On Ambition (15 January 2007)

This entry is going to be a bit different than normal. For a change, I'm not going to be overly political or critical. I'm going to talk about a phenomenon which is very widespread among university students. As you may have guessed from my title, I'm referring to the phenomenon of ambition.
A lot of people in our age range (18-25), especially McGill students, tend to be quite ambitious. I am no exception. I mean, most people that I've talked to want to do something really exciting with their lives. Many people want to go to graduate school. Many people want to work on the other side of the world. It's very common to see people want to make a lot of money and do quite well for themselves. And I'm absolutely not criticising this. I mean, that's why we're at McGill. We're paying our dues now.... working (arguably) harder than we will at any other stage in our lives and paying to do so! In fact, I think it's weird when I talk to people who AREN'T very ambitious. I mean, life is short, man. We might as well make the best possible contribution to our world.
That said, things often do not go as planned. One of my all-time favourite movies is "It's a Wonderful Life". Most people that know me know that I'm almost obsessed with this film. It has many important themes to it, and most people often focus on how great the ending is (and believe me, it's great). But as wonderful as the ending is, other elements of the plot are often forgotten. The hero is of the story is George Bailey. All throughout his young adult life, he, like many of us, has many grandiose ambitions. He wants to travel the world and do amazing things! So, what's happens? Well, unfortunate things keep popping up, and he's always forced to push back his plans, until, ultimately, he's forced too altogether abandon them. Yes, I know this is just a film, but how often is it reality? I look at many of the adults I know, particularly within my family. I'm sure they must have had some pie-in-the-sky plans when they were our age.... yet, for some reason or another, they end up in the same town as their parents.
This leaves me with a somewhat unsettling thought. Are our ambitions just destined to remain pipe dreams? In all likelihood, they may not come to fruition for all of us. Obviously, there are many people for whom many of their ambitions are fulfilled, if not exceeded. But how often is this the case? Statistically speaking, don't most people (even most university graduates) generally stay in the same general area in which they grew up? The fact is, you never know what will happen! You may meet a girl (or boy) somewhere and want to go whereever she (he) is. You may receive an incredible job offer that you can't refuse. I mean, there are scores of things that can happen... some good some bad.... and I won't go through all of them.
So, what does this all mean? Is this a bad thing? By no means! If everyone lived this grandiose dream of a life, then who would be left to play the role of everyday blue-collar man? I don't mean that in a patronising way, but if everyone yearned to get away from their small towns in which they grew up, then what would happen to those very small towns? The fact is, if everyone (or even if many people) ended up doing something "crazy" with their lives, then what would it really matter anyway? After all, as we learend from the rest of that wonderful movie, being a successful man (or woman) is not dependent on how rich you are... or how famous you are.... or how many places you've seen. It depends more than anything on what you do with the situation you're in. There's no shame in being a janitor..... but take pride in being a janitor and be the best bloody janitor that you can be! Your name may not be remembered for years to come, but you will ultimately affect and enrich many others in ways you wouldn't imagine.
That said, is ambition useless? By no means! First of all, a percentage of people (I couldn't give you a range....) DO get to fulfill their ambition. If you stick with it long enough, you may too! It takes a bit of luck and a lot of determination, but in North America, it is generally possible for almost anyone (especially anyone lucky enough to afford university education) to realise their dreams! But you also have to be prepared for your plans not to work out. As I said, you can never count on anything happening or not happening. You should never be so set on doing one thing that you can't adapt to totally unanticipated circumstances. You never know.... you might even fulfill a dream you never thought you had!
Okay. If you don't get anything else out of this article, read this: aim high! Ambition is a wonderful thing. It provides drive. It provides motivation. It provides meaning to how you live your life. It also provides inspiration to your friends. But, always expect the unexpected. That doesn't mean you need to be a fortune teller..... but be prepared for anything that comes your way, even if it requires a total change in your plans. How often do someone's plans stay 100% intact throughout their whole life? There will always be some things you totally can't control. You can never force a girl to fall in love with you. You can never (legally) force someone to offer you your dream job. You can never ensure that you win the lottery. You can never prevent earthquakes, tornados or hurricanes. You can do very little to ensure horrible politicians with last names rhyming with "Mush" from getting elected (sorry, I said I wouldn't be political!). No one expects you to handle everything. But, be the best YOU that you can possibly be. Allow you're true, beautiful self shine through and you will find that girl (I haven't found one yet, but I'm still young...). Work to the best of your abilities, and people will see it and appreciate it! Ulitmately, put your very best effort into everything you'll do, and while you may not be perfect or popular or rich, you'll be successful.
My favourite Bible verse is found in 1 Corinthians. In the NIV it goes something like "Run in such a way as to win the prize." The key words here is "in such a way". Is God mandating that we win the prize? Far from it. God is only telling us to give it our all. In this instance, it's a race.... but it can easily refer to anything. Does it matter if we get last place? No... as long as we sincerely tried to win the prize. There's nothing wrong with being mediocre.... I'm a proud member of the mediocrity club myself. Let's take pride in our mediocrity!