Of course. Vying for high status is a cut throat game and not necessarily the path to happiness. Vying for status is, however, the only path to status and the f

Of course. Vying for high status is a cut throat game and not necessarily the path to happiness. Vying for status is, however, the only path to status and the fundamental symbols of status never change. You can choose to live a simple life and be happy, or you can rule an empire and deal with the associated stresses. To each his own, but ALL humans recognize status, and almost all humans have an innate desire for more status. The dilemma we face is whether we're willing to pay the price to attain said status. If status was offered without a cost most people will take it without hesitation. You know plenty of people who have a lot of money but are miserable as fuck, so does that mean if you won the lottery for 10.5 million dollars you're not gonna take the prize because you learned your lesson from other "unhappy" rich people? Let's be real. Status is status all you're saying is that more and more people are foregoing it for a less stressful life. This doesn't change the fact that we as humans still recognize status and that some part of us always will desire it to a certain extent.