Ayn Rand held some fascination for me...

...when I was in my twenties and thirties (and even into my early forties). Her philosophy definitely has a certain appeal for a young man who's away from home for the first time and trying to make sense of things. While I never considered myself a full-blown Objectivist, I certainly had some friends who did. The closest I ever got to it was "Objectivist Sympathizer." I still think Rand got much of it right (a lot of it, actually), but I eventually worked my way through it (as many young men do). In hindsight, I was always a little suspicious of anyone who claimed to have all the answers. I guess it just reminded me too much of organized religion. In fact, the Objectivists I knew seemed to practically believe that Rand was infallible, a scary concept for me.

Jonathan Chait has a review in the New Republic of two new books about Ayn Rand. It's a good read, but the best observation for me was that:

Ultimately the Objectivist movement failed for the same reason that communism failed: it tried to make its people live by the dictates of a totalizing ideology that failed to honor the realities of human existence.

As I mentioned, the Objectivists I knew all bought into the philosophy hook, line, and sinker. It seemed a little cultish to me and I always found that a little off-putting. After all, no one could get everything right. And as I got older, I think I came to realize that the universe is mysterious and difficult to explain in simplistic terms. It's tempting, and comforting to do that, but ultimately futile. Sorry, but reality is messy. It sure would be a lot easier if everything could be reduced to Black and White, but I'm afraid that as I go on in life all I see are more and more shades of gray.

So I'll let the Objectivists revel in their certainty while I muddle along in my confusion. They may feel more secure in having an explanation for everything, but I suspect my approach is actually more in tune with reality.