Ambition - Can It Lead Us To Hell Or To Heaven?

Although the word “ambition” (at least to my mind) emits the dubious odour of worldly success, there are times when I think it is not a bad thing to feel. When ambition takes the form of a burning passion to rediscover the roots of one’s being for example, and to live from out of the deepest part of one’s consciousness, it is a wonderful thing. But when we invest this potentially useful energy to prop up existing structures in the world based on fear, greed and the violence which results from both, we find ourselves moving step by step into a state of collective madness.

The overwhelming desire for material success in the world today, in almost any country you look at, reflects the state we are in. While there is absolutely nothing wrong in working towards the basic comforts in life and in ensuring our physical security, (without which daily life becomes a real problem) our lopsided pursuit of external success literally cuts us off from the wellspring of existence. We find ourselves working furiously towards the realization of dreams sold to us by the media: a second or third car, a lavish mansion to stay in, parties sparkling with diamonds and witticisms, rather than focusing on that which is lasting and fulfilling – a heartfelt connection with others.

Not being in touch with the source of life seems to make us endlessly restless and to set a vicious cycle into motion. The restlessness fuels our constant urge for possessions and for meaningless diversions. You find that half the industry in the world today has to do with promoting totally escapist activity which takes us further and further away from ourselves. Our leisure hours are spent, not in communing with nature any more or in exploring the mystery that is life, but in watching increasingly idiotic shows on TV, playing mindless games in video parlors, or watching big time events which go in the name of sports but are more ways to prop up a multi million dollar industry, regardless of whether it is football, cricket, tennis or anything else.

The time you might have spent running around playing gilli danda or marbles, spinning tops or whatever, (which we used to do a lot of, as kids but stopped doing the moment we became adults) is now invested either in front of the idiot box with a Cola or a beer in your hand, or on the sports ground with hundreds of other escapists who’ve paid an unearthly entrance fee to watch a bunch of people run back and forth on the field, throwing a ball around or waving their bats in the air or trampling on each other in an effort to score a goal. Even war you begin to suspect, is nothing but a form of dangerous entertainment for those controlling the machinery of destruction.

So much of the vital energy which constitutes ambition, is poured into making life not just more comfortable but sealing it off from reality, that we are hardly aware of suffocating inside the padded cells in which we live. I sometimes wonder what would happen if a slight shift were to take place in our collective attitudes. What would happen if we could let go of our pathetic need for pomp and splendour and yet manage to hold on to the wonderful energy which motivates us to do things? What would happen if we could channel the energy into a slightly different direction. Into questioning what our lives are about. Into looking at our relationships with each other. Into developing a common field in which we could together learn what we need to learn about life, about ourselves, about each other.

I wonder how that would change our politics and economics. I wonder what kind of world and society we would come up with. I really do.

 

Uma

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[New Jordans 2010]

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[jyotsna]

dear Uma it would be so much more meaningful to look, less for generalisations and common answers, than, to face each day and its conundrums as they are and as we are and trust in our better instincts to do the right thing for others and ourselves .