Standalone Essays · Triad of Stewardship

Ambition: The Inner Struggle and the Healthy Drive

The Sojourner’s Compass opens its treatment of ambition with a warning about the whispers of the “Darkness.” That Darkness represents the inherent tendency towards selfishness, wickedness, and immorality present in all humans. It emphasizes that this darkness is a constant threat to our well-being and morality, requiring constant vigilance and effort to resist.

A few basic points follow. The Darkness affects everyone, making us vulnerable to negative influences and behavior. Sojourners must acknowledge and be realistic about its presence within themselves and others. Each person has some degree of darkness, which manifests as a predilection for negative behavior. To combat it, one must embrace the Light and reject the negative works that Darkness produces. The battle against Darkness takes place primarily within ourselves, though it is also a factor in our interactions with others. It is crucial to guard one’s mind against Darkness by focusing on the Ideal and maintaining a sense of purpose. And compassion can help prevent Darkness from taking over and causing chaos in society.

The Darkness, in short, is a universal human struggle that I have come to believe can be managed through awareness, self-discipline, and compassion. By actively resisting the Darkness within and around us, we can strive for a more enlightened and moral existence.

This struggle against a darkness inside of us is not unique to Sojournism. The answers will be different depending on who is in the room, but the echoes are everywhere. Christianity speaks of the inner struggle between the Spirit and the flesh (Galatians 5:17), which could be interpreted as a struggle between light and darkness. Buddhism’s “Three Poisons” — attachment, aversion, and ignorance — can be seen as representing the dark or negative aspects of the human mind that must be overcome through mindfulness and meditation. The Bhagavad Gita describes the struggle between the higher self (atman) and the lower self (ego), which can be seen as a metaphor for the same battle. Islam speaks of the struggle between the path of Allah, the Straight Path, and the path of Shaytan. Both Stoicism and Confucianism contain similar concepts, even if they do not use those exact terms. The Stoic idea of the “dichotomy of control” emphasizes focusing on what we can control — our thoughts and actions — rather than what we cannot; I read this as a struggle between the rational, virtuous part of ourselves and the irrational, emotional part. In Confucianism, the concept of “ren” (benevolence, humaneness) is central, and it could be seen as a struggle between our natural selfishness and the higher ideal of benevolence.

If both the secular philosophies and the religions of more than eighty percent of humanity all describe this dark tendency, the conclusion seems clear: this is a universal human experience. There is something inherent in human nature that inclines us towards selfishness, immorality, or negative behavior. Recognizing and addressing this tendency is an important part of the human experience across cultures and belief systems. The struggle between light and darkness, good and evil, virtue and vice is a universal theme that transcends cultural, religious, and philosophical boundaries. And addressing it requires self-awareness, self-control, and a commitment to cultivating positive qualities such as empathy, compassion, and morality.

Against this backdrop, ambition is not necessarily a bad thing. The Compass observes that “it is not likely that you will ever be successful without some form of ambition.” Ambition can be a positive force if channeled correctly. The key difference between healthy and unhealthy ambition lies in the motivation and the impact on oneself and others.

Healthy ambition is driven by a desire for personal growth, learning, and contributing positively to society. It is focused on achieving goals that are aligned with one’s values and purpose. It does not involve stepping on others or engaging in unethical behavior to achieve success. And it brings a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction, rather than just the accumulation of power or wealth. Unhealthy ambition, by contrast, is driven by a desire for power, status, or material possessions. It is focused on achieving success at any cost, even if that means compromising one’s values or harming others. It often leads to stress, burnout, and a lack of fulfillment, and it can create negative consequences for oneself and others.

We can suffer what the Compass calls “mission creep” when we let our eyes wander off the goal of the Ideal, of helping people, or of creating beauty, and onto the more primitive, atavistic impulses of “more” — more money, more toys, more sycophants, more power, more lovers, just more. It is worth admitting that this is precisely the message Western culture often preaches. This consumerist mentality, which encourages individuals to continuously strive for more wealth, possessions, and power, can indeed be seen as a driving force behind many aspects of Western society, including its economy and its strategic decisions. The problem arises when the pursuit of “more” becomes the primary focus, overshadowing the higher ideals of helping others, creating beauty, or pursuing a sense of purpose and fulfillment. That is the shift the Compass calls mission creep: the original goals and values lost in favor of materialistic pursuits. Ambition and success can be positive forces, but they must be balanced with a sense of responsibility and empathy towards others, as well as a commitment to higher ideals. Otherwise we risk falling into the trap of unbridled greed and self-interest.

And yet, as the Compass insists, there is nothing wrong with “more” in and of itself. More love, service, peace, and purity are more, yet they rarely find preeminence on the world stage. Most people, asked directly, would say they would love to live in a society marked by these things. So why don’t they commonly find preeminence in the world’s values? Several factors are at work. Greed and self-interest, as already noted, can overshadow the pursuit of higher values. Short-term thinking leads many individuals and societies to prioritize immediate gains over long-term sustainability and well-being. A lack of education and awareness means some people are not even aware of the importance of these higher values, or lack the tools to cultivate them. And cultural and social norms, in some societies, prize material wealth and power over the higher goods. Despite these challenges, it remains important to keep striving towards a world where love, service, peace, and purity are valued and prioritized. Even though these may not come to fruition within our lifetimes, they remain valuable goals nevertheless. Simply striving for such things is inherently useful, because even if the struggle doesn’t significantly change society, it changes us.

Our day jobs can serve as an arena in which we work on our ambition to achieve a closer approximation of the Ideal. There are concrete things we can do on the job that improve our own character and may draw others further down the path. Practice integrity: always act ethically and honestly in your work, even when it’s difficult or inconvenient. This builds your own character and sets an example for others. Cultivate empathy: try to understand the needs and perspectives of your colleagues, clients, or customers. Do your part in such a way that it sets up others for success. If you can build a wall in a manner that makes the drywaller’s job easier, do it that way. Too many times I’ve seen situations where a contractor is shaking his head at a mess he’s having to deal with and he mutters “FTNG!” It stands for “F… the next guy.” What it means is that the guy before him did the bare minimum to get his part done and left the mess for the next worker. Don’t be that guy. Everybody hates that guy.

Pursue excellence: strive to do your best work and continuously improve your skills and knowledge. This helps you feel more fulfilled and inspires others to do the same. Advocate for positive change: if you see areas where your workplace could be more aligned with the Ideal, speak up and suggest changes. The construction industry, for example, puts more waste material into landfills than all the households of America combined. If you can see a way to reduce that stream, implement it and encourage others to do the same. And practice gratitude: develop a habit of expressing thanks to your colleagues and superiors for their hard work and support. When a client discusses a job with you, thank them for their time. When a co-worker hands you a tool, say “Thank you.” When a colleague cooperates with you, encourage more of it by showing your gratitude and praising them for their foresight.

The best ambition you can ever have is internal. With so much economic, social, political, judicial, and ecological injustice — with wars and famines and climate change threats — it may seem strange that the Compass presents internal ambition, the drive to be the best we can be, as of the highest importance. But it recognizes that lasting change and progress must come from within. External problems like injustice, war, and environmental threats are pressing issues that require our attention; addressing them ultimately requires individuals who are committed to personal growth and positive change. By focusing on internal ambition, we develop the character, skills, and knowledge needed to address external problems effectively. Personal growth can make us more compassionate and empathetic, which motivates us to work toward social and economic justice. Developing critical thinking and problem-solving can help us find innovative solutions to complex problems like climate change. Cultivating inner strength and resilience can help us persevere in the face of adversity. Internal ambition, in short, is not meant to distract from external problems but to empower us to address them more effectively.

Part of the Triad of Stewardship’s Standalone Essays. Companion pieces: Forgiveness and Its Limits (forthcoming) · The Mandates of Conflict · Criminal Justice.