Recently, I’ve seen people I know make some big strides in their life. They’re getting the jobs they want, the research positions, and so on. It’s great for them, but it’s quite difficult to stop myself from entering comparisons.
Almost everything about our identity has been converted into a status symbol, and the competition now is to see whose is bigger. It’s all a slippery slope for falling into the trap of playing status games.
Do I really want to that high profile job, or acceptance to a selective institution? The answer is always yes at first, but after some digging it often changes to “Well maybe not…”
There is a difference between what I want, versus what I “want to want”
I want these things of high status, all the symbols of wealth and prosperity.
But what I want to want is excellence and peace, without the symbols.
For example, as someone majoring in statistics, why do I have any ounce of competitiveness towards a consultant? These are two vastly different fields! If I try to compete with them not only will I certainly lose, but also detract from my own path.
Play into status games, and you’ll be involved in a lot of one-sided competitions which only derail you from your own goals. It’s a complete waste of time, and only an effort of vanity.
Focus on your own lane, looking elsewhere will distract you
-Pardan
thanks for the reminder:)
I love this - thanks for writing :))