by Manjit Handa
Most of us are baffled with idea that on the one hand there is this whole proposal of ‘one should be content’ and on the other hand there is this question of ‘if we are satisfied how are we going to progress?’ Zeal or Ambition, then, is not good.
If we look at the ancient texts, Ambition is a negative trait, looked down upon. But then those were different times. If the ancient era placed more importance on the concepts of Virtue and Vice (which were so clearly demarcated), the mantra of the modern times is ‘Money is power’. There is hardly a day in our lives when we do not encounter ourselves getting attracted to money or susceptible to this temptation. Games, lotteries, gambling, even TV shows which entail money are the most popular.
This is not to say that there is no place for Virtue in the modern society, although surely with the passage of time, the concept of Virtue has been few fine-tuned. Money is important and if you got it you give it to charity, be philanthropic, and so be virtuous. So does it mean that Ambition is fine as long as you are able to compensate by being charitable? Is being rich (materialistically) a bad thing after all? In any case not all get it by crook. Also, does it mean that working for accumulating more wealth was frowned upon in the olden days? Surely even then there was no asking for sitting idle as opposed to working (for money?). Because languishing around would make one diseased.
The basics have always remained the same. The greed of it was wrong then and so is it now. WORK is and should be the mantra.
As long as we do our work, which is worship (clichéd, but so are all adages), everything should be going in order. Being sincere at work or whatever we do and are fit for, and then basking in the glory of what we EARNED would not be avarice even in modern times. But slogging beyond the capacity, just so there is more, is wrong. It was wrong then, so is it now. Or thinking of vicious ways to make quick bucks is again wrong. To reach the acme of our potential is good—that is what could be termed ambition. To dream of materialism hoping that somehow your potential will be doubled, is a slippery idea again. We simply need to keep working. With it the potential will automatically unfold. And the returns will also come by. You will be surprised. It is all about focus, which is—your deed.
In the end it is all about balancing. The problem arises, only when we focus on the result whereas the contemplation should be action all the way. With this focus, we augment our Karma. Satisfaction should be with what is offered in the result and aspiration/ambition for the next day’s work. And thus, not only will we live fully on the superficial side but also within, consequently living wholesomely. Trust me, the shine of that gold never dims.
Striving for that gold. . .
Yours,
Manjit
