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The author seems self-aware and I think there's a lot of good observations in this post. At the same time, I think ambition needs to be paired with humility an
by ElProlactin 2mo ago
The author seems self-aware and I think there's a lot of good observations in this post.
At the same time, I think ambition needs to be paired with humility and acceptance of you can't have it all.
There's no perfect life. You can't optimize everything such that you achieve a hypothesized balance between all the things that are competing for your time and energy. In the final analysis, most people, if given the chance to reflect before they die, would choose more time with the people they care about than more time working, even if, in the moment, they felt they were doing a good job balancing the two.
- thsbrown 2mo agoI think this is the point though right? The author is saying that he rejects this dichotomy and he's attempting to take on both even if others might perceive it as impossible.
- ElProlactin 2mo agoYes, he seems to be going in that direction, which I think is the fallacy. This is where I think humility should balance amibiton.
- _carbyau_ 2mo agoI don't think he is guaranteeing success, but stating his aim. Gotta have a goal to work towards if you claim to be ambitious.
- ElProlactin 2mo agoYou can have the best ship but if you're sailing in the wrong direction, you're still sailing in the wrong direction.
- avinoth 2mo agoWhich is good if sailing is what you wanted and like to do, which is what the author and the OP is implying. You don't necessarily have to "succeed" or "reach" somewhere.
- ElProlactin 2mo agoWhat I wrote isn't about "success". It's about direction. What the author is at risk of doing, in my opinion, is pretending to a certain extent that he can have his cake and eat it too. As I wrote in my original comment, "you can't have it all." Please don't take this to mean that you have to choose between your family and career (or a business). That's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is that, at a certain point of "ambition", there is no perfect balance possible between all the the things you're trying to maximize. The wise person accepts that sometimes you have to make choices, and choices always require that you give something up to get something else.
- anbotero 2mo agoExcellent, you reached the point that Edward Elric, from the first Fullmetal Alchemist anime, arrived at in the final episode(s): The illusion of balance, when everything in that world revolved around the Law of Equivalent Exchange. Sometimes the rewards do not match the sacrifice/effort, but that doesn't mean you won't pick that same choice when given the chance, or that it was a "bad choice". If you accept what may come from your choices, you can more objectively act upon them.
- deleted 2mo ago[deleted]
- SoftTalker 2mo agoKids are also not always a joy. I love my kids, and there were certainly moments of joy, mostly when they were young. As they grow up, they turn out to be their own people. They may ignore your advice and learn life lessons the hard way. They may not live up to the hopes you had for them. Be prepared for some disappointment. Doesn't mean that you don't love them, but they can be frustrating. To be fair, I'm sure I disappointed my parents in some ways or times also.
- ElProlactin 2mo agoNot sure what this has to do with the post? Work is also not always a joy. Success is not always a joy. But there's more than enough evidence to show that, when people look back on their lives, most of them most highly value their relationships and have the most regrets around how they managed those relationships. Having a child doesn't guarantee happiness. Raising a child is not always going to be rainbows and I suppose learning to accept that the life you create doesn't mean you get to dictate what that life becomes is a form a wisdom. But none of this takes anything away from the experience if you accept it for what it really is.