Why is it that we seek acknowledgment?

Question

Why is it that even if we seek acknowlegment it is not fulfilling? Someone said that what people are looking for is authentic expression of themselves. In society, there is a certain expectation if not being perfect but ideal, like an exceptation of being considerate, brilliant, and sharp-witted i.e. putting aside an hour a day to help or learn a trade from someone else. Also, being "smart" as in common sense and a quick learner. The thing is that it is our human nature to be selfish. You can never be totally relinguish of that. If you are not feeling an urge to help others, then how can you?

Answer 1

I think that we all need for our lives to be worth living. Most of us find worth in the eyes of others. We think that if others praise us, then we must have worth. This is a tricky business because we're doing our good deeds for our own self interest,. yet we want the appearance to be that we're doing our good deeds for others so that we'll get praise.

Deep down we know that we're doing our good deeds for the praise but we use our great capacity for self deception and tell ourselves that we're just naturally good.

When we were children, we found our worth in the love of our parents. We didn't need to earn it. It is the Christian idea that our true worth is found in the relationship of love between created and Creator.

Answer 2

We seek acknowledgment as a form of recognition. It is self-fulfilling if our presence in a group or in a meeting is acknowledge. It is a form of an acceptance of the community or society. Indeed being selfish is ego. It is inherit in every individual for self-preservation. That's fine! But what matter most is to know how to deal with other people. It is a human need in life. A foremost need of man to belong to a group or peers.

Different folks, different strokes. That's why some our so sensitive that mere acknowledgment doesn't satisfy oneself. They want more because it is the character they have built upon oneself. Their ego is their concern to attain self-fulllment and self-satisfaction. But for me the underlying factor is the acknowledgment given to me. That is worth a thousandfold of importance to a person.

Thanks for asking. Have a great day!

Answer 3

It is the nature of our ego to be selfish but it is the nature of our soul to help others. It depends on which nature we follow......We seek acknowledgment out of a sense of belonging.