Of Love, Hate n more Intellectual stuff
I read The FountainHead. Again. I enjoyed it. Again. I could appreciate how profound it is. Again.
The 1st time I read the book, I was 19 years old and it was the first of the kind that I was reading. I was graduating from Sidney Sheldons n the likes to authors like Ayn Rand. I developed a different kind of respect for the book and it instantly became a favorite.
The 2nd time I read the book, I’m as impressed as I was the first time, mostly for the same reasons, but yet in a different way. This time I have no silly illusions about living in a world where people like Howard Roark actually exist. I don’t have the slightest dream to live life like him. I accept that, that’s so far from reality. But I do feel saddened that this is all just fiction and can never be reality.
I don’t believe I’ve come across a book that conveys deeper philosophy than this. And definitely not in a more interesting manner than The FountainHead does.I’m not surprised that the book has been in print for more than 25 years.. It is definitely likeable across genders, age groups, cultures and generations The author reminisces that they don’t write such books anymore. She could be right.
In the “Afterword”..It is mentioned that that one of the best things about this book is that it temporarily it allows you to live in Howard Roark’s world. I agree and would like to add..The book makes you imagine and wonder about how well you would fit into that world and what you would do under the circumstances.
Among the many personalities in the book are 3 key personalities, the man that WAS, the man that COULD HAVE BEEN and the man who COULD NEVER BE. I like this classification. It takes so much effort and energy to be a certain personality. No one has it easy..It is tough sometime or the other…At the beginning, thru’ the journey or at the end…for anybody…for everybody.
I could go on n on but you must read the book to be able to appreciate it. I ‘ll end with what remained a question in my head. The book suggests that “one who is not capable of hate is not capable of love”.
I believe that no greater importance can be given to someone than the emotion of hatred. It is finally the person who hates who loses ‘coz hatred results in so much negative energy. N so I don’t hate anyone or anything. Is that why I don’t u’stand what love is?Is that why I don’t know what the word or emotion means?
Monday, August 17, 2009
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26 comments:
The book is a cult!
Pavi,
Nice book review. You need not have emotion of hate to know what love is. It is just that you do not like or love that person.
Take care
I read it first when I was 23... till that point of time i never read a book like it... and now its almost 6 yrs and i havent met a human being like him... and i will keep adoring him till the time i meet one!! :)
You are right about the book... the book is written very well and distinguished well with what can be and what is!!
talking about love and hate... its rational to understand both the side of the coin, coz unless u know the other part, u can never know about the one u have!!
and i believe its more about knowing then doing...
Cheers!!
i do know someone who is kind of like roark. i wouldn't want his life. basically, coz i don't want to pay the price he pays for living it. anyway, that's a topic for another day.
if you believe that love and hate are two sides of a coin, it IS necessary to experience/feel one to know/comprehend the other. it's like if you believe in god, somewhere you must believe in the devil as well. there'll be loads such examples if you look around. for me, i don't believe hate is the opposite of love. for me, it would be indifference. and yeah... i may not u'stand totally what love is or what it means... but i do believe in it. :)
long comment... now am off to pack.
if something here needs clarification, pls feel free to mail me.. will pucca reply! :D
hmm.. have never liked Ayn Rand much.. but have never finished one of her books :P
This is the second time today that I read a post on Ayn Rand. Maybe it's a sign that I should pick up one of her books.
Ive never read it.. maybe i should :)
@meira : U bet!
@jack: thanks!Hmmm…im not sure I u’stand ur comment xactly. But ur saying that it is possible to love w/o having ever hated..rite?
I KNOW i LIKE certain ppl… A LOT. N if love is the same as like..then my prob is solved!
@ankur: yes it is a book that leaves a big impact. N hmm, ur suggesting that once u meet a person like Roark u will stop appreciating the character that he is?
Hmm..i hear u. but I don’t u’stand the meaning of knowing n doing in the love-hate context.
@RayRay: woooow! U really do? I didn’t think it would be possible for such kinda humans to survive this world in reality. Hmm.. does HE feel that he pays for living it or is that ur perspective? What seems like a cost to you may be not be so for him right? Isn’t that kinda wat the book points too? Roark could have chosen an easier “and happier” life at many oppurtunities except that, that wasn’t his definition of his happiness. N the easier life would have left him discontent. That would be a very interesting topic. We can discuss abt it offline if u choose.
You make an interesting point..about not looking at love and hate as opposites. I’m yet trying to wrap my head around the idea n justify it.
Indifference is so much more severe than hate, n that I am capable off. I’m glad u brought it into discussion.Ignoring n pretending like someone or sumthing doesn’t exist and not allowing them/it to affect ur life a wee bit..in a good or bad manner..is pure torture to that person/thing. For the self..its the best. I u’stand indifference and am fairly good at practicing it.
We can talk more thru mails or on blog ..if ur interested. Of course..only once u’ve settled down a bit
preethi: guess it doesn’t belong to the genre of books that u read.
@miss M & harini: u should pick up the book if ur into philosophy n stuff.
First of a great review of a great book...
Your question that do people like these exist - yes they do - lot of highly creative people dont see the world as everyone sees it....for them rules and regulations are basically hindrance to their free spirit.....
take for example...micheal jackson....he did what he had to...but with the way it is interpreted he is deemed a molester...but sometimes hearing him talk...I can sense his artistic innocence...as to why not..(am not supporting or refuting...just a thought)
This past century had three great architects (just sharing some info) who basically did what they liked and felt - had miserable personal life as they could not understand WHY certain things cannot be done - Le Corbusier (France) Mies Van De Rohe (Germany) and Frank Llyod Wright (USA)....also many such examples can be found in the fields of music, art etc...where creativity, exploration and sense of freedom for certain people is more important than being settled..
On your last para I do agree...that when you hate someone or even love someone dearly...you tend to create an illusion...this leads to your taking any situation and basically bending it to suit your perception...in this process you start to live life by adjusting your thoughts to suit your perceptions rather than living it for the moment....
I believe and strongly follow - you can like/love someone...(they may/may not reciprocate) this does not make you a rejected person - nor does it make the other person bad....we have a choice and freedom...both are exercizing in thier own right....one to love...one to not....
Same goes for work...one can work and give their best efforts....but if it is done with the expecatation of an award..it cld be your best work that you will not be able to replicate again...if you fail......
Sorry for the long response...have not been blogging for a while and all the thoughts poured out :) have a gr8 weekend
Pavi,
Liking a person is different than loving a person. We like our co-workers but love only those who are friends. Hate is an emotion which most of us may feel sometime but it is an extreme. We may say I dislike that person as hate is much much more than that.
Take care
You did not get my comment?????
i have to read it again...i tried to read it recently with a lot of interruptions (read kids and husband) and gave up...it is a book that you cannot read with half a mind...
Pavi,
Left reply in my space. Looking for your views on that.
Take care
No new posts?
ok.. i guess i lost the conversation a bit in the moving process... we'll take it up later...
but yeah.. u're right. it doesn't seem like a price to him. that was just my perspective. because it would be a cost to pay for me. for him, it's a way of life. his parents suffer quite a bit over it... and that's the only thing he regards as a price.
i think you also understand love, pavi. it's just that your definition or understanding is not what is commonly portrayed (in the media...) as love. love doesn't have to mean the same thing to everybody. in fact it's the perspectives which make a seemingly simple emotion rather complex...
i totally agree.
fountainhead will always remain one of my most fav books.
great job for a review! :)
I would need a lot of patience and time on my hand to go through that big book again .. I had read it many years back, but alas it did not register as strongly with me..
As for love/hatred discussion, I believe that both these emotions are not good for anyone, especially if taken to the extreme. They both cause hurt in the end..
i skipped :(
i am yet to read the book :'(
@ ALL : sorry for the much delayed response. Was held up with a zillion things , laziness etc etc..
@Ceedy: Thanks . n ya..i see ur point . I guess many genius-es are that way. N yes, the hope is that there are plenty of them. But frankly, I don’t think there are as many of them these days. The last few generations as a strong need to conform, a strong need to generalize and develop a standard n Geniuses ..are mostly abt individuality n thinking different rite?
Thanks for the trivia on professionals in ur field.
I think I lost u sumwhere…thru the conver of love. But yes..i u’stand that it’s a freedom to exercise one’s choice of wat emotion they feel or experience.
N as a matter of fact.. THANK YOU for the long response :)
@ jack : I u’stand wat u say..most ppl do say that. I just think its an emotion and ANY word can be assigned to it. But wat we feel..is a certain feeling.
@Suma: ya..its a book which needs total involvement. N I picked it up BECAUSE too many things were hppng arnd me n I need sumthing which I knew would help me switch off my mind from the rest of the world. Wonder if I make sense to u?!
@jack: will hop over soon..!i promise.
@M: was chasing a friend to write a guest post..n he took THIS long! will be publishing a post today!
@RayRay: that thing u said abt me u’standing love… makes me feel better. Weird haan?! N ya we shld have this conver thru mails or mabbe face-to-face ;)
@pri: thanks :)
@cosmic: Ohh! well tastes differ! N ya any extreme is not good I guess!
@aniset: welcome to my space! N go for it :)
Pavi,
No visit?
Take care
First things first, I happen to stumble upon this blog somehow and I am extremely glad I did.
Well, to talk about Howard Roark, we shouldn't be treating him as a person. Howard Roark is a mind thing. It's more like an idea than a person. You certainly can't follow an idea, you can only implement it. Then again should we try to follow him and be like him, we'll be violating the very first principle, which says, "Be yourself." (Other argument is, even if we follow Ayn Rand blindly, we'll be nothing but slaves. And I'm certain Ms. Rand agrees with this)
And you said that you feel saddened coz' this is all fiction and not reality. I quite disagree. If you look closely, there are only two differences between Howard Roark and Peter Keating. Guilt and faith. If Peter Keating takes out the guilt and instills faith in himself, he is as good as Howard Roark. The point I'm trying to make here is that there is Roark and Keating in each one of us. Just got to try and take out Keating from us. As Roark says to his Dean, "Best is a matter of standards and I set my own standards." Ayn Rand has set a standard called "Howard Roark."
Every individual is different. We can't expect anyone (or for that matter 'us') be like him. But I believe there are people who have those standards. Look at Aamir Khan, Ram Gopal Varma, Ratan Tata, Sachin Tendulkar, A. R. Rahman, etc., These are the men.
Finally about love and hate, I don't think we should let others control our emotions.
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