essentially you end up defining yourself in terms of social judgment scales. those scales are nearly entirely meaningless and built upon shifting sands. as such they do not represent a stable base from which to launch.
but the body is hard-wired to "like" the rush. i'm not sure anyone is capable of resisting if the call is heard early and often enough, or perhaps simply at the right moments in an individual's life.
it's as all-consuming and addictive as any hard-core drug from the moment they wake until the moment they sleep. as time goes on, the rushes get shorter and the mental toll grows.
such individuals (depending on their current state.. specifically while they are "succeeding") are often as impervious to counter-arguments as a delusional schizophrenic. of course the "delusional" aspect crosses mental illness boundaries. everybody has delusions. delusions are a survival instinct. but some delusions are in fact more equal than others.
the delusion of pleasing the mob in order to gain social status, and the delusion of the reality of a life built on such a delusion (should one be talented enough to make the first delusion survive long enough to "succeed" and even create a family) are less equal delusions than "garden variety" delusions. they are destructive delusions that cause an individual to pass through life without ever taking a moment to truly decide how he or she wants to live it. instead the person's life is carried along by the social current. it is at all times subservient to the opinions of others.
this seems to me a less equal, even morally objectionable category of delusion, and as such, one worthy of exposing in a general sense. of course, those afflicted should always be treated with compassion and respect. we need not hate the players of this game. we need not even hate the game itself. we simply need to decide if it's a good idea or a bad one and whether we want to make our opinions on that matter known.
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