Scale up your set of ideals that come so naturally to you

There are some who people consider intensity to be a mental disorder.

Ambition grosses them out. Authentic desire disenfranchises them. The moment they discover you have a horizon to point to, the resentment comes pouring forth. And they will do everything they can to drag you down to their level.

Now, maybe it’s because they harbor secret regrets and want you to be more like them. Maybe it’s because they’re angry at themselves since they could have stood where you stand if they had a little more courage. Maybe it’s because they spit vitriol at everyone and you just happened to get caught inside the blast radius.

It’s hard to tell. People are complicated.

This phenomenon is epitomized eloquently in my favorite scene of my favorite novel. Roark, the idealistic architect whose life is supremely exalted and full of meaning, is berated by his mainstream, unfulfilled colleague. Here’s what he says to him:

Do you always have to have a purpose? Do you always have to be so damn serious? Why can’t you ever do things without reason, like everybody else? Everything’s important with you, everything’s great, significant in some way, every minute, even when you keep still. Can’t you ever be comfortable and unimportant?

To which the visionary architect simply responds, no.

This short exchange always resonated deeply with me. The protagonist is accused of committing an existential crime. His unhesitating, unquestionable joy has become an affront to the world’s soul.

Roark possesses something sublime, and throughout his illustrious building career, he’s condemned for possessing it. People won’t let him reach his ideal.

Have you ever been treated that way? Judged for pursuing your cherished values with sufficient intensity?

You’re not alone. Truth is, there are some people in this life who are going to treat you badly, and you’re not going to know why. Because of the special place you come from, because of the vibration that you carry with you, they are going to react to your choices in a negative way. They might even try to sabotage your efforts.

And that’s okay. It’s the price of freedom. Leaders with an intensity of will can’t help but attract criticism.

What matters is continuing towards that horizon to which you so bravely point. What matters is scaling up your set of ideals that come so naturally to you.

The world may not give you the right to your work easily, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth fighting for.

Are you willing to turn up the intensity of your own commitment in the face of other people’s resentment?