In The Dhammapada, Buddha warned us about the dangers of seeking status.
He wrote, "And if ever to his own harm the fool increases in cleverness, this only destroys his own mind and his fate is worse than before.
For he will wish for reputation, for precedence among the monks, for authority in the monasteries and for veneration amongst the people." According to Buddha, seeking status destroys our mind.
A mind that's destroyed is one that makes us think thoughts that prevent us from getting stronger.
It's a mind that stops us from growing.
It seeks short-term pleasure rather than long-term growth.
It works against us rather than for us.
And seeking status makes our minds work against us by making our thoughts revolve around the values of the masses.
We start to think and act in ways that keep them happy.
But the mob is like a beast whose happiness consists in consuming the individual.
