Darkly Devotions

[1] Don’t be evil! Start a war!

[2] Just kidding. The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand.

[3] For more, see The Angry Idealist’s Wife or The Angry Idealist’s Daughter. Just kidding. I don’t think these are real books yet.

[4] Of course, rehab only works for those who want to change.

[5] Or whenever I feel like it.

The Anger Chronicles: Part 4

 

Opening Exercise:  Laugh. You are standing naked on the edge of a cliff with a lake far below you, arms raised, head back. Your hair is somehow the exact color of ripe orange rind. Dive into the sky, you perfect human being you.

 

Today’s Passages:

“Everything thing we have, every great achievement has come from the independent work of some independent mind. Every horror and destruction came from attempts to force men into a herd of brainless, soulless robots.”  ~from The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand

 

“That, precisely, is the deadliness of second-handers. They have no concern for facts, ideas, work. They’re concerned only with people. They don’t ask: ‘Is this true?’ They ask: ‘Is this what others think is true?’ Not to judge, but to repeat. Not to do, but to give the impression of doing. Not creation, but show. Not ability, but friendship. Not merit, but pull.” ~from The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand

 

“There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil.[1]” ~from The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand

 

“I don’t work with collectives. I don’t consult, I don’t co-operate, I don’t collaborate.” ~from a novel about the importance of community written by a very nice person[2]

 

The Angry Idealist[3]: A Quiz

1. Are you frequently angered by the incompetence of one or more of the following?

Government
Co-workers
Teammates
Bosses
Children
Dogs

1. Do you plan your days to maximize efficiency?
2. Are you angry at everyone who thwarts your efficient schedule?
3. On a scale of 1-10, how much do you want to be or marry Howard Roark?
4. Have you ever used any of the following phrases or words?

Ignorant masses
Soulless robots
Second-handers

1. Do you believe it is your intellectual duty to point out and vilify the cliché?
2. Do you think stupid people should be punished, preferably by you?
3. Are your friends afraid you’ll discover their love of genre fiction?
4. Do you react badly to criticism?
5. Do you like jazz?

 

The Angry Idealist’s Guide to Rehabilitation[4]

 

Step 1: Ask yourself, what is the source of my anger?

If you answered fear, you are correct. Relish your perfection.

 

Step 2: Ask yourself, what do I fear?

To depict visually the layers of fear that comprise idealistic anger, I created for you a graphic. Unfortunately, it was imperfect, and I was forced to waste some energy hating myself before I gave up altogether. But here’s the gist:

Top layer = fear of complacence (i.e., if I stop trying so hard, then what’s the point of life?)

2^nd layer = fear of being like everybody else (i.e., if I become complacent, nothing will set me apart as unique and special)

3^rd layer = fear of rejection (i.e., if I’m just another human being, I will have lost the sense of superiority that protects me from the pain of rejection)

Bottom layer = fear of deserving rejection (i.e., maybe they’re right. I suck.)

 

Step 3:

1. Stop using the phrase “everybody else.” There is no “everybody else.”
2. Remind yourself, as often as necessary, that Howard Roark is a fictional character.
3. Once a day, purposely misspell one of the following in a document that others will see: its, it’s, their, they’re, your, you’re, whose, who’s.
4. Meditate on the feeling of imperfection.

 

Next week[5]: Celebrate! Your already perfect.