It was late in the fall of 1978, I was a freshman at Wabash College, and I bought a copy of Rush's album Hemispheres. I was especially taken by the lyrics of "The Trees":
"There is unrest in the forest,
There is trouble with the trees,
For the maples want more sunlight
And the oaks ignore their pleas.
The trouble with the maples,
(And they're quite convinced they're right)
They say the oaks are just too lofty
And they grab up all the light.
But the oaks can't help their feelings
If they like the way they're made.
And they wonder why the maples
Can't be happy in their shade.
There is trouble in the forest,
And the creatures all have fled,
As the maples scream "Oppression!"
And the oaks just shake their heads
So the maples formed a union
And demanded equal rights.
"The oaks are just too greedy;
We will make them give us light."
Now there's no more oak oppression,
For they passed a noble law,
And the trees are all kept equal
By hatchet, axe, and saw."
This made complete sense to me - making one "equal" by law really means diminishing good attributes so all is neutral and plain - beauty has no place in an "equal" society dictated by law - all is subjugated to a mediocre mean. (There is a difference between the laws compelling action that makes one the same as others - so all are equal or the same - and everyone being treated equally under the law - there is a huge difference between the two concepts).
Is it any surprise that Rush drummer Neil Peart is a "fan" of Ayn Rand?
Why isn't everyone voting Libertarian these days?
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