Ayn Rand on value

"i would give the greatest sunset in the world for one sight of new york's skyline. particularly when one can't see the details. just the shapes. the shapes and the thought that made them. the sky over new york and the will of man made visible. what other religion do we need? and then people tell me about pilgrimages to some dank pesthole in a jungle where they go to do homage to a crumbling temple, to a leering stone monster with a pot belly, created by some leprous savage. is it beauty and genius they want to see? do they seek a sense of the sublime? let them come to new york, stand on the shore of the hudson, look and kneel. when i see the city from my window--no, i don't feel how small i am--but i feel that if a war came to threaten this, i would like to throw myself into space, over the city, and protect these buildings with my body." -- Ayn Rand The Fountainhead

Unfortunately enough we do take alot of modern things for granted without realizing there monumental status in history, things like the eiffel tower and the sears tower are just a symbol of the striving will of mans heart. We are and have been for thousands of years, constantly one upping ourselves to become bigger,stronger, faster and better.