Forged in Fire

What does it mean to act with foolish ambition?

At what point is it considered foolish? And by whom?

The marquee example that comes to mind is the legendary story of David vs Goliath.

When the notion of David fighting against Goliath was brought to the surface, onlookers labeled him as crazy, unhinged, foolish. The mere thought of this tall task was laughed at by his peers. Though they themselves claimed to know God, they thought even David’s faith in his God to be witless at best. Yet, described as a fool by all who surrounded him, doubted by the bystanders who took it upon themselves to ridicule his thoughts, actions and confidence, he paid them no mind.

This, precisely, is what “Foolish Ambition” stands for in my mind. 

There is this song that I love. It’s titled “Poor Man’s Gold” by Jamestown Revival. In it, there is a line that goes like this: 

“Man had lost his way, and he couldn’t understand what the preacher man was about to say. He said “When a fool’s ambition is all you know, there ain’t no doubt it’s gonna make you whole. There ain’t no tellin what you’ve been told, but your money won’t buy you no poor man’s gold.”” 

One of the many reasons that I love well-written, story-telling-form songs is the ability to take in the words that are so masterfully placed together, and to dissect them. Better said, to form your own interpretation. In this specific instance, what I take away from this chorus may be entirely different from your understanding, and different still from another. 

That said, in listening to this song just yesterday, it sparked some thoughts, and eventually my mind connected the dots to the story of David & Goliath. How? That’s not entirely easy to put into words. On the surface, the two aren’t exactly related in any way, are they? But yet, at the core of it all, they describe the very same dilemma. They raise the same question, which I’ve already posed: “What is foolish ambition?”

In many ways, I’m able to connect it to my own experiences, specifically those within recent months and years. Albeit to much lesser degrees than that of David taking a stand in complete confidence to take on Goliath, I have a few instances in mind where my ambition was (surely) thought to be foolish by most.

#1 – Diving head-first into ultra-running, which I coincidentally wrote a lengthy piece on many moons ago called “Straight to Ultra.” Admittedly, from the jump, I had little clue what I was getting myself into, but I had this unwavering confidence that I had what it took to break into the wide-world of ultra distance endeavors. 

#2 – I received my bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. I spent three years teaching sixth grade and coaching high school wrestling. The onset of our family, when our first daughter was born, brought about this ambition to make a change, and to tackle the task of a complete career transition into the sales world. I had zero proper sales experience. It’s a high risk field to get into. To leave behind a secure career filled with safety nets for the uncertain world that I find myself in now, of course, was foolish to most. 

While there are certainly a couple of other examples top of mind, these two suffice.

But of course, the question then becomes “where does that confidence come from?” which I’ve asked myself a number of times.

David pulled his strength and confidence directly from his faith in his god. Through him, all things were possible. No need to worry, right? 

Right.

And so it goes with me, with a few additional factors at play, which all (spoiler alert) lead back to my faith in something greater and more powerful than me. Something that provides the strength – the reverence to continue on in spite of the outside noise, or despite the odds stacked against me.  

Reverting back to the song – “when a fool’s ambition is all you know.” Does it make sense now? That foolish ambition isn’t so much a thing as it is a label placed on those willing to attempt things others are not. 

It is, in many ways, rooted in faith. It serves as a scapegoat for those scared for themselves, more so than they are for you. It stands as a steady reminder of the power in belief and the value in understanding your place in this universe.

To close, what I now understand, through the connection between an ancient biblical story and a 21st century Roots Rock ballad is this:

“Foolish Ambition” is indeed nothing but a label, and one that I wear proudly.

Forge on.

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