Soul Excellence
Soul excellence is about achievement. It is about going inward to discover your values and live in accordance with them more and more each day. It is the expression of one’s highest self. Given this definition, maybe it’s no surprise then how aligned it felt for me to read and begin to learn more about Ayn Rand and objectivism.
Atlas Shrugged
Last December I read Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged for the first time ever. I had always wanted to read it, but was scared off by its 1,100+ pages. Years back I had opted to read The Fountainhead instead. I liked it, but it didn’t change my life. This time, the book fell in my lap. My fiance sent my a picture of the books in a Free Library outside of someone’s home in San Mateo. I gave it a quick glance and texted back – I’ll take Atlas Shrugged!
Within the first few pages, I was hooked and I spent all of my time before and after work and longer, lazy chunks on Saturday reading and underlining. I raced through the novel like the first Taggert Train over the new bridge made of Rearden steel! I felt like Rand was putting into words my thoughts, feelings, and observations about the world. I felt energized and inspired.
Naturally, I researched more about her ideas online and was shocked to discover that the Ayn Rand Institute – dedicated to sharing her philosophy of Objectivism with the world – was hosting a daylong conference in San Francisco less than one mile from where I live! I was thrilled by the chance to explore these ideas further and with those who have spent much more time considering the philosophy and the impact. The theme of the event was – Ideas that Can Save or Destroy Silicon Valley.
Ayn Rand Conference, San Francisco, January 2020
And so yesterday, I attended Ayn Rand Con at the W. I was shocked that 200 people showed up and even more surprised by the number of young women in attendance. I made new friends: Nikola a neuroscientist from Montenegro originally; Molly an architect originally from Dallas; Laura a thoughtful computer science college student; Cody a winemaker from Healdsburg; and Rich a financial advisor who helps people overcome their psychological hurdles to wealth. Such a diverse and inspiring group!
I have so many thoughts that I want to share about my experience, but for today I’ll just give a few short ones to expound upon later.
Here’s what spoke to me most:
The dangers of altruism as our society’s guiding moral philosophy. We gave grown up admiring suffering and sacrifice and martyred saints. Why? What is so valiant in losing oneself for others? Why must someone else benefit at your expense? Why do we admire Gates or Zuckerberg only when they give money away and not when they are building the most valuable companies in the world? Attuned to this philosophy, we worship ever-changing victims and we live lives of guilt for never meeting up to the standard.
The alternative philosophy – objectivism – which offers the idea that our purpose is to live up to our values – is a better moral foundation. That reason, self-esteem, purpose, and the pursuit of happiness are our guiding principles and how we should measure success in this world. There is so much to unpack here is it relates to my ideas about soul excellence.
It is critical to make sure that every idea that I believe in is mine. This concept was critical. I must “check my premises” and think through all of my beliefs – what is truly mine? What has been handed to me that I have accepted without question?
Inspired by the conference, there are some big questions I need to consider for myself:
- What is my own sense of morality?
- How do these new ideas relate to soul excellence?
- Am I living in accordance with my values?
- What about life after death?
- How can I attract interaction with these ideas versus pushing them out into the world?
- What do I really want and what is worth my life?
Right now, I feel like so many incredible things are coalescing all at once. I am loving this return to regular writing. I am connecting with new people and exploring new ideas. I am being vulnerable and showing up in ways that I hadn’t thought possible. I want to live. I want to be me. And I want you to be, too.