What is an ambition? Ambitions are the desires of our soul, which drives us towards a particular goal. As a human being, we are motivated by our goals to act and behave accordingly. When we achieve or come closer to our goal, we feel happy. When we go farther from our goal, we become upset and frustrated. The fulfillment of ambitions comes up as a sign of happiness and achievement.
Practically we can divide our ambitions mainly in two types, the practicable ambition and the impracticable ambition. The practicable ambitions always keep mankind normal and impracticable ambitions lead to anxiety.
In view of the notable Philosopher Ibne Qaiyem Al Jawzi [1270-1330 G] one of the main causes of anxieties is the impracticable ambitions of a man. When a person looks for an ambition not matching to his present means, he loses his balance and slides down into the ocean of madness. If I am a civil engineer ambitious to become an astronaut and wish to travel into space, it is my madness. If I am a layman and I fall in love with a film actress, with whom, even, there is no chance to meet or come close; it is off course madness. If I am a fisherman and my ambition is to become the CEO of a company without getting properly qualified and experienced; it is my madness.
One the other hand, if I am an aeronautical engineer and my ambition is to become an astronaut in NASA, it is all right. If I am a film star, a big businessman, a famous politician or a famous player, a well known musician and I fell in love with a film actress, it is all right.
Our impracticable ambitions make us anxious and mad. They not only drive us towards uncertain moves and cause anxieties but they also lead us to behavioral disorder. It is always wise to keep eyes on ambitions and make them go on the real path. On contrary, our ambitions certainly have to cause wrong effects on our hearts and minds and ultimately on our whole entity. To the notable philosophers of the world minimizing ambitions to the present means has been the most effective tool to attain peace of mind. Aristotle [322-384 BC] the guru of philosophy has asked:
“Bring your desires down to your present means, increase
them when only you increased means permit.” [Aristotle]
Bringing ambitions to the present means is a realistic, strong, bold, and wise step of a man towards his normal life. It shows that the person is normally perceptive to his understanding and predictions. He can understand things in their proper surround. He can understand his own capabilities or potentials more than others. Off course; he is able to know his weaknesses and strengths. He is able to anticipate his forth-coming problems. He knows the assets and liabilities of his inner personality.
Such type of a person is always sober, clear-headed and temperate. He is far from craziness. He enjoys his life more than the people who are opposite to his psych. He lives and acts as normal human being leading a tranquiller life. He gives more time to his family than others do. He enjoys better, while talking to his siblings. He has certainly a good relation with his wife. He has limited friendships. He comes under the description of an introvert personality.
The ambitions are unlimited, desires are ever lasting. It never ends. It always grows and grows. It preoccupies our hearts and minds prior to the increase of the means. It mostly runs after the unrealistic goals. Hence; we can take it for granted that the ambitions pay a greater role in determining our personality traits and getting them enhanced into the flavor of wisdom. So in order to get ourselves emerge as more normal and more balanced personalities we have to monitor the status and types of our ambitions and we must make efforts to bring them close to our present means.
There is only a single way to pull down the desires from their high unrealistic rank to the normal state that, when ever, we desire or get ambitious for things we must view and analyze our means. In fact our means are the measure, through which it can be defined whether our ambitions are real or unreal?
Hence; what the man of wisdom, the guru of Philosophy Aristotle practically guides the mankind, is to bring the desires down to the present means. He also suggests an option to increase the desires only when our means permit it to do so. A constant practice is needed to bring our ambitions and desires down to our means. Only through limiting the ambitions to the present means we will be able to have control over it, then, only, the mind will be conditioned to desire things which are permissible by the present means.
We can say that the practical and rational men are those who always notice their means and try to utilize it to the maximum extent. Wisdom and success lies here. The above discourse doesn’t mean that we should not make effort to maximize our means. The means should be maximized and brought to growth. The efforts should be done to maximize our means. It should be our main target.
I propose that in order to keep our selves on the right track we must account for the desires as well as the means to achieve them. If there is a big gap between the two we should try to drag the desire close to the means and then, immediately try to increase the means itself. Success lies in increasing the means not the desire. When the means, will be doubled or increased it will automatically create more desire. Therefore; increasing desires without increasing means is unwise. Try to increase your means to its maximum extent. Also try to utilize your means at its maximum level. This is the key towards success as well as prevention to madness and remedy for the distress.
The impracticable ambitions lead us towards an abnormal life, it must be overlooked, ignored, unnoticed and disregarded. The more we will overlook, ignore, discount and disregard our impracticable desires the more we will return to normal condition and be able to enjoy practical peace. If we practice it, we will be able to enjoy a perfect happy life without distress and pain, having full of respect and self enthusiasm. XXXXX