Status Anxiety - treatment, attention - self respect

In the past I used the words "Social Injustice" to describe the way people or a culture treat one another depending on who they are, what they have and their appearance. Yesterday I was watching a program that used the words "Status Anxiety". How an individual feels about themselves in their culture based on its concepts:

What is a great life?
Who is important?
How should we treat these varying individuals of money, power and looks?

The answers to these questions have changed throughout history. Today we worship entertainers and those of likeness who have popularity, wealth and beauty. In the past it was royalty and combat warriors. All of these ideals spring up from a person who takes power or control and presents these concepts to the people in way where they begin to believe that this is the way to live.

I watched a History show on Mao Tse-tung. Mao Tse-tung was the son of a prosperous peasant worker who rose to power in China and was the mastermind behind the "great leap forward". A propaganda transition to change the way the Chinese think about their country and the new form of government. If you did not follow this idea, you became an outcast and were ridiculed by the rest of the populace. Why do I find this too similar to a company's employee handbook or an American hierarchy? When these citizens of China were interviewed, they felt completely different about how they thought then compared to now. What they were taught to believe and how to treat others to what life itself had taught them.

In another television broadcast that aired last night, the subject was about religion and philosophies and how they are used; or i should say misused, to get people to act a certain way. The producers spoke to various cultural spokesmen, one of which was the Dalai Lama whom I felt said it the best. The Lama said something close to this, "even though you have all these different religions and theologies, they all have the same goal - to create a better human being."

In the show where the subject was "status anxiety" - Adam Smith asked, "What is the Rat Race all about?" And this was a man who was a moral philosopher, a writer, and the guy behind shaping America's free markets and economy. That all this material gathering and social status is about treatment - attention and respect. Self esteem through the view of others versus how we see ourselves.

Low paying job people often find themselves being mistreated and ignored. High profile people are treated with kindness and respect and catered to.

This has always been a social struggle of men and women. People more famous and greater than I have talked and written about this subject.

John Ruskin
Adam Smith
William James
Marcus Aurellius

And there are more philosophers and I imagine this subject will always be written and talked about. So what is a good life? In my opinion? It all depends on when and where you are living and what is being mentally conditioned into the minds of the people through: media, government, religion, parents and peers. But the individual must eventually decide how they will be happy and see themselves through their own eyes. In the end, death wins - and in the pages of time, those who were of importance will be forgotten just like those who were not considered important or note worthy. So enjoy life and those people who treat you with respect no matter what your status is.

*this blog opinion comes from watching several shows on MPTV World