The beginning of the end

He was nearing the end of his life
Ambitious he wasn’t, he realized,
Life for him had been a struggle, a strife.
That was his own and he greatly prized
Incredible others, he idolized
But to be one of them, he did not like
Now, mature and wise, he of them despised.
The ugly truth of life, he did dislike
Something that could no longer be disguised,
Gradually he knew, what his life comprised.