Greed or Ambition?

Where does the line fall between greed and ambition? What separates a successful individual we study in history books from a man scorned for his voracity? Well obviously, it’s the decisions that both of those groups make. There are vultures on Wall Street who chose to cut corners and violate regulations to gain wealth and notoriety, but there are even more folks who worked hard within the rules to build success. Those were choices made, the easy road or the honest one.

I want to delve a little deeper into the issue, really create a conundrum. I want to explore the internal struggle of the men and women mentioned above. For some, I’m sure there isn’t much of a struggle. To them, the benefit greatly outweighs the risk and it’s not a tough decision. For most (hopefully), there is a much greater internal debate. I’m not just talking about the Wall Street example here, I want to include anyone and everyone. Consider situations of choice between good and corrupt as well as the struggles of those who are simply struggling.

Let me give you an example. There is a man, let’s call him Ned, who really does not like his job. He is educated, motivated, works hard and has goals set for himself. Still, try as he might he just can’t seem to break into a better occupational situation for himself. Application after application, there is still no interest. He begins to feel hopeless and trapped. He truly struggles through his everyday situation, knowing that he is capable of much more. This is just the beginning of an internal self-examination.

Ned’s faith tells him that he should be thankful for the job that he has and to work hard and be the best man he can be (but not by joining the Army). Society tells him that in order to be thought of as a success, he must earn more and do something more valuable. History tells him that it is possible. Yet, his status remains unchanged. At this point, the human psyche begins to run wild.

Shawn Carter is a high school dropout who sold drugs as a young man to support himself. He worked incredibly hard to launch a music career, start a record label and clothing line and is now estimated to be worth $500 million. You might recognize him by his well-known alias, Jay-Z.

Andrew Carnegie was a poor Scottish immigrant who worked in a factory at age 13 to help support his family. By the time he reached middle age, he was a wealthy man with investments in the railroad and steel industries. Doubtless he was helped by the demands of war and a little bit of luck, but he was said to have been relentless in his work ethic and pursuit of knowledge (he also dedicated mass amounts of time and money to numerous charitable endeavors).

So Ned might well wonder, what separates him from the two “rags to riches” examples above? He did well in school, went to college and works hard every day. Yet, he wants more for himself. He wants to think of himself as a success. That might mean different things for different people, however. For one it could mean simply having a job he or she is proud of and a family to love and support. For another it might mean making some kind of Forbes list. But no matter the goal or the motivation, the same struggle exists when one isn’t where he wants to be.

Does this make all men inherently greedy? Wanting more than he or she has. Should we be happy with what we’ve got if that includes health and a roof? Can we learn to be truly happy with our situation even if we often yearn for a better career?

According to Merriam-Webster, these thoughts don’t necessarily make one greedy. Greed is defined as the wanting of more than is necessary, more than one needs. Now it can be argued as to whether one needs to have a job that they enjoy or at least one from which they feel some sense of pride or accomplishment. I believe that this is indeed an important part of true happiness.

Sure, we can learn to appreciate the positives of any job but we will always want to know what it’s like to be satisfied with what we do. Don’t feel guilty for wanting more than you have. Feel guilty when you start to want more than you need. Then think about those who just want contentment.

Ned doesn’t need $500 million. When he finds himself in a rewarding career he’ll feel like ten Andrew Carnegies.


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Wikipedia was used to compile the Jay-Z and Andrew Carnegie bios.