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Before you fight the society, fight yourself || Acharya Prashant, on 'The Fountainhead' (2019)
Scriptures and Saints
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3 years ago
The Fountainhead
Ayn Rand
Howard Roark
Social Conditioning
Physical Conditioning
Prakriti
Maya
Vrittis
Description

Acharya Prashant addresses the common tendency to idolize Howard Roark, the protagonist of Ayn Rand's 'The Fountainhead', by highlighting the limitations of Rand's portrayal. He explains that while Roark is a powerful symbol of immunity to social conditioning, the character is depicted as a 'freak of nature' who is born perfect without a past, family, or internal struggle. Acharya Prashant argues that Rand conveniently ignores the primary source of human corruption, which is not society, but the innate physical and genetic conditioning of the body. He emphasizes that social conditioning represents only ten percent of the human problem, while ninety percent lies within one's own mind and biological tendencies. He cautions against the 'teenage fantasy' of blaming society or relatives for one's problems, noting that real rebellion begins with conquering oneself rather than fighting others. He points out that Rand's binary division between the 'goodies' who are uninfluenced and the 'baddies' who are influenced is an oversimplification that avoids the necessity of spirituality and mysticism. Acharya Prashant encourages a perspective of 'discerning love,' where one recognizes the flaws and omissions in a character or teacher yet still appreciates their intelligence and strength. He concludes that true inspiration should come from realizing that stellar figures are human beings who exercised their choices rightly, rather than viewing them as beings from another dimension.