AMBITION

Ambition is a strong desire to achieve something in life. A person without any ambition is
like a boat without rudder. Having an ambition needs continuous efforts towards achieving it.
One cannot achieve anything if one just day dreams and does nothing.
A strong will-power and determination will carry a person forward against all obstacles.
Different people have different ambitions. Some aim to become teachers, soldiers, artists,
politicians, doctors, engineers etc. Some try to amass wealth and some run after the name and
fame. There are others who aim to serve humanity. One should have a noble aim in life and
strive hard honestly, sincerely and with dedication to achieve it.
A person with an ambition should not be dependent upon circumstances. He should move
ahead facing all the odds and difficulties that hinder his progress. He should have the firm
determination to achieve his aim. His will-power and determination will carry him forward.
Obstacles in his way will not lead him astray.
An ideal person always tries to achieve his goal. Aspiring for great things in life is human
tendency. The youth of today wants to scale the greater heights of success. If we dream for
the stars, we will at least reach the moon.
Different people have different ambitions in life. The nature of ambition varies from persons
to person. It depends upon one's family background, upbringing, social status and economic
condition.
Swami Vivekananda said that, "Man is master of his destiny". He said that by will-power
alone we can fully determine and control our actions and thereby change the course of Fate.
But many people believe, with firm conviction, in the inscrutable hand of Fate. In fact, in
India fatalism is very much present among all cross-section of the population.
Intellectuals aim at achieving excellence in art, science or similar field. They struggle hard to
fulfil their aim. They strive to achieve great heights of fame and glory. Their hard work brings
them scholarships and awards. An artist aims to make his work immortal. He wants to create
a name in the world of art. An artiste would want his/her songs to echo in each and every
corner of the world.
Some people aim for wealth. They desire to amass wealth by any means. At times, people
with such an aim to into anti-social activities like smuggling and black marketing. In this
way, corruption spreads. There are other people who demand huge dowries on the marriage
of their sons.
For a glamorous life, some people choose the film and television careers. Others choose to
become fashion models. One who succeeds gets both wealth and fame.
There are also people who aim to become political leaders. A statesman aims to carrying
thought great schemes for his country's advancement. There are some who aim to become
soldiers and serve the country.

There are others boys and girls aim to become teachers. Teaching is one of the noblest of
professions. A teacher removes illiteracy, ignorance and superstitions to some extent.
According to Plato, education is the turning of the inner eye towards light. Teachers are the
real architects of the nation. The students of today are the citizens of tomorrow. Teachers can
make the younger generation responsible citizens of the country.
There are others who neither want to wealth nor fame. They wish to serve humanity at large.
They believe that service to mankind is service to God. Mahatma Gandhi and Swami
Vivekananda laid great stress on alleviating the suffering of the poor. Mother Teresa is also
known as the angle of peace. She rendered a yeoman's service to the poor and destitute
people who were in need of love and care.
German playwright, Paul Thomas Mann said, "There are two kinds of men in this world, men
of thought and men of action. Thinks like the men of thought, act like the men of action." Our
actions are preceded by our thoughts. We are judged only by our deeds. Thus we must do
right action and try to avoid immoral or bad action.
One's motive is one's aim in life should be noble and good. One should not try to fulfil one's
ambition by foul means. In short, one should have a noble aim in life. One's action should be
directed towards the nation's prosperity. One should strive hard honestly, sincerely and with
dedication to achieve it.

Essay 2

AMBITION

A man without any ambition is a boat without the sails. It can drift in any direction and at the
end of the day may find life a fruitless and frustrated nothingness.
There needs to be some point, some direction in life which may lead one on and on. R.L.
Stevenson an English essayist has said An aspiration is a joy for ever.
To travel hopefully is better than to arrive. If one has arrived, the joy of the journey is over.
You keep enjoying a journey with the expectancy of reaching.
Once you have reached, that buoyancy filling you during the journey is over. This does not,
so much mean, that one should not achieve what one wants to but any achievement should
not be taken as the lands end.
What you achieve today should inspire you to try to achieve still more and still further. That
would keep life with a living and kicking sensation and shall vivify you, otherwise there
would hardly remain any charm and zest in living. There should ever be a goal to be
achieved; if Kanchenjunga has been reached, Mt. Everest still should keep beckoning you.
That is what Stevenson meant when he said an aspiration is a joy for ever. An impetus is the
elixir of life and that should never be lost. Achievements have no end, one leads to the next
and the next to still next. The joy of winning a race is only when you have a competitor close
at heels.
A lone runner may grow sluggish in his pace as he will take it for granted that he has won the
race. Once having put in his best efforts to win at the national event, you begin looking
forward to the World Olympics and even after winning at that you begin aspiring to retain the
position even at the next.
Why should one try to gain and regain the championship at the Wimbledon tournament year
after year and there have been players who have remained at the top for eight successive
years. Why give up if you have the stamina but once you give up, the stamina gives you up.
The trophies are brought and kept aloft for the contesting final teams to get a look at them- It
is to win that they have to fight hard. Say not the struggle not availed wrote the poet Arthur
Hugh Clough.
This is one side of the story. While ambition and having an ambition is something worthy
but over- ambition can become fatal. Macbeth is made to say by Shakespeare
Ive no spur to prick the sides of my intent but the vaulting ambition which overleaps and
falls to the other side which overleaps and falls to the other side.

While ambition may be an elixir, vaulting ambition may prove a disaster First deserve
then desire that is what the saying says. Aspire, but while doing so, try to know your
capacity and judge your limits.
Otherwise crying for the moon can lead to a life-time frustration and life would turn into a
tragedy. Know thyself that is a religious preaching given by saints and sages this
means try to look within you and you will find the Eternal Being within you. That is the
philosophical interpretation of the preaching.
But in the present context of ambition, it may be taken to mean Know your limits and
aspire only that much as your limits permit. Otherwise if you aspire only because aspire you
have to; the result can be an everlasting frustration and despondency which would mean
death in life. It would become an incurable malady which would torture and torment the
mind at all times and in every measure.
Ambitions the vaulting ones, has led to disasters. History is a record of such events.
Alexander the Great, wanted to be known as the conqueror of the world and he conquered
lands after lands. But his soldiers and his army had their own limits of sustaining Physical
strain and at one point of time they virtually revolted and Alexander had to beat a retreat.
Ashok had the ambition to conquer Kalinga hundreds and thousands were butchered.
Ultimately, he could find no peace in warfare and peace came only for him in Peace- in
Dharmam Sharnam Gachchami.
Such wild and unbridled ambitions have met with such misfortunes and maladies.
So to cut the long story short, it is good to have an ambition which is within ones capacities
but beyond that if one goes, malady awaits one unsustainable and incurable.