AGGRESSION HAS NO EARS

 

“Aggression has no ears.”

Mahrukh Memon

I am a believer in ambition. Honestly, to realize any of our dreams – whether it means academic excellence, good health, good relationships, success in business, or even conquering the world like Alexander-the-Great – yes, the way through is only ambition. Saints and Satans, both, are driven by the same fuel - ambition…

But, but, but… The difference in our approach lies in the ‘means’ we adopt to achieve our respective ‘ends’…

As Mahatma Gandhi said, our means are as important as our ends. I would go a step further and say, our means are more important than our ends!

As humans, you and I want to progress in life. None of us looks below for our inspiration; we all look above. So, the rich and the famous, the bold and the beautiful have always been our weakness. And, along that route, some of us lose our way…

Some of us, mercifully, don’t…

Dhirubhai Ambani built the largest business-empire in a very short time. But, his means, always, remained questionable. Well, his kingdom got divided between his two young sons – Mukesh and Anil. And, there they are, right in front of our eyes… One is hailed as the richest man in our country… The other?

In a few years, Mukesh’s kingdom will be divided among his three children… And, then?

Tatas, Mafatlals, Raymonds, Birlas, Hiranandanis – almost every empire was built by pioneers and visionaries through the same old fuel called ‘Ambition’. Christianity and every other religious empire could be built only through ambition… Hospitals, schools, charity homes, places of worship – every thing has come up only through ambition.

I did better than my father, at least financially, only because of my personal ambition. And, my son will do better than me, only because of his own ambition…

So, it’s a fine virtue to be ambitious in life. But, it becomes a virtue only when our means are virtuous, too.  When our means are bad, we are bound to lose our way!

Ambition, often, attracts most of us because it’s clothed in aggression. But, history has shown us, that excessive aggression is not only self-destructive, it’s short-lived, too. In a competitive surrounding, our blind aggression, also, surrounds us with ample enemies…

I remember Arindam Chaudhury and his IIPM. He was brash, flashy and unapologetically ambitious. He believed in ‘rankings’ by any means - by hook or by crook. He challenged the prestigious IIMs and sold his business school telling his prospects ‘Look Beyond the IIM’. People believed when he sold it through the Bollywood Badshah, Shah Rukh Khan… “Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch’ was the book he wrote to sell his ideas. He produced Bollywood movies and published Business magazines… He flashed the names of the speakers in his team along with the fee-tag per session – in lakhs and millions! When people started questioning his claims and credentials, he threatened and bullied them with defamation suits… Yes, en route, he surrounded himself with lots of enemies…

The fall was as dramatic as the rise!

Every time I saw Arnab Goswami making his outlandish claims and demean and destroy all and sundry on his way to the TRP chart, I knew, that he had unleashed his own ulti ginthi. Aggression and bullying can only take one so far… History has ample evidence, that such people will be ‘used and thrown’ by their masters… Such bravado is a false facade… A sure death knell, too!

Two of my old-fashioned well-wishers had warned me, when I myself was set to ride on the wild-beast ambition. One said, “My friend, in the bargain, don’t lose your aadi roti which you are able to eat now.” The other said, “Stretch your legs according to your bed.”

It’s our blind aggression, that makes us challenge the old wisdom and boast, that we are able to count our chickens before they hatch… and, we are able to decide the size of our beds according our legs…

I was in my early twenties when I first saw Siddhartha Basu conducting quiz shows on Doordarshan. Today, in my early sixties, I still see him create the magic quietly behind the glistering KBC-sets…

And, as Amitabh Bachchan turns 78, my belief in quiet ambition becomes even more reinforced…

That, you do not have to be flashy and blindly aggressive to achieve your dreams…

That, it’s, always, in your own interest to have less enemies around you…

And, finally, as King Mufasa counsels his little prince, Simba, “Being brave doesn’t mean you go looking for trouble.”

“The desire to reach for the stars is ambitious,” said Maya Angelou, “The desire to reach hearts is wise.” I think, she wanted to remind us, today, that, through the pursuit of our success, it’s wiser to desire the ‘Respect Points’ than blindly chase the ‘Rating Points’…

An old-fashioned advice?

 

GERALD D’CUNHA

 

Pic's.: pixabay:

 

Video: Walt Disney Pictures/ XJuliesaX