Acuity

Several years ago, I discussed with a friend how insecurity seemed to be the root of all issues. While that may be true to some extent, I have recently come to the opinion that insecurity is merely a fuel that can be harnessed in all sorts of potent ways.

To illustrate this point, I’d like to highlight several facts about Alexander Hamilton, one of the key players in the American Revolution.

Alexander Hamilton was the illegitimate son of a “down-on-her-luck French beauty” and an alcoholic Scottish merchant. Before the age of ten, Alexanders’s father had abandoned the family and his mother Rachel set up a small shop to provide for the destitute family. As an eleven-year-old, Alexander already had begun working as a clerk to support his family. By the time he was thirteen, his mother had passed away, leaving Alexander to fend for himself.

John Adams, who despised Alexander Hamilton, referred to him as “the bastard brat of a Scotch pedlar.” Alexander was undoubtably not brought up under the circumstances fit for one to shape a powerful nation. However, that is exactly what he did.

By the age of 35, Hamilton had an unmatched set of accomplishments under his belt. He had written the forty-thousand-word Report on the Public Credit in a three-month burst. He had penned fifty-one contributions to the Federalist Papers, and had negotiated nation-altering deals such as the Compromise of 1790.

While I do not pretend to understand the complexities of Hamilton’s psychology, I will rely on the wisdom of today’s greatest historians to offer a perspective on his brilliance.

Driven by insecurity, Hamilton would tend to unleash his energy in powerful surges of productivity. Always seeming to need to prove himself, he viewed the world’s problems as his personal challenges to overcome. He was a raging bull that pushed and pushed until he achieved his goals.

Of course, there were nobler elements at play in Hamilton’s unstoppable valiant efforts. But what would have been achieved if Hamilton didn’t feel the need to prove himself? What would have come of his studies of Adam Smith, Jacques Necker, and David Hume if Hamilton didn’t need to show the world of his intellect and persuasive prowess?

Insecurity and a lack of self-acceptance can rightly be stated as being a thief of joy. It can paralyze and it can poison. It inserts itself into society today by way of cruel comments on Instagram posts, divisive judgments of fashion and humor, and isolating self-loathing. It most certainly is a wise effort to eliminate your own insecurity and grow to love yourself as you really are.

Nevertheless, insecurity is also the fuel that powers the greatest events in history. It is the catalyst that turns lonely college students into business savants, the lighter fluid that makes insightful authors out of reclusive individuals, and, remarkably, the driving force for creating dominant nations.

So how then does one properly use the fuel of insecurity to create positivity and greatness?

First, insecurity becomes fuel for good when it is bound by a strict code of morals. One of the primary reasons that Hamilton saw an early grave via duel with Aaron Burr was that he felt that Burr lacked a moral compass. Hamilton, and other notable revolutionary players, cared deeply about character. In Hamilton’s mind, honor mattered because character mattered. And character mattered because the infant nation with republican government needed virtuous leaders to survive. Without morals, insecurity burns its way into devious, back-stabbing behavior. With the guiding rails of good morals, insecurity can carve a path to excellence.

Second, insecurity can be fuel for good when it is empowered by knowledge. Had Hamilton not studied the great economic and philosophical writers of his time, where could his ambition have been employed? It was due to three intellectually-dense pamphlets that Hamilton wrote that he was able to gain a captive audience and pave a path to massive influence. Without knowledge, insecurity inevitably manifests itself to small audiences in repulsive ways. Only by way of deep subject knowledge can insecurity be channelled into real accomplishment.

Lastly, insecurity is a force for good when it is accompanied by discipline. The ability to delay gratification for an extended period of time is the oxygen that keeps the fire of ambition alive in its vulnerable moments. When Hamilton wrote his Report on the Public Credit, he demonstrated an immense level of focus and discipline for three months. The only way that the ambition from insecurity can ever amount to anything is by way of lasting focus.

It surely can be said that insecurity drives some of the ugliest behavior we see on the planet. But by way of a strong code of morals, deep knowledge, and unending discipline, insecurity can be channelled into the greatest achievements.