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Saturday, October 06, 2007

What is a worthy ambition?

US_president_abraham_lincoln
"Every man is said to have his peculiar ambition. Whether it be true or not, I can say for one that I have no other so great as that of being truly esteemed of my fellow men, by rendering myself worthy of their esteem. How far I shall succeed in gratifying this ambition, is yet to be developed."~From the March 9, 1832, Abraham Lincoln First Political Announcement
I may be considered a less ambitious person by my colleagues or even my family. Although, I have driven my self to excel in any field of my choosing, whether in academics, career, and hobby. But being ambitious does not describe me as a person. Much less, I hate being compared to anyone.

Ambitions are dreams, goals, objectives and aspirations that motivate us to excel and move forward in spite of the odds. Ambitions impel us to muster courage when there is none in sight, and take any risks that could mean disaster if we fail. Ambitions for others would mean sacrificing everything to get what one desired. Here, I have some reservations.

What is a worthy ambition?

A worthy ambition for me is becoming the person that I should be at work, at play, and at home. Becoming the person that you are maybe vague for others because they have not realized who they are and what they can be. This is not about meeting the expectations of others, although there is some merits on that. Underscore the phrase "some merits" please, lest I be misunderstood. For more often, the expectations of others are not realistic. If there are expectations that needed to be met, these are the ones you imposed upon yourself. These expectations should be realistic and time bound.

So, what is a worthy ambition for you? Share your insights here please.
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3 Comments:

  1. Excellent post. Too often we try to live up to the expectations of others without consideration for who we are and what we want to be. I look forward to reading more of your posts.
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  2. Thank you. ^^,

    Living to the expectations of others, however ideal, is very frustrating. You are and foremost accountable to yourself.
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  3. what is yourself? Your "self" only exists in terms of relationship. There is no absolute self.
    Others expectation from you stem from what they themselves have failed to achieve and want you to aim for those goals. This is normal for mortal humans wherein life consists of a lot of failed dreams, path un-followed and attempts thwarted.
    .
    A worthy ambition should be such that even if one fails at it, one shouldnt be regretful. As per bible, a quite life is a worthy ambition. As per Buddhism, a life free from craving is a worthy ambition. As per dao, be like water - just flow. As per Hinduism, Dharma(Duty), Artha(Money), Kama(Pleasure,sex) and moksha(Nirvana, freedom) are four life-goals that one must achieve. As per Judaism, justice is the goal of human life. As per Islam, it is the struggle (Jihad) for justice/goodness and surrender to Allah's will is goal of life.
    Thy will be done.
    In normal human's life, being skillful, cunning(in good sense) and competent is worthy enough ambition.
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Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts ^_~

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