Ambition: Can it be bred by anybody?

[The-DDR-Philosopher]

Re: Ambition: Can it be bred by anybody?

At what point does one reach being completely content? It is human nature to want to grow and learn. There will always be something new one might want to learn more about or experience.

Maybe you need to define what you mean by ambition. Your "Ambition is striving to self actualize your entire being or in other words, reach your full potential." doesn't really seem to mean anything.

Its not in everyones nature's to learn and grow. Some reach a comfort zone that condition them to stay comfortable and content with how things are in life.

Content dictionary.com definition:
1.satisfied with what one is or has; not wanting more or anything else.

Example: if somebody is content with living their parents at home eating taco bell, then they won't be motivated to do more. Instead of becoming independent, they rather settle for a simple yet meager way of life. That is an unambitious person.

Ambition dicitionary.com definition
1. an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honor, fame, or wealth, and the willingness to strive for its attainment:

I guess my definition of ambition would be included in that definition. Achieving a height of success that seems unfathomable to most. Or in simple context (not to be cheesey or preachy), "making your dreams come true" before you believed the doubts of the masses. Ambition is not letting anything stand in your way of your core desires in life. I referred to the self actualization term in the pyschology sense, reaching your full potential.

[trumaestro]

Re: Ambition: Can it be bred by anybody?

I think you're either projecting your own ideas of success on to other people or you're lacking scope.

Maybe that simple, meagre way of life is what people are striving for. Why do you get to decide that someone is unambitious?

(Realistically though, reality hits you hard bro.)

[devonin]

Re: Ambition: Can it be bred by anybody?

Ambition, can everyone possess it? Is it a emotion we breed by ourselves? Or is it based on external factors we encounter? We can ask the question if it is inherited or learned, but can we prove it?

I don't know why you'd think that ambition was even an emotion. Ambition is a consequence of emotions, not an emotion itself. Ambition can arise out of a combination of many emotions. Passion, fear, greed, pride. Ambitious is something you -are- based on how you feel.

Is it a simple state of mind or a complex state?

This does not have an answer. Whether somebody's ambitions are simple or complex depends on that person, and what is underlying their ambition.

Why do some people have it but others dont?

I'm not sure I agree that this is a cogent question. you have a definition of ambition in your mind, you have a -kind- of set of goals you associate with ambition, but that sense of ambition does not need to match up with anybody elses. By the standards of my previous boss, I was not ambitious enough to suit him to the point that he severed my employment after I grew his business 600% in four years, but it was not that I lacked ambition it was that I lacked the kind of ambition -he- had. Not everybody is driven by the same things, but by the same token, not everybody is driven -to- the same things either.

Some people who don't have it, see no need for it. Is it a pyschological process you have to reach in order to feel it?

You're characterizing this like it's a goal now. Once again, I think that ambition arises out of emotions. You have goals, you may proceed towards those goals at whatever pace you like.

My colleague and I have been grappling with this subject lately. Im intrested to hear some thought provoking statements on this topic.

Sure.

People who haven't figured out the world? Interesting, I notice from your entire statement you've decided life is about working, living, and dying. You rather look at the glass half empty then half full. I'll take you think everyone is destined to the same dull fate as the 99%. But because you think everyone is destined to follow the same path, you fall in that category with the one's who see no hope.

It's a little unseemly for somebody claiming to be a philosopher to define the experience of 99% (especially "The 99%" which has incredibly problematic elitist undertones) as dull. Philosophers hold no special status in the world, and most philosophers worth their salt prefer it that way. Sorry to say most of life -is- working, living and dying. I'm not sure why you think "living" is bad either. While the unexamined life is not worth living, you still have to actually live one in order to examine it. Ivory towers have great views, but they're pretty small.

The world has alot of bad. But it comes with the vast amount of good in it. Ambition is for the ones who have the hunger to strive for what is best for their life. If you have no positive perspective for your fate, you will live a pointless existence because you feed your mind that kind of fuel.

You enjoy visiting people's intentions a lot. You might want to look to that. For many people, 'ambition' refers to a desire for the 'best' things where best includes things like "lots of money, and possessions and influence" and it is ambition to pursue those things. For many people those goals are singularly unfulfilling and they can live a perfectly good life without seeking out a single one of those.

Ambition is striving to self actualize your entire being or in other words, reach your full potential.

I've found ambition to be almost entirely a process that is external, in search of external things. If you think it is ambition to -really want to- sit around and read books and think, you'll find yourself at odds with the vast majority of people who have any interest in defining the word.

Pessimist don't bother me because I know how powerful the energy of righteous wisdom is.

You sound a lot like you're suggesting you plan to ignore anybody whose points run counter to yours, or at least that you won't feel the slightest obligation to actually consider their points. Once you start claiming that you have the righteous ground in a discussion, that is generally the point where philosophers suggest you've lost the thread.

There's no need for Nietzche followers in this discussion. I have the mind of a Spinoza.
( Philosophy Reference)

You say this like you've concluded that Nietzsche was a pessimist, which I strongly disagree with. You might not like his conclusions, but there's actually something very optimistic and freeing about a philosophy that supports that you are able to do anything you have the strength to do.

Also, what exactly do you mean by 'I have the mind of a Spinoza'?

Do you mean it in the "Human passions are what make it so we can't live in harmony with each other, so rational control of our emotions is the only logical course" way? In the "Moral progress is tied directly to intellect, and so literally, stupid people are also bad people" way?

Also, since both Spinoza and Nietzsche are moral relativists, I'm even more confused by the juxtaposition.

I like how you denote me with no worthy points or remarks. You rather slander my point of view then find any reason for it. Sounds to me your very insecure about the life you lead. But I guess i'm just a pitiful example of somebody who is delirious from my "fabricated world" right?

You're visiting people's intentions again.

Im also going to guess you have no ambition in your life. But you can't save everybody.

But who will save us from people who conclude that we lack ambition, where ambition is an arbitrary version of the word you happen to espouse, and assume that anybody who differs from you is a failure in need of salvation?

If you study all the successful philosophers in history from Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, to Voltaire,

Three ancient greeks born within 100 years of each other and then one Frenchman from actually 2000 years later. Very interesting choice of names for this list. Is there a reason why you picked them specifically?

they continued to grow and learn from a hyper active sense of ambition. And they continue to live on because of it. The ones who dont have that type of ambition, fail to stamp their name ln history.

Have some sources on the deep ambition of all philosophers whose names we know? Plenty of the thinkers taught and studied even just in Modern Western Philosophy didn't look very ambitious to me. They look thoughtful and lucky mostly.

Do you consider everyone that is successful and joyous in their life lucky? They learn and grow continously to make it that way.

You have a very specific definition of success and joy that is not everybody's definition of success and joy. You've decided people who are "content with their lot" are morally bad and in need of saving or at least shaming into admitting that you are better than they are. What you want is not what everybody wants.

I think you need to take out a pen and a pad, its time to take notes.

This attitude can stop right now if you still want to be a part of this community.

Finally! Somebody with legitimate points!!!

You mean 'finally, somebody who agrees with me'.

Wow. Very insightful. I appreciate the wise words. That truly came from the heart. I admire people of your stature who don't coincide with what is trendy or popular. Thanks for sharing that personal experience, that reveals inner wisdom in your nature.

He agrees with your position, so he is possessed of inner wisdom. The people who disagreed with you were...what did you say? Insecure and pessimistic?

^ worded like a true disciple of the Creator. Beautifully worded like a natural scholar of life.

Glad to know there are people here worth my time to listen to and write for. You definetly made this post worthwhile with that one simple comment.

If the only people worth listening to are the ones who agree with you and believe as you believe, I'm sure wikihow has instructions on building an echo chamber for you.

Truemaestro: Theres alot of rationality and logic behind your statement, I see your point and it does make sense.
The ones who are content with their life have no need to be ambitious because they are happy with their circumstances.
But that raises a new question:
Does being content with your entire life supress a ambitious mentality ??

Does it not rather follow that being content with your life is proof of the -successful culmination of being ambitious and achieving your ambition-?

philosophy is science for people who can't count

You can -also- knock off this attitude.

Its not in everyones nature's to learn and grow. Some reach a comfort zone that condition them to stay comfortable and content with how things are in life.

"a comfort zone...to stay comfortable and content with how things are in life" Happiness. We call this Happiness.

Content dictionary.com definition:
1.satisfied with what one is or has; not wanting more or anything else.

Example: if somebody is content with living their parents at home eating taco bell, then they won't be motivated to do more. Instead of becoming independent, they rather settle for a simple yet meager way of life. That is an unambitious person.

Or somebody who has achieved their ambition. You have no business judging them because your ambition is for something different than theirs.

Ambition dicitionary.com definition
1. an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honor, fame, or wealth, and the willingness to strive for its attainment:

I guess my definition of ambition would be included in that definition. Achieving a height of success that seems unfathomable to most. Or in simple context (not to be cheesey or preachy), "making your dreams come true" before you believed the doubts of the masses. Ambition is not letting anything stand in your way of your core desires in life. I referred to the self actualization term in the pyschology sense, reaching your full potential.

Not everybody's happiness is rooted in 'reaching their full potential' and yes, it is very definitely preachy to imply otherwise. You don't get to legislate on the worthiness of the dreams of others. More of the ills of the world you decried as 'proof of horrible pessimism' exist because of the ambitions of people who 'won't let anything stand in their way' to get what they want than have ever been created by the people who were happy with their lives how they were.

Edit: Oh god, I just had 2004 Kilroy_x flashbacks. What year is it?

[Spenner]

Re: Ambition: Can it be bred by anybody?

Self or open necessity precedes ambition. This isn't that big of a question to me, but I may be failing patience. It is such a contextual object of personality that I cannot give you an answer with any concrete aspects.