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Is being "ambitious" ; automatically a good thing?

(34 Posts)
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Eloethan Fri 26-Apr-13 17:11:30

Governments, and particularly this government, are always praising ambition and implying that it is only through the efforts of ambitious individuals that society will progress.

I believe that ambition is not necessarily a good thing and it is only when it is combined with social awareness/responsibility that it is good for society as a whole. Those individuals who are primarily ambitious to gain power, influence and money can, I think, cause great damage. I would suggest that many of the people who have achieved top positions in government, business, academia, etc., are often described in the media as "ambitious". But very ambitious people can also be very ruthless people who only have "principles" when it is advantageous to do so and who are motivated primarily by self interest.

I'm therefore uncomfortable with the idealizing of ambition and wonder what other people think.

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Sel Fri 26-Apr-13 22:49:44

nanaej no argument with that.

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laidback Sat 27-Apr-13 04:01:59

Oh this is interesting. I work in the Arts. Many people I work with are incredibly ambitious. They need/ want to be seen as innovative and original. My job is to encourage and facilitate their ideas and bring them to fruition.I'm not ambitious in that respect. If a determined project interests me I'll climb on board n do my utmost to make it happen. Ultimately I am not ambitious, I don't need to be seen to be doing or achieving a certain thang, but I do aspire to be the best I can be at what I do.I do get a hell of a lot of freelance work by being incredibly intuiative and supportive and working alongside brilliant people, and at a practical level making it all happen.

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absent Sat 27-Apr-13 07:37:19

Was there a granny race in the Olympics – and we won medals? grin

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vampirequeen Sat 27-Apr-13 10:32:48

Oooh I love the idea of the 100m zimmer with or without shopper basket smile

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Butty Sat 27-Apr-13 12:18:25

ej and Laidback - Enjoyed both posts.

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gracesmum Sat 27-Apr-13 17:46:13

I won the granny race at GDS's Nursery "Olympics" !! There was only one other competitor - a grandpa and he very gallantly let me win didn't object to being beaten grin

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annodomini Sat 27-Apr-13 19:12:47

gracesmum what a boring play Macbeth would have been if Shakespeare had been historically accurate; not to mention Richard III.

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absent Sat 27-Apr-13 19:34:56

Shakespeare was a dramatist, not a historian. He was, however, a smart politician when it came to the fortunes of the King's Men.

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