On Ambition
The drive to succeed under capitalism.
I read an essay here where the author was speaking about her relationship with ambition and, as the piece progressed, the nature of ambition itself. The writer argued that ambition is selfish, and she connected that premise to capitalism in a very sound way: namely, that one person’s success or comfort in this system comes at another’s expense. The article was well written and poignant; however, this is where I diverge: I don’t believe ambition is inherently a bad thing. I think the means by which people seek the destination of their ambition can at times be wrong, and the overall structure where the product of their efforts is housed can be creaky, but that doesn’t mean ambition is immoral. I think it’s wired in us to some degree.
I was recently viewing another profile where someone was highlighting many talented artists' work. It was beautiful to see creatives who've made a name for themselves being celebrated in their chosen fields. I wondered if the recognition they garnered was a byproduct of them being extremely talented, or if they put themselves out there in a sustained way and success happened as a result of their determination. I tend to think it was a combination of both. As far as I know, I don't think any of them had a story similar to a famous director discovering an actress on a New York stoop or any of those “plucked from obscurity overnight” cases. More than likely, they are simply people who wanted to succeed in their craft and put in the requisite work along the way to get there.
While I was formulating my thoughts on this piece, I began to think about ambition like the desire to have children. Not everyone wants to be a mother, or a father, or a parent. Some people do, and they will go through many grueling years trying to conceive. That doesn't make pregnancy wrong, or motherhood wrong or parenthood wrong. It means that sometimes you want something so much that you keep striving until you get it. And even if others don't have a similar desire, that has nothing to do with your own. Some people want to be successful or famous and some people don't. These are just two different ways of being.
I think because the odds often seem (and are, let's be clear) so stacked against us, it may feel more appropriate to disregard ambition or fame in general, or to view those who seek it as misguided.
For those who are extremely ambitious, of course, I would caution that integrity and strength of character should never come at the expense of it. I have witnessed these character deficits borne out of a drive to succeed, and, for a long time, it's why I viewed ambition as a moral failing. But as I’ve been able to separate myself from environments where I encountered the more ruthless or ruggedly ambitious types, I find that they themselves were the problem, not ambition itself.
Ultimately, I reject the notion that the drive to be massively successful is wrong, even when it exists within a corrupt system. Of course, we should absolutely strive for a more equitable world where we aren't forced into a "crabs in a barrel" mentality in the first place. That (manufactured) scarcity is the very thing that can skew our perception of ambition and thwart our natural desire to progress and seek a sense of permanence for our talents.
In the end, though, the pathology is in the mishandling of ambition, not the drive itself.
