The Fountainhead

Just finished reading this excellent high school literature favourite that for some reason I have never read until now.

The story is about two architects. One sells out and does very well, the other refuses to compromise his own vision and does terribly. In the end their fortunes reverse. While the book can get convoluted at times with the philosophical rantings, I find the lesson that compromising your own values to serve the needs of society is counterproductive very familiar and comforting (yes, this is really just a clever way for me to blame my poor stock performance this year on everyone else but me).

Now I am not going as far as the book in saying that charity is evil, and egotism is good, but to some extent there is a persuasive point that going along with the crowd just because it is easier means that you will never produce anything better than other people have already done.

A lot of people will say there is no point in trying to do anything original because someone else has already done everything, and better. I have to believe that is not true, but taking the beating I have received recently, it is tough to stay the course and not start looking and index investing. But it is such a depressing thought to merely match the market. To succeed through mediocrity just feels so empty. To go down in a blaze of glory is more my style.