I finished reading Atlas Shrugged (I had to resist starting again from the beginning) and I'm now in the middle of The Fountainhead, both by Ayn Rand. My mind is truly playing in Ms. Rand's philosophies, so I'm going to continue to explore - like the last blog.

For the most part, the heroes and heroines are so passionate in their beliefs, values, and standards in the pursuit of the work they love, that they don't care what other people think. Can you just imagine that for a minute?

I know that as I've gotten older, and this is true for many, I care less about what other people think of me. It is very freeing! I used to go to great lengths to make sure my hemlines were exact, that my bra wouldn't show no matter how I turned, and every hair was in place. Today I'm only upset if one pant leg is shorter than the other, I make sure my bra is close to the same color as my top, and I have wash-and-go hair that often looks a little on the wild side. I like that.

But let's take it up a notch. Would I risk social scorn in taking a stand for what I believe? Would I step up, instead of stand down, when public opinion is against me? Would I take a job I am against morally to keep the house, the car, the medical insurance?

How true would I be to myself if faced with real, physical hardships? What would you think of me if I wasn't? Would you give me excuses to believe so that I can face myself in the mirror? Would you be disappointed, hoping that I, at least, would be the one to show the world that one can be of the world but not in it? "Oh, but she's human..."

Can you be true to yourself? Think about the times you gave in, stepped down, gave up the dreams, handed your life over the someone else, or gave your power to a system that sucked you in, sucked you dry, then told you it was your fault.

I could go on, but I'll stop here for now. Heavy stuff, eh? I'm loving this exploration - even the scary parts. So, what would you do if you really, really didn't care what others thought? Who would you be?