address on “The Nobility of Business: Purpose and Principles.” It felt thrilling to be able to vigorously debate these important topics without the usual “hall monitors” from the bureaucratic bog. It occurred to me it was a great venue for the media to get sober about what is happening around us: for individual journalists to have the courage to “take a break from narratives” and reconnect with reality.
In Mating in Captivity, Esther Perel asks “can we desire what we already have”? We are grateful for what we’ve created but it seems since the fall of the USSR in 1991, there has been an increased languishing, a deadness, a death of the energy that fueled the conclusion that capitalism is the way. We are grateful for what we have, but also acknowledge and long for what we don’t fully have in this mass popular culture. Freedom, life, liberty.
Note: If you would like to learn more about The Atlas Society, here is a link to a great overview video showcasing their message and mission: watch here.
Images from the Galt’s Gulch Summit 2023 courtesy of The Atlas Society, all rights reserved.
