4 As to 8As

 Lifelong obsession with the 4 As. 

I was reminiscing about the book Fountainhead the other day. The memories about the book and it's protagonist were stirred up in the context of architecture and the construction of my Farmhouse. 

I had never imagined the impact a fictional character can have on my psyche. 

Howard Roark. 

I was wondering, what immortalised  that character, and left an indelible footprint in the mind of most readers. What was so unique and fascinating about his persona? 

      My thoughts go into overdrive. Slowly, the fog of adulation clears  permitting greater clarity. There was a casual disdain, almost a contemptuous disregard,  stemming not from any negativity or bitterness. An overwhelming self assurance, an assertive, composed self confidence. An equanimity, that stabilized and aborted any emotional contortions. An unpredictability, that anhilated the rote, the mundane and the trivial. 

       And then the one thing, that really stood out. His total alienation from the 4 As. The 4 As - Acceptance, Approval, Acknowledgment and Appreciation. If one introspects deeply, it will become clear, that our lives are held hostage by these 4 As. It could be a consequence of living in society. Social considerations, norms, peer pressure, an unavoidable hierarchy, a never ending game of one-upmanship, the eternal struggle to keep ahead of the pack. 

     I realise this obsessive, perhaps subconscious compulsion truly handicaps and diverts our energies and efforts. 

The time devoured by this perpetual  anxiety about what others think about us is truly unwarranted. The ever increasing connectivity lavished by internet and applications of social media fuels this indefatigable urge to enhance, amplify, cosmetically decorate ones impression.

I must confess, that I am myself, a victim of this scourge. It is on this backdrop, that the enigma of Roark truly intrigues and inspires. His quasi-autistic self indulgence, bordering on heresy, apparently antisocial demeanor could be regarded as pathological in these days and times.

But, deep down, there's much more substance and rationale in this quixotic attitude. There's a method to his madness.

    A method, that perhaps liberates from the shackles of subservience to the 4 As. He was almost a hermit. A man totally self sufficient emotionally and otherwise. A man, who knew exactly what he wanted. Every thought and action were directed more importantly for his own evolution, and not for enhancement or cultivation of an impression for public consumption. 

Cultivated and crafted impressions shift the truth of life from reality to the deceptive virtual. He was a man, who lived in the now. The now, that's devoid of another 4 As. Anxieties,apprehensions, aspirations and ambitions. 

Roark was and will remain an enigma, a state of mind, an ideologue, who paves a path to salvation, liberation from not just 4 , but 8 As. The first four As- 

Acceptance, Approval, Acknowledgement, Appreciation which inevitably lead to the next 4As- Anxieties, Apprehensions, Aspirations and Ambitions. 

Dr. Deepak Ranade.