The Power of Certainty
I'm reading The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand.
It's not the first time.
I read it about once every decade as it's a great barometer against which to measure where I am in the evolution of my own consciousness. Presently, I find myself pushed to nearly the breaking point by her merciless objectivism and dismissal of all things related to human emotion. I seem able to endure this aspect of her writing, however, because I am simultaneously nourished (it's the only word I can think of to describe the fullness and satisfaction I feel) by the unwavering integrity of her male and female protagonists...Howard Roark and Dominique Francon.
These two characters also suffer from this emotional detachment that runs through all of Rand's writings. But, what they may lack in emotion they more than make up for in their dedication, almost obsession, to what they perceive to be the highest good. It is their certainty that is so compelling...not just for the way it impacts the tenor of the novel, but also the reader. Howard Roark and Dominique Francon don't know what the word compromise means. On second thought, they have no such word in their reality. Their every breath, thought and physical movement is in alignment with, and in support of, living a Life that refuses to be anything other than fully present and fully engaged in manifesting greatness
So here's the irony of Rand.
She despises small, insincere people who espouse an allegiance to the highest good yet act in ways that pray at the altar of mediocrity. She admires people who refuse to participate in such a fraud and, instead, are willing to face the inevitable aloneness and ostracism that follow from independence of thought. But while she mocks emotion in reverence to the rational mind, it is the passion and certainty of Roark and Francon that captivate Rand and makes them so appealing to me.
In the world of moral relativism in which we now live, it's the passion, the certainty and the courageous aloneness without loneliness of these characters that truly inspires.
Truth is different for each of us. But the power that drives one to achieve the pinnacle of one's own truth is the certainty of the intention combined with the passion to pursue that intention regardless of the cost.
This, ironically, is what drives Islamic extremism and provides it it's successes. There is certainty and passion in infinite measure behind the movement of such fundamentalism, while we in the West have certainty and passion about little other than maintaining our materialism. And so we get that which we pursue with certainty and passion.
If we would just redirect these same energies toward peace, or healing the Earth, or even one another...there would be many more Howard Roarks and Dominique Francons beyond the pages of The Fountainhead and, I suspect, the witnessing of the harnessing of True Power for the highest good of all concerned.
REMEMBER to click here to download my FREE e-book, "Too Many Secrets."
It's not the first time.
I read it about once every decade as it's a great barometer against which to measure where I am in the evolution of my own consciousness. Presently, I find myself pushed to nearly the breaking point by her merciless objectivism and dismissal of all things related to human emotion. I seem able to endure this aspect of her writing, however, because I am simultaneously nourished (it's the only word I can think of to describe the fullness and satisfaction I feel) by the unwavering integrity of her male and female protagonists...Howard Roark and Dominique Francon.
These two characters also suffer from this emotional detachment that runs through all of Rand's writings. But, what they may lack in emotion they more than make up for in their dedication, almost obsession, to what they perceive to be the highest good. It is their certainty that is so compelling...not just for the way it impacts the tenor of the novel, but also the reader. Howard Roark and Dominique Francon don't know what the word compromise means. On second thought, they have no such word in their reality. Their every breath, thought and physical movement is in alignment with, and in support of, living a Life that refuses to be anything other than fully present and fully engaged in manifesting greatness
So here's the irony of Rand.
She despises small, insincere people who espouse an allegiance to the highest good yet act in ways that pray at the altar of mediocrity. She admires people who refuse to participate in such a fraud and, instead, are willing to face the inevitable aloneness and ostracism that follow from independence of thought. But while she mocks emotion in reverence to the rational mind, it is the passion and certainty of Roark and Francon that captivate Rand and makes them so appealing to me.
In the world of moral relativism in which we now live, it's the passion, the certainty and the courageous aloneness without loneliness of these characters that truly inspires.
Truth is different for each of us. But the power that drives one to achieve the pinnacle of one's own truth is the certainty of the intention combined with the passion to pursue that intention regardless of the cost.
This, ironically, is what drives Islamic extremism and provides it it's successes. There is certainty and passion in infinite measure behind the movement of such fundamentalism, while we in the West have certainty and passion about little other than maintaining our materialism. And so we get that which we pursue with certainty and passion.
If we would just redirect these same energies toward peace, or healing the Earth, or even one another...there would be many more Howard Roarks and Dominique Francons beyond the pages of The Fountainhead and, I suspect, the witnessing of the harnessing of True Power for the highest good of all concerned.
REMEMBER to click here to download my FREE e-book, "Too Many Secrets."
Nice, now you inspired me to read The Fountainhead, or finish Atlas Shrugged at least lol
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I often "partially" read Atlas Shrugged and get bogged down in it and don't finish. Not so with The Fountainhead...at least for me. Whichever way you go...enjoy.
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