New Cities/New Soviets

December 16, 2004

Success/Ambition

Gen Xers made a mistake when they ditched ambition. They hated their parent's ambitions, and rightly so, but one ambition can only be vanquished by another. In fact, Gen X's refusal of self-created ambitions, of their own standards for success, has lead them back into the very ruts they hoped to escape by abandoning ambition.

Success, like motivation, like any artifice, is a prosthesis for desire and can be its trap—I have seen more than one of my friends foundering as they try to succeed on their parents' terms. Even worse, you could settle for simply seeking praise without even having true ambition.

But ambition is not inherently a trap. On the contrary, I am becoming convinced it is an indespensable tool for structuring motivation; for weathering the vicissitudes of fortune.

I have the mixed blessing of not seeing my life by the terms of anyone else's ambition. I have no clear path laid out for me.

For many years now, one thing have been clear to me—my fervent desire to see the abolition of class society. This has been my guiding star, but it remains beyond the practical scope of personal ambition. Here on earth, too, I have a clarity—my burning love for Molly, but it is no more workable a material from which to draft ambition. I cannot overcome love, it has overcome me; it cannot be my object, only a place to dwell.

Compared to these absolutes of shared desire, my personal destiny must always be relative, experimental. Nonetheless, it must be.

Posted by Sam at December 16, 2004 03:15 AM

all blogs should be so honest and clear eyed

Posted by: pink at December 16, 2004 10:38 AM

you got the doubler xers down right

abdocate your path choice

fail to sail
just drift
and
the prevailing
foul "trade" currents
just
blow ya where they will

Posted by: meat me at December 16, 2004 12:57 PM

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