For anyone, the first day of freedom is exhilarating. For Equality 7-2521, who has been subjugated in a slave society for 21 years, the right to pursue his own happiness is akin to the first bite of food to a starving man. For the first time, he can do as he pleases and is not subject to the commands of the Councils. He spends his first day of freedom discovering his body and its capabilities. He climbs a tree, hunts and cooks his own food, sees the image of his face for the first time. This pleasure is far more than that of someone enjoying the luxury of a hard-earned vacation; it is the exploration of a man released from a lifelong imprisonment, free now to discover himself. His time in the forest is a voyage. In one way, he journeys physically from one place to another — from the city to the home he eventually finds in the mountains. But in a more profound way, he travels a long path of self-discovery, and he learns quickly. He has been limited to sweeping the streets, but now he engages in hundreds of different activities and learns his own diverse abilities.
Ayn Rand believes in the heroic potential of humans. Although Equality 7-2521 has never hunted game or cooked a meal, he is a rational man and possesses the capacity to learn. Human beings have often reached difficult goals under arduous circumstances. They have circumnavigated the globe, traversed the polar ice caps, and climbed Mt. Everest. Individuals with less genius and will to live than Equality 7-2521 have survived emergencies and catastrophes. Equality 7-2521's willingness to face all dangers and to learn new skills reminds us of the human potential. Long ago, Aristotle defined humankind as the rational animal, and Equality 7-2521 — inventor, independent thinker — is an example of how much a rational man is able to accomplish by use of his own mind.
