There are some political figures on the national stage who have an absolute hunger for recognition. It seems like everything that these people do is mostly to be recognized in an admirable way. However, their actions are more often than not heinous and not admirable at all--they hunger for recognition gets in the way of what they do and who they can be. Those that legitimately get recognized are those that put the patient, intelligent energy into their work, and make a positive difference, not those who seek recognition above doing the good work possible.
We all fall somewhere on the seeking recognition line--everyone wants to be recognized for whom they are and what they do on some level. Yet some seek that recognition in an unhealthy way which pushes people away rather than draws them in. Why do some people have an unhealthy thirst for acknowledgement.
I think that unhealthy thirst from acknowledgement likely derives from a combination of values and life experiences. For example, I've noticed that people who were not recognized for who they truly are or what they did or needed, are left with a thirst for people to see them, recognize them, and value them. On the opposite side, people who were well-recognized and seen for who they truly were from a young age, don't seem to have such a great need for acknowledgement as adults--they already feel seen and heard, and their life choices reflect that.
Also people who grew up with value sets that didn't match who they were, may be trying to fit into those value sets in adulthood and want to be recognized for those value sets even though they are likely not a match for those people. For example if your family valued those with lots of money, you may want to be known for that whether you have lots of money or not. You still want to fit into the family that raised you even though that family may have dissipated long ago.
Rather than be recognized for something that is not a fit for you, it's best to seek to be the person you are and invest yourself in the positive efforts and actions that make you feel fully human and alive. Then you will get the recognition you deserve. If you do that, you won't hunger for recognition, but instead be glad in the good, just-right life you've built for yourself. Onward.
