The Fountainhead

Only a week while I was cleaning my home office that I discovered and old that my late father possessed. It was one of Ayn Rand's books called The Fountainhead. It was obvious that my father would have read it because the protagonist in the novel was an architect named Howard Roark. That profession has escaped me when I decided to become an adman, but it didn't change my mind about reading it.

I promise that this wouldn't be a review of that material, after all, I call myself no critic. But the spirit of the book calls on all individuals to stand out from the rest. Not just to voice their opinion but to champion themselves. Uncompromisingly. The life of Howard Roark was difficult and he stood against the world because he was an individual. He never believed in the voice of the masses nor the collective. Alone, he was all that.

There was a statement by Howard Roark, "I don't work with collectives. I don't consult. I don't cooperate. I don't collaborate." Struck me like a spear through the heart. I had heard someone say that to me a long time ago and it seemed only fitting that I listened to myself saying it when I went through the book.

I think it's time for me to become what my father wanted me to be. There was a reason why he left the book. I believe, he left it for me to read. The Fountainhead is not something I'd give for people to read. A book this potent should be offered instead. And leave the decision to the one who you're giving it to.