Who else wants to take over the world?

College Life
1

<p>For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to—in one sense or another—take over the world. I grew up in a working-class town—at a median income of about 30K/year, one of the poorest counties in my home state—where ambition among students was not particularly common. At least not in the sense with which most CCers are concerned, not that that is supposed to be common among everyone.</p>

<p>I figured that when I got to college, I would find others with similar aspirations. Yet, most students seem to be content with either being pawns in a corporate office or investment banking grunts for their entire life. They envy the friend-group in shows like “How I Met Your Mother” and “Friends” and look forward to a long retirement. There is nothing inherently wrong with those things, but I find them disgusting. I want to impact the world and change the ways in which people think and behave. I want to affect change on a large scale. I want to conquer the world. In a word, I want to take over the world. Obviously, that’s overstating any possibility by quite a bit, but you get the point.</p>

<p>Do you also want to take over the world? What drives you and why?</p>

2

<p>I guess the question is what do you want to change specifically? Personally I have a bit of both. In terms of job prospects, I would be perfectly happy as a cog in a large software company, though I have no preference.</p>

<p>However, my end game is to shape the world through philosophy, and I am working on that throughout my life. But the idea isn’t to shape the world for the sake of shaping it, its that I believe I have ideas that are better than what’s currently out there or are not currently out there. It seems from the post that you want to shape the world for the sake of power, which I don’t think is a good thing honestly.</p>

3

<p>I don’t care much about money/prestige and I want to avoid office jobs, but outside of enjoying my own life I’m not even smart enough to think of things I might aspire to. </p>

4

<p>I don’t want to be a public face. Rather be one of the puppet masters running the show from behind the scenes. And when demonstrating your competence, remember that most people do not want to know how magicians do their tricks, they just want to see it. </p>

<p>You might already be doing this, but if you haven’t start experimenting ways to change how people think and behave on a local scale in local groups. Find out what works and what doesn’t for you. And if you do change how people think and behave, remember the thing about the magician. Don’t start telling people how you are doing it. Just do it. Inspire them toward greatness. </p>

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<p>Its easier to change the world when you have a lot of money (you get a lot of money in banking).</p>

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<p>I want to at least change this country’s education system. Calling it awful is being kind.</p>

7

<p>PengsPhils, I guess I did make it sound like I want power for power’s sake. I’ve thought about that quite a bit and decided I don’t want money and power for money and power’s sake. That would be a waste. Ultimately, I want those things so I can make others happy on a large scale and feel good knowing I had a role in it.</p>

<p>Thereisnosecret,
I guess I haven’t consciously done that, but a lot of the things I read and think about are along those lines. In what ways do you experiment with ways to change how people think and behave on a local scale in local groups? And in what field/industry do you plan to take over the world?</p>

8

<p>I think you’re looking at this in completely the wrong way. You don’t need to “take over the world” to make a difference. I want to be a teacher because I know high school can suck and if I can help kids have a better time, learn to be more confident and less lonely, and make them happier to come to school instead of dreading it, I’ll be really and truly gratified. Honestly, imo, the whole idea of “changing the world” is kind of an immature one that I’ve seen people grow out of in freshman year. It’s because of the connotations associated with it, that you must be an amazing politician or travel the globe or set up an AIDS relief clinic in Kenya to make it happen. Instead, focus on being a good person and helping others in whatever field you choose to do so with.</p>

9

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<p>Making others happy on a large scale, the goal of many philosophers and politicians, is not usually achieved through getting power first, but by actions that begin to help others be happy. The actions lead to more power. This is the pattern from good ideas to successful companies to successful charities. You don’t get power then spring something on everyone using that power. That’s how things end up going sour.</p>

<p>Basically I very much agree with what @rebeccar said. If you are good at what you do in your field, and your field leads to making others happy, the means to spread that happiness will often become available.</p>

10

<p>I love how close the username Magnete is to Magneto. Oh the irony.</p>

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I can understand this. But I’ve personally come to the conclusion that it’s foolish.</p>

<p>The reason why changing 100 individuals is a big deal is because of the importance that one individual holds. If one didn’t mean so much, then more than one wouldn’t mean anything.</p>

<p>Who are we, with all of our infinite flaws to say that we’ll fix everyone up? We haven’t even fixed ourselves yet. And the more “fixed” you are, the more you recognize your flaws, and the more you realize that it’s not your place to take over the world. A paradox? Perhaps. But the truth nonetheless.</p>

<p>Is change hopeless then? Again, perhaps. On the huge scale you imagine. Not hopeless exactly, but out of our control.</p>

<p>But one individual has enormous value. Changing ourselves for the better is the best thing we can do. And it’s the only thing we have complete power over. Even if we try to change others, ultimately they must consent. And the greater change you want, the less likely it is to happen.</p>

<p>You change yourself. You try to change and help those close to you for the better. I hope to be a mother one day. That’s going to have a much greater effect then giving a speech to someone I don’t know.</p>

<p>I would rather make a large impact on a few, then an unpredictable (and possibly minimal) impact on plenty. </p>

<p>And if you point to people in history who have made great changes, I’ll say this. They weren’t simply trying to create change on a large scale. They were trying to accomplish something important to them, not for change, but for the sake of those they cared about. The difference between the former and the latter being that it’s much easier to lose your way with the former, because your goal can become arbitrary quite quickly. With the latter, when a great impact was made on many it was simply a consequence of trying to help people. </p>

<p>So that’s what you do. Try to help people. And improve yourself, cause, for goodness’ sake, you could make a person who is so utterly amazing, so why wouldn’t you? If I gave you a child and said that they would do whatever you liked, that they had huge, unknown potential and you could make them anything you wanted, wouldn’t you take it? Well you have it. Maybe not a child, but all the same… It’s someone very important. Yourself.</p>

<p>I’m curious though. You posted this thread asking if anyone else thought like you. Wouldn’t that lead to more competition? After all, we may have very different ideals.</p>

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<p>OP… I hear you but I am SCRATCHING MY HEAD…going…“WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU WANT TO DO TO MAKE PEOPLE HAPPY IN A LARGE SCALE?”
You aspire to change the world, and ask for others with the same goal, but you have not shared how you want to do that. That to me, is no different than why we are where we are today - too many promises and no action…meaning…JUST WORDS…
So come up with a concrete plan and then try to see who wants to be part of that team.</p>

12

<p>I just want a $80-120k non-code monkey job in programming and a small apartment in a quiet place. I’ve never been the kind of person who wants to lead or become CEO or the greatest richest person ever. This might sound kind of bad, but I also don’t care if I don’t make a large impact on people. Although, depending on what job I have, I could end up doing that.</p>

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<p>@ ^ In 10 years that figure would probably fall into the poverty category…Just saying.</p>

14

<p>Uh, well I am assuming the salary would keep up with the economy. Some of my family members have had the same job for decades and they obviously don’t make $50,000 like they did in the 80s.</p>

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<p>From my reading of your opening statement, you want to change the world because you want others to be more like you.</p>

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<p>^ LOL… that was my first initiated response, but I digressed and went Softly…</p>