the individual, not the collective, is the proper unit of moral concern.

 

Friend,   Two hundred fifty years of a country built on an idea nobody had tried at scale before: that the individual, not the collective, is the proper unit of moral concern.   Ronald Reagan understood that idea in his bones. What a lot of people don't know is where some of that understanding came from.   In a May 23, 1966, letter, William Vandersteel, president of the Ampower Corporation, expressed confidence that Reagan could win the presidency in 1968 and enclosed a pamphlet by Ayn Rand titled "Conservatism: An Obituary," written after the 1960 presidential campaign. In the essay, Rand argues that many conservatives are opposed to statism but don't seem to realize that the only good alternative is capitalism.   Reagan’s reply was, "Thanks very much for pamphlet. Am an admirer of Ayn Rand but hadn't seen this study."   Even though Ayn Rand wasn’t exactly a fan of Reagan, they both understood the evils of collectivism. So we decided to tell Reagan’s story in one of our Draw My Life videos.

Watch This Video

We used the same format that first went viral for us with My Name is Ayn Rand — hand-drawn illustration, first-person narrative, no lecture, just a life.   This time, the life is that of a small-town Illinois kid who became a Hollywood actor, a union president, a governor, and finally the man who stood in Berlin and said, “Tear down this wall” — all while carrying Rand's central conviction that free individuals, not government planners, are the engine of everything worth having.   Friend, this is exactly the kind of content that has taken The Atlas Society's digital reach to 3.5 million people — the 42nd video in a series that started with a couple thousand dollars and my own amateur drawings and voiceover in my best Russian accent.    Every one of them is built to do the same job: take an idea Rand spent 1,200 pages developing and put it in front of a 17-year-old in under five minutes.   Reagan didn't need the translation, but most of the next generation does.   I'd love for you to watch it.

Watch My Name Is Ronald Reagan

With grit, grace, and gratitude,

Hexagram 1

 Tao (The Way) that can be spoken of is not the Constant Tao’ The name that can be named is not a Constant Name. Nameless, is the origin of Heaven and Earth; The named is the Mother of all things. Thus, the constant void enables one to observe the true essence. The constant being enables one to see the outward manifestations. These two come paired from the same origin. But when the essence is manifested, It has a different name. This same origin is called “The Profound Mystery.” As profound the mystery as It can be, It is the Gate to the essence of all life.

guardians of truth and traditional wisdom

 The phrase "guardians of truth and traditional wisdom" encompasses several deeply rooted spiritual, philosophical, and cultural concepts across different global traditions. Rather than referring to a singular book or organization, looking "inside" this concept reveals a shared human lineage dedicated to preserving ancient knowledge, sacred truths, and moral foundations. [1, 2, 3, 4]

1. Indigenous Elders and Lineage Keepers

In most indigenous and tribal communities worldwide, elders are universally recognized as the central guardians of traditional wisdom. [1]

• The Living Archive: They hold oral histories, ecological practices, medicinal secrets, and cultural rituals crucial to community survival. [1, 2]
• Sacred Interconnection: Lineage bearers—such as the Hacaritama healers of Colombia or Druidic practitioners in Wales—work to anchor a reciprocal relationship between humanity and the land. [1, 2]

2. Spiritual Guides and Sacred Texts

Major religious philosophies position their leadership, avatars, and texts as active "guardians" tasked with protecting divine truth from cultural distortion. [1, 2]

• The Internal Fortress: In Eastern spiritual traditions like Buddhism, the concept shifts inward. Masters teach that the ultimate way to guard the "Dharmakaya" (the true body of wisdom) is to guard the six senses from external worldly distractions, treating the mind like a locked castle. [1]
• Ecclesiastical Accountability: In Judeo-Christian frameworks, spiritual leaders and elders are legally and morally charged to be guardians of biblical truth, strictly preserving core tenets and sacred teachings for upcoming generations. [1, 2, 3]

3. Philosophers, Librarians, and Artists

In secular society, the mantle of guarding truth transfers to institutions that foster independent thinking and historical continuity. [1]

• Librarians: Former President Barack Obama famously praised librarians as "guardians of truth and knowledge," highlighting their pivotal role as protectors of literacy, privacy, and uncensored reading.
• Artists: Renowned figures like singer Paul Robeson and filmmakers Ken Loach and Mike Leigh have long asserted that artists serve as the true guardians of truth and the ultimate conscience of human civilization during eras of political propaganda. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

---

To explore this further, let me know if you are researching a specific spiritual tradition, a particular literary work, or indigenous lineage preservation.

PLATO, TIMAEUS, C. 370 B.C.

 Was the world always in existence and without beginning or created, and had it a beginning? Created, I reply, being visible and tangible and therefore sensible; and all sensible things are created. . . . Which of the patterns had the Artificer in view when He made the world— the pattern of the unchangeable or of that which is created? If the world is indeed fair and the Artificer good, it is manifest that He must have looked to that which is eternal—Thus, when all things were in disorder, God created in each thing all the measures and harmonies which they could possibly receive. For in those days nothing had any proportion except by accident nor did any of the things which now have names deserve to be named at all, neither fire nor water nor the other elements. All these the Creator first set in order and out of them he constructed the universe. —PLATO, TIMAEUS, C. 370 B.C.

Vance on abortion

 Vance replied: "My view on this has been very clear and I think the question betrays a certain presumption that is wrong. It’s not whether a woman should be forced to bring a child to term, it’s whether a child should be allowed to live, even though the circumstances of that child’s birth are somehow inconvenient or a problem to the society. The question really, to me, is about the baby. We want women to have opportunities, we want women to have choices, but, above all, we want women and young boys in the womb to have the right to life. Right now our society doesn’t afford that and I think it's a tragedy and I think we can do better."

WHY THE BIble seems confusing

 

• Hello Timothy,

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Have you ever started reading the Bible with good intentions, only to find yourself confused a few weeks later? Maybe you were doing great in Genesis, but somewhere along the way you lost the thread and weren’t sure how the pieces fit together. I’ve had to help many people work through that struggle, and most of the time the problem isn’t a lack of devotion. It’s a lack of understanding of the story God is telling.

  
  

  So let me hand you a few things to hold onto.

  1. You’re reading one story, not sixty-six separate books. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible tells one unified story with one Author and one Hero. Once you begin reading with that perspective, passages that felt disconnected start finding their place.

  2. You’re meant to read Scripture in context. A verse carries more weight when you understand where it sits in the larger story. That’s why knowing the storyline of Scripture changes the way you approach every chapter you read.

  3. You’re not reading as an outsider. If you’ve put your faith in Jesus, you’ve been brought into God’s story. The same God who worked through Abraham, David, and the early church is still at work in your life today.

  
  

  Read the full blog here to learn the six-part storyline that ties the entire Bible together and helps Scripture make sense from beginning to end.

  Blessings,

  Vlad 

  P.S.  If you’re in Southern California, I’d love to see you at The Way World Outreach in San Bernardino on June 25. I’ll be sharing a message for their 22nd anniversary celebration.