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Pursuing status will never bring true happiness

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Re: Pursuing status will never bring true happiness

#21

Post by tsunamifury »

nonethewiser wrote: post #15
tsunamifury wrote: post #10

I think rejecting status wholesale is also a huge mistake. Here’s the harsh reality. Many people judge and make decisions based on status. You can purport be above it and bootstrap and work as hard as you want but that one guy with status will get the raise he needed and now you don’t have. You can then try to lie to yourself that that is just superficial status. But it’s not. That guy can now use those resources to…

It seems obvious to me that focusing on doing the right thing is good, while focusing more on managing everyone else’s impression of you is bad. In fact I thought everyone knew this.

A lot of really bad people didn’t care at all what anyone else thought of them.

Status, like it or not, is a huge determining factor in opportunities. You can do the right thing all you want but if people think nothing of you, you might not get very far.

This is coming from someone who doggedly believes in doing the right thing and lost status many times for doing what I thought was right. It doesn’t always work out.

Re: Pursuing status will never bring true happiness

#22

Post by d357r0y3r »

I think status is our main currency as human beings.

All that really matters is what others think of us. The main thing you have to figure out is _which_ status hierarchy you want to compete in, not _if_ you want to compete in a status hierarchy.

Even people who claim not to care about what people think, actually do care what _some_ people think.

Re: Pursuing status will never bring true happiness

#23

Post by prawn »

ethanbond wrote: post #17
nonethewiser wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It seems obvious to me that focusing on doing the right thing is good, while focusing more on managing everyone else’s impression of you is bad. In fact I thought everyone knew this.

Gotta do both if you want to retain the right to do the correct things in the future.

If you're generally doing good things, you don't need to spend anywhere near as much time managing your public reputation. Obviously you can choose to, but it'd be by choice and not out of desperate attempts to glorify meagre deeds or cover-up bad ones.

Re: Pursuing status will never bring true happiness

#24

Post by tsunamifury »

d357r0y3r wrote: post #22

I think status is our main currency as human beings. All that really matters is what others think of us. The main thing you have to figure out is _which_ status hierarchy you want to compete in, not _if_ you want to compete in a status hierarchy. Even people who claim not to care about what people think, actually do care what _some_ people think.

For example bootstrappers or FIRE people seem to care more about status than anyone I’ve met but inside their own smaller communities status games.

Re: Pursuing status will never bring true happiness

#25

Post by labster »

This was interesting to me because the status-seeking behavior is so alien to me. Why people would want to belong to group after exclusive group is beyond me. They’re all granfaloons, anyway. A few good friends is enough, and status is only useful as a means to an end. I’m always prepared to burn status (as political capital) to achieve a greater good.

But it’s still interesting to think about those who chase status, and what their lives must be like.

Re: Pursuing status will never bring true happiness

#26

Post by fogzen »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #7

https://twitter.com/naval/status/1002103497725173760 > Seek wealth, not money or status. Wealth is having assets that earn while you sleep. Money is how we transfer time and wealth. Status is your place in the social hierarchy. https://twitter.com/naval/status/1002103627387813888 > Ignore people playing status games. They gain status by attacking people playing wealth creation games. From @naval’s Twitter thread “how…

Material wealth is status. Money is status. Assets that earn while you sleep is status. Money is arguably the ultimate status game.

Re: Pursuing status will never bring true happiness

#27

Post by Turskarama »

tsunamifury wrote: post #10

I think rejecting status wholesale is also a huge mistake. Here’s the harsh reality. Many people judge and make decisions based on status. You can purport be above it and bootstrap and work as hard as you want but that one guy with status will get the raise he needed and now you don’t have. You can then try to lie to yourself that that is just superficial status. But it’s not. That guy can now use those resources to…

Like many things I think status is something that is good to have, but obessing over it doesn't help. The difference between having no status and any status is huge, but the more you get the more diminishing returns there are.

The article is really about chasing status as a goal, rather than as a means to an end. Open ended goals are good for giving continuous purpose, but staking your identity on achieving something that is ultimately unachievable is bad for your mental health.

Re: Pursuing status will never bring true happiness

#30

Post by Existenceblinks »

tsunamifury wrote: post #10

I think rejecting status wholesale is also a huge mistake. Here’s the harsh reality. Many people judge and make decisions based on status. You can purport be above it and bootstrap and work as hard as you want but that one guy with status will get the raise he needed and now you don’t have. You can then try to lie to yourself that that is just superficial status. But it’s not. That guy can now use those resources to…

Yes, I'm about to say it's not a trap. It's a jail! Trying to avoid status makes your life quality worse, more restrict ways of doing things. It's narrower in all directions. It is a jail.
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