'Dare to dream-dare to try-dare to fail-dare to succeed'
This should be the motto of every man's life. Human fife is granted
to a privileged few, and so every man should have his head held high and
possess the zeal to reach unattained heights, the passion to accept nothing
but the best and the determination to practice & preach one's own beliefs.
And since 1 admire these virtues, 1 have chosen 'Howard Roark' and 'Gail
Wynand' as the characters in 'The Fountainhead' with whom 1 relate the
most.
HOWARD ROARK
Howard Roark is "the joy of living personified" and is a tribute to those few men on earth who live as men should live - for themselves. He is a man who at every point of his life is "proudly, guiltlessly, confidently, joyously alive". He does not five for others, nor does he expect others to five for him.
'Have no quarrels with life as long as you have something to do
when you get up every morning'
We spend too much time grumbling about the inadequacies of our lives,
but how many of us are actually glad that we have been given the chance
to live on this earth and mould it's future with our hands. Well, we have
been given Howard Roark to look inside ourselves and find out how important
our existence is to us. Roark is shown as one who practices the famous
words -'Stop existing. Start living'. Through him we realize the sacredness
of any man's desire to find happiness on earth. Roark is a man in whom
the faith in man's talents and abilities does not die out. This provides
him the fuel to move ahead despite numerous setbacks.
'The more clear you are on what you want, the more power you will
have to achieve it!'
Roark's goals in life have been planned out with cold precision. So
his decisions in life are easy to make. He understands that his beliefs
and standards are different from conventional ideals, but that does not
deter him from striving to accomplish his goals. His beliefs are his own,
not open for judgement by anyone. This is one of his most admirable traits.
Because compromising one's ideal is the greatest possible violation of
self.
Roark's attitude towards life can be expressed beautifully by the following
phrase-
"Other men see things as they are and ask 'Why?' 1 see things
that never were and ask 'Why not?'"
His refusal to leave the world in the hands of those whom he despises
is inspirational. Most often we accept defeat, as we are unable to face
the wrath of society. But Roark is indifferent to the to the blows delivered
to him by people. His confidence in his beliefs and in himself prevents
him from granting submission to any higher form of ideals. He does not
need to draw support from any mystical being. His form of worship is totally
different but much more sacred- it is his unflinching support to values
and to that which is the best and unconquerable in men. This is the only
form of acknowledgement he is willing to grant to men who deserve respect.
'Some people pay so much attention to their reputation, that they
lose their character.'
This is the case with most of us. We spend half our lives doing things
that we know would please other people, however against our morals they
may be. But Roark is totally indifferent to the opinions of people; he
does what he feels is correct, not what others want him to do.
'Don't tell me how hard you work. Tell me bow much you get done!'
'Anyone can live by working 8 to 5, but success is achieved by
working 5 to 8.'
Roark's character makes us see that competence is the best inspiration
for good results. It is only when the best brains in the world are pitted
against each other that superlative success is achieved. His relation with
his workers was one where he demanded nothing but the best from them. He
did not get involved with them on a personal 1evel, he responded only to
their creative capabilities.
'Choose a job you love. And you will never have to work in your
life-'
Roark worships his work. For him his work is his life, his joy, and
his soul. it is the definition of his existence. It is his greatest passion.
His buildings are a reflection of his beliefs; he does not build them to
please his clients, he builds them for those who will be able to five up
to the spirit of the building.
I have never had an idol in my life because I believe that means restricting one's dream and curbing one's ambitions. But now I know that if I become even one-tenth of what Howard Roark is I will be honoured. I salute Howard Roark.
GAIIL WYNAND
Gail Wynand is a 'man who could have been". Possessing almost all the qualities for the making of a man', his fault lay in the fact that he gave up too soon. The only thing he respected was the creative capacity of man. He also felt that men could never live up to their work, Their character was always a big let down. That was until he met Roark. Roark made him realize that he had helped to give up the world that he loved, to the people he despised. Yes chain of papers gave the mob what it wanted; gossip, scandals, rumours. He was a power hungry man who had done everything in fife against his own morals thinking that if he submitted to the people he would be able to exercise power over them. What he did not realize was that submission to inferiors is the greatest violation of self. It was only when he started his crusade to help Roark that he understood that over the past years he had sold his most cherished ideals and beliefs to the common people. It was then that he realized that what he had thought victory all these years had been only a form of defeat.
It often happens to most of us; we feel that the best way to defeat the enemy is to beat him at his own game; but this is the worst form of concession of defeat possible. The public was the be all and end all of him. He ruled the masses only till he granted them their wishes; as soon as he tried to express his opinion he was rejected outright. He realized that he had given the masses the power to reject him by submitting to their ideals and standards.
This is usually what happens in real fife. Social pressures and compunctions do not always allow one to do what the heart desires. Wynand's mistake was that he was not born to be a 'second hander' but had become one of his own accord.
You might have noticed that I have used the present tense for Roark
and the past tense for Wynand. This has been deliberate. Wynand's character
seems a 'could be', but Roark seems unchangeable, immortal.
Copyright 2000. Liberty Institute, New Delhi
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