Is Your Ambition Blind?
In your quest to be your absolute best, your constant dedication to evolve yourself, do you smell the roses? The story of Josh Waitzkin is a wonderful illustration of someone who was very clear about his values as a young boy, despite outside figures trying to impose their world on him, attempting to live their own dreams through him. But Josh taught us how to pursue excellence while staying conscious of the importance of valuing other human beings along the way. If you and I are honest, we’ve treated human beings as means to an end at some point in our life. At some point, and maybe you are doing this right now, you have looked at a relationship with a co-worker, a customer, or someone with a big position as a means to an end.
In the process you totally betrayed the noble essence of man and the endless beauty of his soul that Allah SWT endowed each of us with. Never should we make the mistake of stepping on others or over looking others for a material end. We see in the example of the Prophet SAAS that even with his staunchest enemies, his concern was their eternal well-being over the expedience of simply defeating them and moving forward. Many times, the most famous being the conquest of Makkah, the Prophet SAAS had an easy opportunity and just cause to dispose of those who betrayed him and sought to end his life. However, he did not look at humans as a means. He cared about their well being especially in the hereafter above all else.
Josh Waitzkin actually offers a lot in the field of personal development. He is a critic of the modern system of learning and has dedicated his adult life to understanding what the ideal learning conditions are. However, as a boy, he taught us that winning in life should not be at the expense of others unless they insist. Pull people along with you. See how they can win before you worry about your own victory. Watch this video and post your gems:
For those interested in his work toward the art of learning and what are the optimal ingredients, you’ll enjoy this:
