Webster’s defines ambition as “a particular goal or aim: something that a person hopes to do or achieve: a desire to be successful, powerful, or famous; a desire to do things and be active.
Generally in our society to be ambitious is considered a virtue. However, I am not too sure. Adolf Hitler was ambitious, so was Al Capone, but neither can be regarded as virtuous. Ambition is dangerous in my view unless it is directed to virtue. Success, whatever that means, powerful, and famous seem to me attributes of arrogance and pride.
Success, power, and fame are presented today as the keys to happiness, and the path to a worthwhile life. The media, self help books, pyramid schemes, lotteries are all geared to promote this illusion as reality. Men like Ford, Rockefeller, and other industrialists are held up as examples. Donald Trump and Bill Gates as well. Then Hollywood frames individuals, with money, success and fame. Tom Cruise, Elizabeth Taylor were crowned as being rich famous powerful and successful. The music industry does the same. It lifts up individuals who have extraordinary success, power and fame. Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin, Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson. They were led to disaster, divorces, unstable marriages, suicides and drug overdoses. Politicians, such as Nixon found success, power, and fame destructive. Continue reading Definition Essay on Ambition