Ambition

                     Ambition


A gradual reduction 

of the intensity

of the emotion 

we call ambition

leads to a state 

we call failure

when we are young

and retirement 

when we are old


While biological age

is undoubtedly related to 

the withering of ambition

the relationship is not linear


In Spanish 

the word for retirement

is jubilado

a reference to the joy

associated with moderation

of the drive necessary

to become a master

to be an expert

perhaps a leader

in a selected field


The gateway 

to this form of freedom

is the shedding

of narrower obligations

replacing them with

a broader range of interests

unbound by the pursuit 

of success or fame or fortune


Although freedom is vital

at any and every age

to be physically comfortable healthy enough

and wealthy enough

is to be free

to arrive at a state of jubilation

something to cherish 

when attained

something to work toward

before you are there


The relationship between

jubilation and ambition

is complicated


Because we are social animals

we are never free

as long as others are suffering


As life is 

by definition a struggle

and for most of us

the ability to affect 

the lives of others

in a positive way

quite narrowly bound

jubilation necessitates

a narrowing of ambition

within this realm too

if we are to achieve

the kind of freedom 

we are discussing


The acceptance of this reality

plus the inevitability of death

is what makes a good life

so precious to the liver


Ambition is a vital resource

a penultimate necessity

without which the human world

would fail to spin

but it does have 

a time and place


Ambition 

is not a component

of the joy 

of early childhood

despite

the intense commitment to life

massive acquisition of knowledge amassing of practical abilities

which characterizes 

that state of nature


Ambition is something 

adults may cast away briefly

during vacations and sabbaticals

if they are able to


But we seem to shed ambition 

at some point

during our later years

to become children again

at least for a while

as fully committed to life

as the child we used to be

so long ago


Aubrey Lieberman

3/19/23




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