Anti-Social

Society ??

I saw a clip from the Phil Donahue show with Ayn Rand. Phil asked Mrs. Rand if she thought we all had a responsibility to society I was shocked with the rebuttal, Mrs. Rand responded with some thing of a short toned question, WHAT IS SOCIATY? Man what an answer, what a question! Is society you and I? Is society where you live, is it America, just what is society! What a deep philosophical question. Good old Phil had no real answer. Webster says that society is a group of animals or plants living together under the same environment and regarded as constituting a homogeneous unit or entity: especially, group of persons regarded as forming a single community. Ok. That sounds sound. Now for Mrs. Rand’s follow up to a similar answer from Phil. Where do we draw the boundary and why do any of us owe any thing to this society? I have to say (as someone who doesn’t ask any thing of others) we don’t. I’m not condoning anarchy. I just don’t think that I should pay for some fat cow to get steaks with food stamps (while she pays for the cigarettes and alcohol with cash), nor do I think I should pay part of the bill for health care, cars, homes, (coming soon) appliances, child care, meds for Grandma and Grandpa (I’d help mine but I’m not responsible for them), the education of other peoples children, or any thing that does not have to do with my well being. My friends will say Jamie you do so much for others I can’t believe you feel this way. To be honest I don’t do it for society, I do it for MY friends. No I don’t own them. I have earned some thing from them, it’s some thing I own, cherish, and wish to retain, there friendship and respect! So I do it for me don’t I?