Ambition

When you ask a child what he wants to do when he grows up, he will likely respond with great ambition. He might want to be president. Maybe he wants to be a football player in the superbowl. A firefighter. A superhero. Maybe he wants to walk on the moon.

Society robs children. It robs them of ideas, of belief, of truth. Worst of all, it robs them of ambition. Institutionalized education, parental explanation, focus on reasonable future occupations--they dull the sharp edges of childhood dreams. Grinding and grinding, until the knife of aspiration is nothing more than a blunt stick. They learn practical knowledge, but also adopt practical dreams and practical desires. Who are we to define practicality?

The ones who cling tightly to that ambition, that innocent fascination with lofty goals...the ones who contain the fierce desires to achieve, to become, to fly; those are the survivors. They are survivors of relentless although unintentional antagonization, of being told what is "reasonable" and what is out of reach.

When you ask an adult what he wants to do when he grows up, he will likely respond with confusion. Unless of course he is one of those few. Then he may say he would like to be president. A superhero. Maybe he would like to walk on the moon.

Current Mood: Placid

Listening To: "Impend" by Matin O'Donnell