Ambition is a passion, at once strong and insidious, and is very apt to cheet (sic) a man out of his happiness and his true respectability of character.--Edward Bates
Bates who went on to become Abraham Lincoln's attorney general was speaking of his personal perspective at a time when he and others including Lincoln were being considered for nomination to the Presidency. We all today might find a measure of wisdom in the thought.
Ambition is
an ardent desire for rank, fame, or power
We see increasing amounts of this apparent desire among so many in the political ranks today. There is much to be said for having ambition if one is able to direct that feeling to productive efforts. Lacking the drive to be successful in any endeavor will often lead to failure and collapse of the effort instead of success.
Ambition is like unto a team of horses pulling a fine carriage in my mind. The team needs a firm hand on the reins. A good driver knows each member of the team and recognizes their strong points as well as their weaknesses. With a firm idea of the trip ahead a driver can make the trek so much better for all concerned. Letting go of the reins or letting that team take more control may lead to one bumpy ride for the passengers and the driver, too.
In the world of American politics today there are many driving forces with which to be reckoned. Money is always an issue. No campaign ever has too much money. Trust me on that one. And people are another big concern. No politician wishing to be successful ever turned away the people who volunteer time and energy to be helpful. Experience in the community and in the ranks of the local political establishment is also helpful to the success of a campaign.
For many today the final piece of qualification for political campaigning is that personal ambition that drives a person to strive for new heights of public recognition. In too many instances the individual then finds him/herself losing whatever measure of personal integrity may have been in place at the onset of the political process. Too many find themselves in the position of bending principles in order to placate one group or another and therefore gain support. In the end one is in danger of losing personal integrity altogether if the hand on the reins is not firm and steady.
How can one guard against ambition that drives the wrong ways? Can one do so at all? I suggest that all of us have measures of ambition that keep us moving toward our goals in life. How do we assure ourselves that we are making a positive difference in the world and not moving toward personal reward that helps no one but ourselves?
We can start by examining our motives. We can move to a hard look at the reality of our life as it stands today. For myself there are a few questions I find helpful. Is my goal going to further life for any other person? Is my success going to mean any person outside my immediate family finds their life improved in some way? Or is the entire issue about me and personal rewards that benefit no one else? If I can answer the questions in a manner that means society benefits and be honest in my thinking I know the process is a good one and is outside personal ambition. Then the process of keeping to the straight and narrow must begin.
Ambition is not only a powerful driving force, but as Judge Bates suggested the effect can be insidious. A person may not recognize the losses in one's self until too late unless the safeguards are set in place early on in life. One needs trustworthy and reliable friends who are willing to point out any deviation from the established course. With enough careful attention paid to the entire process ambition can be the driving force that puts real fire in the belly of any course in life. Ambition drives each of us to heights in life which may otherwise not be attained. The trick for every one is to keep that ambition under control and directed to the overall good of society.
Together we can stand for a new tomorrow. If we all direct our personal ambition toward the good of society in general a tidal wave of glorious redirection may result. If we continue to allow personal ambition to drive toward goals of any individual we are bound to continue our downward trend of the past several years.
How many politicians today do we see progress through the ranks of local and state government to end in Congress or some other high ranking political position? Did any one of the begin the process by thinking only of themselves? I believe most people who enter the political arena today do so with good intentions. It is the ambition that sneaks in and takes over for far too many.
And what are we the voters to do about all this? Can we effect a change in the system to insure we have the best candidates with our interests in mind in office? Or is the process too heavy with its own inertia to provide the opportunity for people with new ideas to be successful? Or is the system already populated with people whose ambition is for the good of the people so no change is really needed in the first place?