I’m wary of advice that does claim to generalize. Giving good advice is a hard problem, partly because it’s so context-specific. Yes, there are general principles, but there are tons of exceptions, and even quite similar situations can trigger these exceptions.
Kant got into this kind of problem with (the first formulation of) the categorical imperative. There are many things that are desirable if some people, but not everybody, does them—say, learning any specific skill or filling a particular social function.
What’s difference between the nurse who should leave in order to take meta-level responsibility, and the nurse who should stay because she’s needed as a gear?
There are several bad answers to this, and you’re right to be suspicious of them. In particular, feeling like you’re special is not sufficient reason to act like you’re special.
But different people have different value systems and abilities. If people are given the opportunity to develop their skills (up to the limit of interest and/or natural ability), then they should differentiate their roles based on value systems.
In this case: some people want stability, family, friends etc., and some people want to change the world. (It gets difficult for those of us who want all of the above, unfortunately.) No, you don’t get to dictate what other people can do with their lives. But I really think you’re in no danger of doing so—even if you do make a distinction between yourself and other nurses (which is really not arbitrary, as you seem to be afraid it is), you’re just choosing your own path, not theirs.
I’m wary of advice that does claim to generalize. Giving good advice is a hard problem, partly because it’s so context-specific. Yes, there are general principles, but there are tons of exceptions, and even quite similar situations can trigger these exceptions.
Kant got into this kind of problem with (the first formulation of) the categorical imperative. There are many things that are desirable if some people, but not everybody, does them—say, learning any specific skill or filling a particular social function.
There are several bad answers to this, and you’re right to be suspicious of them. In particular, feeling like you’re special is not sufficient reason to act like you’re special.
But different people have different value systems and abilities. If people are given the opportunity to develop their skills (up to the limit of interest and/or natural ability), then they should differentiate their roles based on value systems.
In this case: some people want stability, family, friends etc., and some people want to change the world. (It gets difficult for those of us who want all of the above, unfortunately.) No, you don’t get to dictate what other people can do with their lives. But I really think you’re in no danger of doing so—even if you do make a distinction between yourself and other nurses (which is really not arbitrary, as you seem to be afraid it is), you’re just choosing your own path, not theirs.