“Listen to what is being preached today. Look at everyone
around us. You've wondered why they suffer, why they seek happiness and never
find it. If any man stopped and asked himself whether he's ever held a truly
personal desire, he'd find the answer. He'd see that all his wishes, his
efforts, his dreams, his ambitions are motivated by other men. He's not really
struggling even for material wealth, but for the second-hander's delusion -
prestige. A stamp of approval, not his own. He can find no joy in the struggle
and no joy when he has succeeded. He can't say about a single thing: 'This is
what I wanted because I wanted it, not because it made my neighbors gape at
me'. Then he wonders why he's unhappy.”
Ayn Rand’s quote from the Fountainhead is a perfect description
of why distancing from society is necessary.
Only away from society can we truly learn what we need, which is why
long distance hikers and those who live away from the marketplace experience so
much self-discovery. We’re wrapped up in
what others want from us and it makes us lack our true desires. In truth, there is no joy or happiness
because all we do is seek to please others, not ourselves. Away from society, we can hear the divine and
what plans have been made for us. Ayn
Rand was able to point out this huge flaw in society. However, it is up to the individual to find a
way to get around it.
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