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Being Ambitious or Being Progressive: A subtle difference between the two

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It’s a tricky and contentious subject, I chose to write upon. I am sure it will invite a lot of favor as well as critic from the readers. Well, my objective anyhow was to stimulate a chain of thoughts in your minds.
This morning, the newspaper was abuzz with the news of Mr Azim Premji joining the Gates-Buffet charitable trust as the 1st Indian, where he vows to give away a major part of his wealth for philanthropy. Being such a rich man, he still drives a Toyota Corolla, prefers to not to stay in 5-star hotels and leads a very normal life devoid of any frills. I always remember what the great Warren Buffet once said, “If you want to be rich, stop acting rich”.
These are a few of those rare exemplary moments which have the potential to be a phenomenon. But unfortunately, in the world we witness today, even such novel ideas don’t have many takers. Please don’t assume that I am a profound philanthropist anyway but I certainly and firmly believe in the fact that un-necessary show of wealth is injurious to the entire humanity & if not at such high standards, one’s life ought to have a fine balance between many such extremes as a minimal effort from his side in order to contribute back to the society.
What I see clearly is that there exists a vicious circle being run perpetually by Greed and Ambitions. The show of wealth from a neighbor gives birth to Greed which in turn becomes an ambition for which one could even dedicate the whole life. This ambition once in existence transforms the person into a hungry animal. The Dark side of the person wakes up and without any realization he/she starts moving in a direction which gives only the materialistic benefits and actually is devoid of actual happiness and growth to be a real Human being. Those are the moments when the priorities are so much changed that the only important thing is to be the “First” among those myopic people running and competing against each other. Soon, the senses are lost so much that it’s only the “Position” which matters while the means by which the position is secured lose the importance. The sense of “Right and Wrong” goes berserk. Most importantly, this frame of mind of being ambitious is so addictive that the entire life loses the meaning behind the demon sized EGO.
I am an ardent follower of the great recital by Lord Krishna, Srimad Bhagwad Gita and I here see the world becoming a beautiful place if everybody just focuses on the Karma, they do. If the means to achieve anything is right, nothing wrong can ever happen. For such basic sense to prevail, one needs to love and respect the world he is into. I call such a person a progressive person who competes only with himself and always tries to be a better person/professional than his/her previous self. While, an ambitious person would see the world as his adversary, a progressive person would know the same world as his home and a teacher from where the greatest wisdom and knowledge to achieve the greatest is received.
May the lord bless all of us, may the world be a beautiful place to live, may the people be happy always. 
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Comments

  1. Rummy2/21/13, 10:50 PM

    I couldn't agree more with you..Half of the decisions modern India is making today are based on what others have rather than what they actually need..

    ReplyDelete
  2. abhisht5/23/13, 5:36 AM

    I am really speechless to see the depth of your writing. It reveals each and every bit you feel and want to express. Such a fine a writing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The Iconoclast5/23/13, 7:06 AM

    thanks bro...:)

    ReplyDelete
  4. bhikubhai9/24/13, 9:31 PM

    Excellent write up. I felt happy to read, yet there are few deeper thoughts that came rushing in to my mind, which asked this question, that just the surface ego or self esteem is the cause of manifestation of Rat race or killer competition? or is there a sub-conscious fear of uncertainty/survival that silently sits on the driving wheel?

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    Replies
    1. The Iconoclast9/24/13, 9:51 PM

      Thanks for the appreciation and your insight. I think there is no single reason which can explain such mind set, reasons vary for various people.... but yes, it could be a syncretic result of all those negative phenomenon. They say...the wild side of man is too wild for the nature to adapt with...:)

      Delete

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