Purnima, 2025

The Intellectual "I remember when I was younger, I would often read for hours on end, stopping occasionally to act out the most powerful or moving moments of my book. I would become the character, mold myself and release".

Reading has changed my life, for the better. It has given me inspiration, purpose and knowledge over the years. There are those who say it is foolish to admire archetypes and fictional characters because they simply do not exist. To quote from Fahrenheit 451, "Mildred kicked at a book. "Books aren't people. You read and I look around, but there isn't anybody!" (2.20)".

Yet when it comes to protagonists like Howard Roark, John Galt and Hank Rearden, who pull through as representations of an author's ideal - one must consider that years ago, a woman created these men to reflect her own beliefs and convictions. Therefore, there was something of Dagny Taggart and Kira Argounova alive within her active mind. This does not apply only to Ayn Rand, of course. I source her because I personally find her books to be the most inspirational of what I have read. When you have fallen for any intellectual creation as a statement of philosophical thought - whether it be the credo of an artist, architect, author, politician or teacher - you have fallen, in a milder sense, for the inventor himself and for all the people in his image. They send off their books - their thoughts and gadgets - with the quiet certainty that someone will recognize this. That someone will understand.

I will never give up on human beings because I see what is possible to them if they reach out and decide to live.