JA Westernberg on why status is our last religion:
But when I watch the petty indignities of the boarding process - the elbowing forward, the resentment, the humiliation of the stragglers - I wonder if we’ve confused ambition with vanity. There is, there has to be a difference between striving to create something valuable and striving to sit in a slightly more comfortable chair. Much of what we call “achievement” is just status laundering. A promotion might mean more responsibility, but often it mostly means a new title to flash at cocktail parties - or more likely, as a humblebrag on LinkedIn. An Ivy League acceptance letter might open opportunities, but it functions more as a lifelong badge that tells everyone you were chosen.