A philosophical question I’ve been interested in: “Why is it that ambition is considered both good and bad at the same time?”

First of all, if we look into the etymology of the word “ambition” it cones from ambitio (Latin), which means to go around and canvass for votes.

So in Roman times, ambition was this:

You were power-hungry, and wanted to climb the ranks of politics. Thus you would go around Rome, and kiss asses to get people to vote for you to become some political position.

So a lot of philosophers like Seneca saw ambition as an ethical bad thing, because he deemed it unhonorable to spend your life, just seeking more power and influence, via bribing people to vote for you.

eric kim street photography hanoi-0011161

eric kim street photography hanoi-0008503

eric kim street photography hanoi-0005399

eric kim street photography hanoi - old woman

eric kim black and white street photography hanoi-0012176-PICK HANOI

eric kim black and white street photography hanoi-0012086-EYE ERIC

eric kim black and white photography hanoi-0010454

eric kim black and white photography hanoi-0010386

eric kim black and white photography hanoi - monochrome - ricoh gr ii - 28mm-1070769

eric kim photography hanoi-0007367 cindy project elevator

eric-kim-black-and-white-street-photography-hanoi-0012076-1 kevin hand

rolex - black and white - eric-kim-black-and-white-street-photography-hanoi-0012281

eric-kim-street-photography-hanoi-0002040-31002151735.jpg

Fast forward to modern times: ambition is seen as a good thing, especially in America. We are told to be more ambitious, to dream bigger, and to attempt more epic stuff in life.

At the base core, ambition means literally to “go around”, to travel around a lot, and move around a lot.

For myself, I generally think that this is a good thing; to move around a lot, to experience a lot of novel things, and to explore the world. It’s better than being static and standing still.

Biologically, humans are nomads; designed to walk long distances (we are bipeds, which are more effective at walking long distances with little fatigue), have a diverse array of stimuli, and to explore.

So to “go” around a lot, I think, is good for us.

Now, the other question is this:

Is it desirable or good to become more influential, to have more followers, to have more power (social, political, economic)?

For myself the answer is “yes”, as long as your intentions are good.

If you truly believe that you have good ideas, good art, and good stuff that can help empower others or inspire/motivate others, I think it’s your duty to be ambitious! To attempt greater things, to move around more and to accumulate more influence!

Now, how to become more influential and ambitious is another issue. I will tackle these ideas soon too.

STAY HUNGRY, STAY FOOLISH!
ERIC