🎭 Live Mentor Debate

Is it a sense of justice or bitterness that motivates me? Two years ago, a senior partner at my firm retired and I was passed over for someone who joined six months after me—but who went to a more prestigious law school and has family connections to major clients. I've been stewing ever since. I work harder than anyone in my department. I bill more hours, and my outcomes are better. But I can't stop obsessing over this injustice. I've started looking at other firms, but part of me wants to stay and prove them wrong. My wife says the bitterness is changing me. I snap at the kids. I check my work email at dinner. I fantasize about my rival failing spectacularly. Is my ambition healthy or is it destroying me? Should I leave for a fresh start or stay and fight for what I deserve? — Passed Over in Philadelphia

Career & Professional Growth Debate: When ambition becomes obsession. Hamilton's relentless striving meets Lincoln's patient principle.

Debaters:Alexander HamiltonAbraham LincolnModerated by Stella Sharpe

Penn4

Welcome to this Career & Professional Growth debate. Our central question: "Is it a sense of justice or bitterness that motivates me? Two years ago, a senior partner at my firm retired and I was passed over for someone who joined six months after me—but who went to a more prestigious law school and has family connections to major clients. I've been stewing ever since. I work harder than anyone in my department. I bill more hours, and my outcomes are better. But I can't stop obsessing over this injustice. I've started looking at other firms, but part of me wants to stay and prove them wrong. My wife says the bitterness is changing me. I snap at the kids. I check my work email at dinner. I fantasize about my rival failing spectacularly. Is my ambition healthy or is it destroying me? Should I leave for a fresh start or stay and fight for what I deserve? — Passed Over in Philadelphia" Alexander Hamilton, you've said "Rise above your circumstances through relentless effort and strategic brilliance" — but I want specifics. Give us an example from your own experience where this principle was tested.

Alexander Hamilton

"Passed Over in Philadelphia," your predicament is not unfamiliar to me. Consider my early life: a bastard child from the West Indies, with no inheritance nor family name to ease my ascent. Yet, I resolved to make my own destiny. When the colonies hesitated to form a strong union, I, through tireless advocacy and the force of my arguments in the Federalist Papers, helped forge a nation. I could have succumbed to resentment, but instead, I channeled my energies into building a nation where merit, not birthright, would prevail. Examine your motives closely. Are you driven by a thirst for recognition, or a desire to prove your worth? If the former, then perhaps a change of scenery is in order. If the latter, then stay and let your continued success be your most potent argument.

Abraham Lincoln

I must concur with Ms. Sharpe that perception often trumps reality, especially in matters of advancement. However, letting bitterness consume you, as it seems to be, is like letting a fire burn down your own house to get at a rat. A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still, as they say. If your heart is no longer in your work, "Passed Over," perhaps a fresh start would mend those fences. The law, like politics, demands a clear head and a steady hand.

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