The problem with virtue is that it's always local to your group. So every status game has its own particular idea of what is virtuous and what isn't. Hitler thought he was a good virtuous man because he genuinely believed the hideous, antisemitic lie of inherent Jewish evil. Lenin and Stalin for all their kind of violence and insanity thought they were virtuous people because they were spearheading the communist project.
“Life is a game. There’s no way to understand the human world without first understanding this. Everyone alive is playing a game whose hidden rules are built into us and that silently directs our thoughts, beliefs and actions. This game is inside us. It is us. We can’t help but play.”
So begins “The Status Game,” a new book by acclaimed writer Will Storr.
He continues: “We play for status, if only subtly, with every social interaction, every contribution we make to work, love or family life and every internet post. We play with how we dress, how we speak and what we believe. … Life is not a journey towards a perfect destination. It’s a game that never ends. And it’s the very worst of us.”
Does it have to be?
We may not be able to quit the status game, but Will says we can learn to play it better. In this episode, he explains how.
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