Born to Build, Drawn to Wander

What truly drives us? Some say it's ambition. Others say it's duty, passion, or survival; then there are things like love, hatred, revenge, and gluttony. Our motivations, from the viewpoint of what our mind instructs our body to follow, often fall into three broad categories: dreams, interests, and compulsions. But Jean-Paul Sartre argued that humans are radically free—we are "condemned to be free," as he famously put it. That means we cannot hide behind biology, fate, or circumstance for our actions. Even our so-called compulsions, when examined, are choices we either own or deny. Albert Camus, Sartre’s ‘friend,’ wrote in his first essay that "One must imagine Sisyphus happy." With this in mind, let's set compulsions aside. What remains are our dreams and our interests.

Both are powerful forces, but they pull us in very different ways. In this essay, I explore how these two motivators shape our lives, define our ethics, and influence the kind of world we create. Are we better off chasing a dream or following interests? And how should we navigate our ship to a port of fulfilling life—or try to, at least?

Defining the Terms

Dreams are more than just wishes—they are visionary and usually push us to come up with a plan to achieve them. They carry a strong sense of destiny, identity, and purpose. The question asked by every well-meaning but irritating uncle or aunt, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” forces us to think about our life as becoming someone: a prime minister, a scientist, a pilot, a rickshawala, a magician—whatever fancies us at that age. Soon we find these are called dreams, and they often shape the blueprint of our academic and early professional choices. Pursuing a dream is an active and often intense journey. It has the power to transform not just the world around us, but our inner selves as well. A dream can push a person to challenge limits, take great risks, and reshape reality. It often stems from a deep psychological, cultural, or even spiritual story—one that says, “I was born to do this.”

Interests, by contrast, are quieter but more consistent. They arise from curiosity, personal engagement, or intellectual attraction. Interests come from within and not from external expectations. We might be walking through life and suddenly stumble upon an interest. We actively decide to dive deep into that particular interest, and either that leads to satisfaction—or satisfaction at least from trying it out—but rarely disappointment, as we’ve chosen that path on our own, without a map, and explored it ourselves. Interests can emerge at any stage of life and in varying degrees of intensity. They may not define who we want to become, but they greatly enrich our experience of life and reveal who we are. Though less dramatic than dreams, they are dependable. Interests shape our habits, guide our learning, and can offer deep, long-term fulfillment.

Compulsions, in the context of this theory, refer to involuntary forces: instincts, fears, or societal pressures. These societal pressures differ from those that shape our dreams—they are pressures not to dream, but to act. According to Sartre, even these are, in some way, chosen by free will. When we submit to them, we often do so in bad faith—refusing to acknowledge our freedom and responsibility. A person who truly embraces their freedom must choose consciously to answer the question as old as time: “What is my purpose in this world?”

The Force of Dreams

Dreams move history. They inspire revolutions, inventions, and epic works of art. Think of Elon Musk's ambition to colonize Mars, or Nehru’s vision of a liberal India, or even your parent’s dream to build a house of their own. Dreamers don't just react to reality—they try to reshape it.

Philosophically, this aligns with Nietzsche's will to power: a drive not merely to survive, but to assert, create, and overcome the obstructions to become freer. A dreamer is not interested in accepting the world as it is—they demand it become what it should be to accommodate their vision.

But dreams carry danger. Their intensity can blind us to nuance, relationships, or morality. They can justify unethical means in the name of a noble end. As history shows, the dream of a utopia can easily descend into dystopia when unchecked by empathy or ethics. Hitler saw his dream reflected in genocide; Alexander’s dream of conquering the world resulted in tragedy. Every war was a violent one and rarely for the ‘dreamers’ who started it. Even interpretations of literal dreams led Sigmund Freud to ignore the scientific approach and delve into subjective interpretation.

The Pull of Interests

Interests are grounded. They don’t demand sacrifice or revolution—they invite participation and genuineness. A scientist drawn to the mysteries of the universe, a teacher passionate about shaping minds, or a potter who loses track of time while working with clay—these are interest-driven lives.

Interests align closely with Aristotle’s idea of eudaimonia. Eudaimonia is a Greek word literally translated to “the state or condition of good spirit,” and is commonly translated as happiness or welfare. It is flourishing through activity in accordance with virtue. Interests cultivate attention, skill, and sustainable joy. Because they evolve slowly, they rarely lead us to trample others or lose ourselves, since the element of competition is latent in the pursuit of an interest. We are doing it because we are interested in it.

They also reflect Kantian morality. Kant proposed that moral actions are those performed out of a sense of duty, guided by reason, and not by inclination or consequences. When we act out of interest, we often treat others as ends in themselves. There's no glory-hunger. There’s care, respect, and process. Einstein was interested in discovering the relationship between mass and energy; he did not dream of building a nuclear bomb. That famous picture of Usain Bolt smiling while crossing the line and breaking the world record displays personal passion for the sport, not satisfaction from beating others.

Between Fire and Flow: Navigating Both

So where does that leave us? Dreams break ground. Interests build structure. Both matter.

One shocks the world. The other understands it.

Can we live with both? Can we dream without becoming blind, and stay interested without becoming complacent? Perhaps this is where practical wisdom (phronesis) comes in—the ability to judge what kind of drive we need at a given moment. Most of the time, this wisdom comes from the subconscious we’ve trained for years by following our various drives and learning from them. It is about balancing instincts with logic. While I was getting tattooed by tattoo artist Mo Naga. He talked to me about a similar concept from Naga philosophy- balance of mind and body. Body might run after pleasures but it is the mind who pulls her back and creates a meaningful life. The guards sacrifice their desires to protect a village, thus allowing it to prosper and become a beacon of civilization.

Loopholes and Questions

This theory was driven by an interest in deciphering the workings of the mind, and a dream to become a philosopher! And it isn’t perfect. Can an interest slowly grow into a dream? Can a dream be ethical and grounded? What happens when interests are used as excuses to avoid risk? Even compulsions, as Sartre argued, may be forms of avoidance disguised as necessity. I must also ask: who decides what is a dream and what is an interest? Cultural values, privilege, and language all play a role.

I am left with more questions, and I think only if I’m really interested in pursuing the answers with practical wisdom will I be able to find purpose—and, above all, joy—in living my life.

Conclusion: Ethical Ambition

We live in a culture that worships the dreamer but survives on the interest-driven practicalist. The loudest voices shape headlines, but the quiet hands hold the world together.

In the end, a meaningful life may not be about choosing between dreams or interests, but about learning when to reach for the stars and when to tend the garden. That is the art of being fully human.

What drives you—and are you willing to take responsibility for it?