A Case Against Valuing Accomplishments Over Character

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.” ― Abraham Lincoln

We live in a society that prioritizes what you do over who you are. And that, is an extremely alarming issue. Growing up with a father that only loved his children conditionally to the way he wanted them to be, I’ve seen firsthand the damages that can result from being raised by such a toxic parental figure. Luckily, I’ve never fell into the dangerous trap of winning one’s conditional love and attention by putting all my focus on my performances and accomplishments.

You don’t build a more empathetic and kinder world by encouraging people to have the most impressive and jaw dropping curriculum. In fact, doing so may just bring out more humans who have over inflated egos and sense of self.
There’s an urging necessity of teaching children from a very young age that their internal value is never to be equated with their external accomplishments. Sadly, I’ve met so many humans in my life that look incredibly " good " on paper, but in person it is a whole other story.

Our society is messy not only because we are the everyone-gets-a-trophy culture, but also because we give too much praise on people’s external successes.
The truth is that you will never get admiration from me by flaunting your planet size vanity in front of my face. And if you think you’re that cool, I might as well drop the question: "So where’s your Ph.D of humbleness at? "

Who you are, at the core of your being, is where you should put your time and focus on.
I believe that when you carry love and compassion in your heart, you can only bring out the best not only in yourself, but in others as well. When your sole focus in life is to get more power, notoriety, recognition, riches and so on, you lose touch with your real inner value.

People shouldn’t be status conscious; they should be empathy conscious, kindness conscious, and self-awareness conscious. You don’t become the best version of yourself by investing it all on your appearances. You become the best version of yourself by investing in your own heart.
What your heart contains is what truly matters.