Our refuge is not outside ourselves

Rand’s character notes in the afterword of her legendary novel are fascinating. 

She actually
wrote them several years before the publication of the book itself. Not for any
outside reader, but for the clarity of her own understanding. 

And what’s
interesting is, although the notes weren’t included in the final manuscript,
they’re still some of the most important words in the book. 

Roark, our
protagonist, is depicted in both his spiritual and physical elements as
follows:

Howard’s feeling is a steady, unruffled flame, deep and hidden, a
profound joy of living and of knowing his power, a joy that is not even
conscious of being joy, because it is so steady, natural and unchangeable. If
outside life brings him disappointment, well, it is merely a detail of the
battle. 

That’s not a architect, that’s an archetype. And it’s a life philosophy
worth learning from. 

Rand’s words implore us to seek refuge inside ourselves.
To become free from the threat of external evaluation. And to weaken our ties
to peripheral joys. 

Doesn’t that sound blissful? Doesn’t that seem healthier
than tricking ourselves into thinking security comes from somewhere outside
ourselves? 

It’s the love we can never lose. The love that belongs to us. The
love that nobody would dare take away because it’s too deep, too hidden, too
natural and too steadfast. 

One way to keep that flame unruffled is by asking
ourselves the following question. 

What do I need to do to water the root of
inner joy? 

Whatever the answer is, it’s not something that can be
bought, bottled, bent or beat. It’s ours. 

And once we take extreme ownership
over it, no amount of rejection, disappointment or criticism can touch us.
LET ME ASK YA THIS…   

Are you fanning the flame within, or forever requiring the balloon of external joy to remain inflated?

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.  

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

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Namaste.