If we knew just why it’s true
\nThat we do the things we do,
\nWould we still want to see them through
\nBy and by?<\/p>\n
You don’t need much erudition
\nTo view all of this ambition
\nWith just a slight suspicion.
\nWell, let’s say<\/p>\n
That when our zeal implores us
\nTo try out for the chorus
\nOr to slay that brontosaurus,
\nWe knew why.<\/p>\n
Would we still retain those fires
\nWhich this ‘doing things’ requires?
\nOr would all of those desires
\nFade away?<\/p>\n
And we wouldn’t do a single thing all day.<\/p>\n
When we’re climbing Kil’manjaro
\nOn that path so steep and narrow
\nWould it thrill us to the marrow
\nTo know why?<\/p>\n
Or would climbing lose its gleam
\nAnd ambition come to seem
\nLike some half remembered dream
\nThat flitted by?<\/p>\n
Would we still swim across the sea
\nGet a doctoral degree
\nAll while deftly brewing tea
\nOr just say “Nay!”<\/p>\n
Perhaps the chorus, brontosaurus
\nMountain rim, the longish swim
\nAnd all the sea, degree and tea
\nWould fade away<\/p>\n
And we wouldn’t do a single thing all day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
If we knew just why it’s true That we do the things we do, Would we still want to see them through By and by? You don’t need much erudition To view all of this ambition With just a slight suspicion. Well, let’s say That when our zeal implores us To try out for the … Continue reading “Ambition, Examined”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.kenperlin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8374"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.kenperlin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.kenperlin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.kenperlin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.kenperlin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8374"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blog.kenperlin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8374\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8378,"href":"https:\/\/blog.kenperlin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8374\/revisions\/8378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.kenperlin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.kenperlin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.kenperlin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}