The whole “purely for self-mastery, no recognition” ideal is basically a fantasy people romanticize. CJ Jung (the greatest psychologist of all time) liked recognition, Nietzsche thrived on it, even the Buddha had followers writing his story down — so clearly they weren’t operating in a vacuum of total indifference to others.
The truth is, humans are social beings. Recognition is tied to survival wiring — status means resources, protection, mating opportunities. We’ve just wrapped it in more sophisticated language now.
Saying you want zero recognition is either:
- Self-deception, pretending you’re above it (usually to get recognition for being “above it”), and secretly fantasize about it behind closed doors
- A form of withdrawal because you fear rejection.
The real balance is half is inner drive, half is the pull of society’s eyes. You can want mastery for yourself and enjoy the applause. One doesn’t poison the other unless you start living only for the applause.
The trick is to own it.
Don’t hide behind fake detachment. Don’t pretend you’re some monk on a mountaintop who doesn’t care what anyone thinks. If you’ve built something meaningful, you should want it to be seen.
That doesn’t make you shallow — it makes you honest.
Recognition is feedback from reality. It’s how the world tells you:
“Yeah, this thing you created? It matters. Keep going.”
It’s only toxic when you let the applause become the only reason you show up. When your work becomes a performance purely to keep the claps going, you’ve lost the plot. But using recognition as part of the fuel is smart psychology.
Even the so-called “enlightened” figures knew this. They built temples, wrote books, gathered disciples — they didn’t sit in a cave forever. They wanted their work to ripple through time. And ripples don’t happen in silence.
So stop shaming yourself for craving validation. You’re not weak for wanting your work, your craft, your existence to be seen.
You’re just human.
The question isn’t “Do I want recognition?” — you already do.
The question is “Will I be a slave to it, or will I master it?”
