After a long time I reread 'The Fountainhead' by Ayn Rand. The last time I had read it was probably when I was just out of college. Back then I had liked the book but had not understood its true vision. I was revelling in my self proclaimed successes - a degree from a very reputed college and a good job, both obtained on my own merits. The world lay open for exploration and to my youthful mind the possibilities were endless. For an immature girl, this was a matter of overwhelming pride. What does a college graduate understand of job pressures, recession, stagnation, lack of growth and the like? I had wanted to be a software engineer; that had been my dream and I was living it.
Now 5 years down the line my vision of the world, and indeed myself, has changed. Gone are the rose tinted glasses, replaced by a sense of cynicism which is, fortunately, still at its nascent stages. I have learnt to be thankful for a steady job at a time when people were committing suicide because of unemployment. I have understood how lucky I am that I am not one of those thousands of people whose lives were randomly cut short by some terrorist or even one of those who had to live to bear such grievous losses. Every breath that I take is a dedication to this life that I have been granted. Reading this book however brought a question to my mind, am I cherishing this supreme gift that I have been given?
This book introduces us to Howard Roark and Dominique Francon, possibly the best characterizations to have graced the pages of fiction. A man, fiercely individualistic and independant, preferring a life of squalor to letting go of his dreams and vision, and a woman, just as individualistic, who, in desperation, tries to shackle herself to the foggy conventions of society but ultimately finds the way to give flight to her dreams. But let me come to the point, after all I am not reviewing the book. Its just that these two characters, particularly Roark, left me wondering if man still has that courage, that temerity to hold onto his dreams in spite of being harangued by society for his unconvetional thinking.
No doubt history has seen such free spirited men and women who have refused to conform, who have lived life on their own terms. Most of them had faced ridicules, threats and even assaults in their lifetime; many spent a lifetime like this and died ignobly but they left behind a legacy that few could emulate and none could forget. Eccentric, lunatic, dangerous were some of the epithets bestowed on them but did they care? If they did then the world probably would not have known the likes of Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Rabindranath Tagore, Rani Laxmibai or more recently, Michael Jackson.
The list can go on but the question is, why is it dwindling? I am sure there are many who have followed their heart instead of taking the safer routes of life but I point this finger at myself, not at others. I like my job and I am reasonably good at it. When I am working, it gets my undivided attention. But am I passionate about it? No, my passion lies elsewhere but I cling to the security that my current work gives me. I am successful here, what if I cannot gain success at my chosen field; a question which stops me from plunging headlong into new territories. Yet small voice says somewhere deep within, how will you know if you don't try? Many of us bow down to pressure, pressure from a well meaning family who wants to see their child doing well for himself or pressure from peers where a big car or house becomes the measure of your success. But like Farhan in 3 Idiots, can we get the conviction to withstand these pressures and say that this is what I want and the rest doesn't matter? Can we become the Howard Roarks of our times? Maybe, just maybe, we can . . .
Now 5 years down the line my vision of the world, and indeed myself, has changed. Gone are the rose tinted glasses, replaced by a sense of cynicism which is, fortunately, still at its nascent stages. I have learnt to be thankful for a steady job at a time when people were committing suicide because of unemployment. I have understood how lucky I am that I am not one of those thousands of people whose lives were randomly cut short by some terrorist or even one of those who had to live to bear such grievous losses. Every breath that I take is a dedication to this life that I have been granted. Reading this book however brought a question to my mind, am I cherishing this supreme gift that I have been given?
This book introduces us to Howard Roark and Dominique Francon, possibly the best characterizations to have graced the pages of fiction. A man, fiercely individualistic and independant, preferring a life of squalor to letting go of his dreams and vision, and a woman, just as individualistic, who, in desperation, tries to shackle herself to the foggy conventions of society but ultimately finds the way to give flight to her dreams. But let me come to the point, after all I am not reviewing the book. Its just that these two characters, particularly Roark, left me wondering if man still has that courage, that temerity to hold onto his dreams in spite of being harangued by society for his unconvetional thinking.
No doubt history has seen such free spirited men and women who have refused to conform, who have lived life on their own terms. Most of them had faced ridicules, threats and even assaults in their lifetime; many spent a lifetime like this and died ignobly but they left behind a legacy that few could emulate and none could forget. Eccentric, lunatic, dangerous were some of the epithets bestowed on them but did they care? If they did then the world probably would not have known the likes of Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Rabindranath Tagore, Rani Laxmibai or more recently, Michael Jackson.
The list can go on but the question is, why is it dwindling? I am sure there are many who have followed their heart instead of taking the safer routes of life but I point this finger at myself, not at others. I like my job and I am reasonably good at it. When I am working, it gets my undivided attention. But am I passionate about it? No, my passion lies elsewhere but I cling to the security that my current work gives me. I am successful here, what if I cannot gain success at my chosen field; a question which stops me from plunging headlong into new territories. Yet small voice says somewhere deep within, how will you know if you don't try? Many of us bow down to pressure, pressure from a well meaning family who wants to see their child doing well for himself or pressure from peers where a big car or house becomes the measure of your success. But like Farhan in 3 Idiots, can we get the conviction to withstand these pressures and say that this is what I want and the rest doesn't matter? Can we become the Howard Roarks of our times? Maybe, just maybe, we can . . .
1 comment:
i think most of us like to live in a safety net where we don't have to make a lot of effort, don't have to think. breaking out of that safety net requires a lot of courage.
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