The want to be seen is part of the human condition.
From Abraham Lincoln to Steve Jobs. Benjamin Franklin to Elon Musk. The bum on the street to the piano virtuoso performing in Juilliard. We want to be acknowledged by our peers.
“Whether it be true or not, I can say for one that I have no other [ambition] so great as that of being truly esteemed of my fellow men, by rendering myself worthy of their esteem. How far I shall succeed in gratifying this ambition, is yet to be developed.
Abraham Lincoln
When you don't get love and security from your family, you compensate in other ways. You can numb the pain through drugs and depravity. You can find temporary substitutes in fame and fortune. While one path is reviled and the other is lauded, they both come from the same place.
The parable of two brothers goes like this. Two brothers grow up in a house with an alcoholic father. one becomes a drunk and is rarely seen sober. the other becomes a priest and has never touched a bottle. when asked how they became the way they are, they both respond the same.
My circumstances being what they are, how could I have turned out any different?
Created 2023-12-10T01:52:56.735000, updated 2023-12-10T01:58:14.226000 · History · Edit