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| Image credit: Gavin Mills |
Recently, I read the book Catch a Falling Star by Kim Culbertson. It was enjoyable, and the part that struck a chord with me was one of the conflicts that the main character Carter faces. She used to be a dancer, and we find out later in the book that the reason she stopped is because it stopped being fun for her.She felt so much pressure from others to excel, to accept a scholarship to a premier dancing school, and to seek a career as a dancer. After hearing about how competitive, rigorous, and stressful a professional dancer's life is, Carter decided that it wasn't for her and quit dancing altogether.
I can empathize with her. It seems like from the womb, there's so much pressure from home and school to "succeed," "reach for the stars," "get ahead," etc. What does success really mean? Is it the same for everyone? Why should we reach for the stars? What's wrong with the good ol' Earth? Who are we trying to get ahead of? Does this stuff really matter?
Of course, a big part of this is the capitalistic society that we live in. In capitalism, it's important for people to produce goods and make enough money to consume goods. The not-so-subtle subtext of the pressure to succeed is to get a high-paying job. If you ask any college student in the U.S. why they go the college, the number one answer will probably be to make more money.
The irony is that I love capitalism. Ask anyone in my family and they'll tell you. I love the freedom it brings and how effective it is at running the economy (in most cases). I've just never been into the whole idea of being the best and making lots of money. When I think of a job, the top priorities are steady, consistent hours with little to no overtime and something that I find at least some joy or satisfaction in doing. I don't want it to be something I love because there's nothing worse than being forced to do something you love. I'm reminded of Calvin and Hobbes, when Calvin realizes that summer vacation is almost over, so he forces Hobbes and himself into a strict regime to pack as much fun into the rest of summer as possible. Forced fun isn't fun.
Is it okay to lack ambition? Is it okay to seek a simple life? Is it okay to dream small?
This is something I thought about a lot maybe a couple years ago. I could write a whole thing about it. But.
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For some reason, I always thought about Buddha. What's less ambitious or more satisfying than being a simple and humble follower of Buddha? (Okay, I don't know anything about Buddhism.) And yet Buddha himself spread his word across his country.
Ambition isn't always about money.
Thumbs up.
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