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In reply to the discussion: I Look Down on Young Women With Husbands and Kids and I'm Not Sorry [View all]Squinch
(50,901 posts)Are we all really so childish that we all need to be king of the hill, and we can only respect the king of the hill? That we must have the attention of others to feel worthy? That we must have outside approval to have a decent self-image, and can't see the value of quiet work that benefits all of us?
I think that is what the writer of the article is revealing about herself. That she needs other-approval to feel worthy, and she can't understand the motivations of those whose pursuits don't include attention and trappings of status.
I think that is a lot of what is wrong in our culture. Only certain flashy life choices are respected and rewarded, and the number of choices that qualify for this respect is dwindling. But at the same time, the pursuit of the approval of others as the foundation of self-image is a guarantee of unhappiness. This is where this money-hoarding mentality that's ruining us is coming from.