Today's society forces comparative success down the throats of youngsters, making life more complicated than it should be. Why else would Sandra call me, asking why we seem not to be climbing the success ladder, given our hard work coupled with integrity and dignity?

We are only a little over 20 years old. That’s the age bracket. I told Sandra, “I think we're where we're supposed to be. We came from nowhere, and today we can boast of buying our own food and clothes, meeting and rubbing shoulders with VIPs, and all the opportunities we took for granted. We are successful people. It's the way we both see it.

Sometimes it feels like you’re not where you want to be, which often puts pressure on you as a human being. What you give attention to also matters a lot. It’s not easy to stay sane in today’s society, but staying grateful while you navigate towards your goals and aspirations and praying for your vision to align with God’s is a place to start.

No pressure!”

At Post Production, where I find myself working lately, there is a lineup of incredibly talented individuals with vast knowledge on many topics, ranging from politics, entertainment, and social issues to spiritual matters. That day, the topic for discussion was Chef Smith.

Everyone was bent on figuring out why he did what he did. There have been varied views both on social media and among my colleagues here at Post Production. I enjoyed the commentary that came with it. But after my segment on the news, I sat down and tried reflecting on the whole brouhaha.

My thoughts ran so deep that I remembered a quote by one of America’s most profound philosophers, John Dewey. He said, “The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important.” William James also said, “The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.” It’s so obvious that we all want to be appreciated, feel important, and feel valued.

Some people quit their jobs because they feel undervalued. We've all become lovers of ourselves, just as the Bible said, and people are willing to do anything just to be influential. Everyone wants to be followed. We all want to lead, and it appears difficult to serve nowadays. People want to be successful, rich, and famous overnight. These are a few common traits you'll see in today's society, but can you blame the chef for wanting to be ‘officially amazing’?

Can you blame him for craving appreciation for his hard work or wanting to be influential in his field? I don't blame the chef; he is probably under pressure to be successful, seen, appreciated, loved, and influential. He likely saw the attention others received and the benefits that came with it. The attention he probably got within the period he was attempting to break the record was short-lived. He wanted more, so he must have believed an email allegedly coming from GWR.

Or he's craving recognition and validation so much that he and his team had to create an officially amazing award and drag everyone in. Like I said, I don't blame the chef; it's society that keeps forcing comparative success down the throats of the youth.

We can all do better and stop acting as though we would have behaved differently in similar positions. Fame is not all that it seems; according to Denzel Washington, one of the most successful and greatest actors of all time, “Fame only makes it worse!” It’s a Gen Z world, I hear; I’m old-school.

Over here, we wait for our turn, respect other people’s blessings, and are grateful to the people who helped open doors for us. We support each other, give credit where it's due, understand the importance of family, and love regardless. Keepers of the gate of wisdom, kindly let me in.

Share your thoughts and experiences here with me. Maybe, just maybe, we can start from somewhere.

The author, Rebecca Tweneboah Darko (Becky), is an entertainment journalist with The Multimedia Group. The views expressed in the article are her own and do not reflect the sentiment of the institution.

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