It’s hard to avoid status games, especially on social media, where everything is a scoreboard in likes, follows, and subscriptions, for all to see and compare themselves. The offline systems we participate in are also almost entirely designed in hierarchies: salary, job titles, clothes, cars, spouses, etc.
To escape from the clutches of these status games takes some extraordinary courage, self awareness, and a bit of rebellion.
Young people are more susceptible to them than older people because they have not yet solidified a strong enough sense of identity apart from and outside the status games to truly escape.
Great essay, and one I relate to strongly. When I was growing up, I was constantly told how smart I was and how much potential I had. I carried the weight of fulfilling that potential for many years, until I had fulfilled some amount of potential and then became very lost. Only recently am I trying to tell my own story. I've learned that, while the adults telling me these things wanted better for me, they mostly lamented their own lives and outcomes.
Refreshing read - I respect your inner philosophy of rejecting socially-sanctioned values in favour of something more personal to you. If Friedrich Nietzsche could read your work, he would say you're an "Übermensch", which is explained in the below quote:
Nietzsche preaches the “Übermensch” or the “Overman”, who has moved beyond the concepts of good and evil and obeys no laws expect for those she gives herself. He believes that the overman is the goal of humanity: the overman shows a level of self-mastery that frees her from the prejudices and assumptions of the people around him, and a strong will to power.
I appreciated this read and a lot of it resonated. However in the final section, you put so much weight on individual choice. Are we both living under the same capitalism? There are many periods in my life when I would've loved to do what I wanted, but had to survive, pay bills, support a family, etc. No amount of individual will could overcome those circumstances. Having the time, money, and ability to change your life is a privilege.
Thanks Isabel for this essay. I resonated with the part where you realized that "capability wasn’t an obligation." It's so easy to just improve at playing various games, but it's also worth improving at decision-making! Options are great, but you still have to choose. Thanks for the reminder that choosing is a core skill to develop.
It’s hard to avoid status games, especially on social media, where everything is a scoreboard in likes, follows, and subscriptions, for all to see and compare themselves. The offline systems we participate in are also almost entirely designed in hierarchies: salary, job titles, clothes, cars, spouses, etc.
To escape from the clutches of these status games takes some extraordinary courage, self awareness, and a bit of rebellion.
Young people are more susceptible to them than older people because they have not yet solidified a strong enough sense of identity apart from and outside the status games to truly escape.
Really enjoyed this essay, thanks for sharing.
Any book or movie recommendations regarding this subject?
So needed to read this right now 🙏
Great essay, and one I relate to strongly. When I was growing up, I was constantly told how smart I was and how much potential I had. I carried the weight of fulfilling that potential for many years, until I had fulfilled some amount of potential and then became very lost. Only recently am I trying to tell my own story. I've learned that, while the adults telling me these things wanted better for me, they mostly lamented their own lives and outcomes.
Refreshing read - I respect your inner philosophy of rejecting socially-sanctioned values in favour of something more personal to you. If Friedrich Nietzsche could read your work, he would say you're an "Übermensch", which is explained in the below quote:
Nietzsche preaches the “Übermensch” or the “Overman”, who has moved beyond the concepts of good and evil and obeys no laws expect for those she gives herself. He believes that the overman is the goal of humanity: the overman shows a level of self-mastery that frees her from the prejudices and assumptions of the people around him, and a strong will to power.
I appreciated this read and a lot of it resonated. However in the final section, you put so much weight on individual choice. Are we both living under the same capitalism? There are many periods in my life when I would've loved to do what I wanted, but had to survive, pay bills, support a family, etc. No amount of individual will could overcome those circumstances. Having the time, money, and ability to change your life is a privilege.
What an enlightening read! Thank you for writing.
Clearly written. I guess this is what intellectual resonance means. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Thanks for sharing!
Yes
Beautiful post. Gave me so much energy. Thank you for writing this! 🙏🏾
“Man will do many things to get himself loved, he will do all things to get himself envied.”- Mark Twain
Thanks Isabel for this essay. I resonated with the part where you realized that "capability wasn’t an obligation." It's so easy to just improve at playing various games, but it's also worth improving at decision-making! Options are great, but you still have to choose. Thanks for the reminder that choosing is a core skill to develop.