“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it” — Paulo Coelho (The Alchemist)
Ambition is what drives people to their set goals, for which they may want to soar high, dive deep, break glass ceilings, tread on unfamiliar ground, do what no one else dares to do, become rich and famous, or just make a point by some action. This sense of achievement is inbuilt in human beings, from very minor desires to explosive space explorations. A good example could be aviation, which started off from a single-seater primitive aircraft but has grown into a multi-billion-dollar industry capable of carrying tons of cargo and hundreds of passengers in modern wide-bodied aircraft.
A common perception is that the process of travelling is sometimes more pleasurable than that of reaching the destination. Likewise, achievement is one thing, but the struggle to achieve is another. It happens in many cases where the longing to own something is quite intense, but the moment it comes into possession, the entire excitement suddenly gets diffused. For example, children usually demand a particular toy, but few manage to retain it, while others soon grow weary, abandoning it for another. This human trait continues to persist as a child grows into an adult. As we fix our goals from academics to career to marriage to children and so on, the passion for achievement fluctuates accordingly, and so do our inner sentiments.
Just as one needs fuel for fire, the importance of ambition in the march towards achievement cannot be understated. Needless to say, life goals are subjective to humans depending upon personal likes and dislikes, and so is the level of satisfaction and fulfilment. Where some can ruthlessly move forward at the expense of damaging others, both emotionally and physically, some would willingly give up their own passions to avoid hurting someone else. Whether intention is malicious or benevolent, anyone who is truly determined may ultimately succeed in achieving the goal, because then the entire universe gets involved. The question remains, then what?
The duration of self-satisfaction is shorter in cases where individualistic ambitions are met, but remarkably, it increases when these are related to a cause that extends its benefits to a wider audience. Psychologists say that one reason for a positive emotional state as a result of pro-social behaviour is the reinforcement of our sense of relatedness to others.
Our tunnel vision prevents us from broadening our spectrum to encompass the abundance with which we have been blessed
From a physical aspect, there is now neural evidence from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) suggesting a link between generosity and happiness, which means that a good deed activates the same (mesolimbic) regions of the brain that respond to monetary rewards, food or sex. The study, Feeling Good about Giving: The Benefits (and Costs) of Self-Interested Charitable Behaviour by Harvard Business School, goes on to reveal that mere intent and commitment to generosity can stimulate change and make people happier. It also helps in ameliorating the state of depression, which improves one’s emotional well-being.
Consider the present world scenario in which people, especially in developing and war-torn countries, are struggling to stay alive. Each day, they are battling with political, social and economic crises, living under the tension of leaving their children behind in volatile situations. Neither they nor their offspring have the advantages their counterparts may be enjoying in relatively stable societies. Again, being ‘children of a lesser god’, they are subjected to further torments by so-called world powers who continuously torture them courtesy of their own political henchmen, who are more than willing to bombard their own people. For the sake of their temporary desires, these lackeys can go to any extent to cheaply sell themselves, their countries and their people.
The question arises: how can the ‘insulted and the humiliated’ find reprieve from all these troubles? Although the answer is quite simple, its execution is onerous for the majority because it means bonding each person (friend or foe) in love and service to one another. It implies discovering our purpose in life that which is not the achievement of temporal gains but the creation of a congenial environment where every person has the opportunity to thrive.
This can only be accomplished when the fixed mindset (believing abilities are static) is replaced by a growth mindset (believing abilities can develop with effort). This would go a long way in improving persistence, learning and performance, giving birth to a strong society with enough resilience to scrap out idiocy and stooges from within.
This ‘gruelling’ solution requires a reset of many misconceptions that we carry in our minds when we consider ourselves different and unique from others in all aspects of life, without realising that we are actually ONE, meant to complement and not to discriminate. We desperately need to recall, if not all, then just a few pearls of wisdom left to us by our Holy Prophet (PBUH), when he called upon his ummah to consider each other’s lives and property sacred, not to indulge in exploitation, and to base the social set-up on equality, piety and good deeds.
Unfortunately, our tunnel vision prevents us from broadening our spectrum to encompass the abundance with which we have been blessed. Our myopic outlook has been failing us for long, and to worsen matters, the rat race we have thrown ourselves into is pulling us towards constant decline and chaos. Suppose only we can compose ourselves, silence our noisy minds, open up our hearts and care to see beyond our narrow vista. In that case, we can discover bounties that surpass our imagination — and it can all start from our inner calling to lend a helping hand rather than wasting time appeasing our iniquitous yearnings.
Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy believed that the sole purpose of life was to serve humanity. Winston Churchill is quoted as saying: “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.”