Ambition!
Part of the continuing Blogger’s Consortium series with simultaneous posts on the topic being done by Ashok, Grannymar and Ramana – in alphabetical order.
God’s creation of Adam, Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel ceiling -
Ambition, Definition 1: Desire for exertion or activity; energy!
Lucifer from Dante’s Inferno –
Ambition, Definition 2: An eager or strong desire to achieve something, such as fame or power..
If you look at these two famous figures from the Judeo-Christian firmament, you are looking at two faces of ambition! God, overflowing with limitless divine energy passing the spark of life to Adam. And, as is typical of humans – and, I suspect of Michelangelo’s subtle sense of humor – Adam doesn’t really look like he is working at it very hard, now does he? Look at his left hand. He looks like he’s been smoking the plants in Eden for an afternoon! But, God on the other hand, is into it. He really wants this to work and all the angels and cherubim want to see his work literally get off the ground!
Lucifer on the other hand, is plotting, “There has to be a way to wrest control of this ship. I know He’s BIG, but I think He’s naive. Not street smart, you know? I think it’s possible…”
And so it goes. I always felt bad for Job, essentially a sacrifice to a bet by Satan that God pretty much took up on a dare. I mean, if you read the story, they took players off the board to see how Job would react. Bad for Job, to put it mildly, but REALLY rough on the family members. But, Satan thought he saw an opening, you know.
Then, he tries to offer every sell-it-out prize he could think up to God’s Son, so that He would come to the Dark Side. None of this has worked so far, but we are reminded that Satan is always looking for an opening.
I have always taken these tales as a projection of the human inner struggle, an effort to make sense of a world that neither seems fair nor safe. But as projections of that inner conflict, isn’t it interesting how they represent two faces of ambition, one creative, one destructive? And humans needing to choose sides.
Now, PBS and Bill Moyers have done a marvelous show on “The Evolution of God” and those interested can see the video and read the transcript here:
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07172009/watch2.html
Lest you think me too flippant above, what I am really aiming at is an understanding referred to here in the piece:
BILL MOYERS: So, did god begin as a figment of the human imagination?
ROBERT WRIGHT: I would say so. Now, I don’t think that precludes the possibility that as ideas about god have evolved people have moved closer to something that may be the truth about ultimate purpose and ultimate meaning.
I don’t go quite the same direction as Wright on this. I don’t believe God to be merely a figment of the imagination, but I think it pretty fruitless to argue the point. You would see me somewhat lethargic on the issue of trying to convince another one way or the other, somewhat like our Adam above. It is my personal belief that there is a definite super-real essence there, but that any of our efforts to define it are merely our projections onto something indefinable. Whether you share this belief or not is immaterial to me as long as your path is leading you toward a truth about ultimate purpose and ultimate meaning.
I think our understanding of the positive and negative nature of ambition is just one of our Western evolutionary steps. I think the Eastern path to be quite different. And, however you conceive it – I think it is just part of our return to the Divine!
But, along the way back, humans, of course, put their own indelible stamp on ambition. To wit, this ambitious attempt at gainful employment:
Attempted robbery ends with torn genitals, Viagra hangover
By staff writers
NEWS.com.au
July 22, 2009 01:33pm
THE attempted armed robbery of a Russian hairdresser became a three-day sex ordeal for the would-be thief, leaving him with torn genitals and a Viagra hangover.
IT website The Register reports the man, known as Viktor, tried to rob the hairdresser in the town of Meshchovsk.
The owner, 28-year-old Olga, agreed to hand over the takings but as she was giving him the money, used her karate skills to knock him to the ground and tie him up with a hairdryer cord. She then locked him in the storeroom and told colleagues she’d call the police.
However, she instead stripped him and cuffed him to a heater with a pair of fluffy pink handcuffs. She then fed him Viagra and raped him several times over the next four days.
When finally released, Viktor went first to hospital for treatment for his torn frenulum, and then reported Olga to the police. When she was arrested, Olga reported him for robbery.
“What a b**tard,” she complained.
“Yes, we had sex a couple of times. But I’ve bought him new jeans, gave him food and even gave him 1000 rubles when he left.”
Viktor admitted she had fed him well.
Both graphics from Wikipedia Commons and have expired copyrights.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Tags: Ambition, Bloggers, God, Satan
I have said it before and I will say it again, each of your takes on the consortium topics always spell creativity. Lucifer’s thinking couldn’t have been better presented I suppose. Off topic, but might I suggest this sitcom called “The Reaper”.
I also came accross that article about the Russian robber. Poor bloke, ambition can prove to be a trouble maker sometimes.
Ashok´s last blog ..Loose Consortium Presents…… Episode III
Conrad, my topi off to you again. “Only you” by the platters, remember them? comes to mind.
All that the Platters would need now to prolong that song a bit more will be to say something about how, only you can go from the sublime to the hilarious.
We shall meet up there friend and play Mahjong!
Rummuser´s last blog ..Ambition.
Adam was a limp wimp! It only took an apple to knock him off his perch!
Looks like I need to learn how to speed read as well as play Mahjong to keep up with you guys!!
Grannymar´s last blog ..Ambition
Don’t forget, God didn’t want Adam and Eve to have to do anything but enjoy themselves and obey Him. He may have been passing on the spark of life, but Adam wasn’t supposed to do anything creative with it. He wasn’t supposed to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. But, as we all know, not everyone would be content to be a kept man or woman, shut down his/her mind and give up his/her freedom. Just ask Viktor. .
Jean Browman–Cheerful Monk´s last blog ..Encouragement
Oops! That extra last period should have been
Jean Browman–Cheerful Monk´s last blog ..Encouragement
Ashok, that article was sent to me this morning (CA time) by none other than the Grand Old Man! The GOM got it to me JUST in time to make it into this post. Then he dared me to put it in a blog.
I had to do it. He escalates from that point and I knew that double-dog dare was coming next!
Ramana, I have no doubt we will meet up there! The heavens will reverberate with our thunderous peels of laughter.
Thank you – and I LOVE the Platters!
Grannymar, if you get that hip fixed up and learn the Martial Arts – very closely aligned with the Marital Arts – I could see you pulling off that last caper!
Yeah, Jean, if you read Ramana’s post on ambition, I think you will find that we have the new Adam! As he was meant to be.
Well, other than the obedience part…
Conrad, My capers are in my Tartar sauce these days!
Grannymar´s last blog ..Ambition
Dang, that sounds painful and confusing!
Conrad,
Rummuser as the new Adam? Does that mean he’s a limp wimp in Grannymar’s terms? How do you feel about that, Rummuser?
Jean Browman–Cheerful Monk´s last blog ..Encouragement
@Jean, Ha Ha! I must send Ramana an apple and see if he is bowled over and out.
Grannymar´s last blog ..Out to Lunch
Me, I am content to be the limp wimp and be mollycoddled by Grannymar. What the hell! If Adam can look like that, imagine what Eve would like? I am willing to enjoy myself and obey HIM.
I am through disobeying my superiors! I have already committed myself to be Grannymar’s shishya, which is even better than her being my superior!
Rummuser´s last blog ..Ambition.
@Ramana, does tat mean you can blame me for everything?
Grannymar´s last blog ..Out to Lunch
Jean hit the nail right on the head. Would you want to be a kept woman & enjoy yourself but limit any other knowledge? NO
Grannymar You said Adam IS a limp wimp but I read that– Adam HAS a limp wimp–very noticeable.
Bhb Can you hear my laughter? That is so funny. Best laugh of the day.
Grannymar´s last blog ..Out to Lunch
@ Conrad: What can I say, we guys will always be the same no matter what our ages are
Ashok´s last blog ..Loose Consortium Presents…… Episode III
Conrad, you wrote: “I don’t go quite the same direction as Wright on this. I don’t believe God to be merely a figment of the imagination, but I think it pretty fruitless to argue the point. You would see me somewhat lethargic on the issue of trying to convince another one way or the other, somewhat like our Adam above. It is my personal belief that there is a definite super-real essence there, but that any of our efforts to define it are merely our projections onto something indefinable. Whether you share this belief or not is immaterial to me as long as your path is leading you toward a truth about ultimate purpose and ultimate meaning.”
I interpret what Wright is saying as being the same as what you are saying. He was not saying that God is a figment of the imagination, but that early man’s intimations of God began as figments of the imagination, which may or may not have been refined over time to something closer to God’s true nature. And I agree with you–God is a wild god and beyond our thinking boxes, and so trying to pin Her down is illusion. Karen Armstrong quoted the Koran in that video I cited earlier where it calls religious opinion or orthodoxy “Zana” (sic), self indulgent guesswork about matters no one can be certain of one way or another but which makes people quarrelsome and stupidly sectarian.
I think your refinement of my statement is accurate, Rhonda. I’m not so sure that God is a wild god so much as a superset essence. Since that essence fully contains our being, by definition we can’t describe it. I am quite rusty, but Kurt Gödel mathematically may have proven this – or, at least something very close.
Ashok, given the chance, women treat us like objects! Boy toys indeed.
Wild = superset in my mind. From our point of view, wild, unpredictable because we, being within the set, cannot comprehend the context from which to define consistent meaning, if that is a characteristic.
Excellent! It sounds like we fully agree!