Moving Up

A recent conversation with a friend came to a topic which left me puzzled.
What is the single most important indicator of you moving up in the society?
Is it by progressively moving up in your career and be famous at work? Or , by advancing in your studies to take on Masters or PhD? Or, is it by the branded and designer clothes and possessions that you single-handledly accumulate? Or, is it by how many invitations you received for drinks or dances in the nightclubs? Or , even how many friends you've accumulated over FaceBook?

It didn't help that my girl friend of twenty-something answered a big "YES" to all the above. Well, I on the other hand, can't help but think she has a skewed perception on what social recognition is and why it is important. I mean, seriously, what sense does it make to move up in the society by chasing after materials, qualifications, careers and popularity? These are, but fleeting moments of triumph in one's life.

I remember reading about the who's who in the Malaysian society. These are usually rich and affluent people (the Tunku's, Datuk's and Datin's) but they use their materials, name and status for the good by influencing the paths of the society.

Then, there are also those selfless individuals who contributed to humanitarian effort by involving themselves in disaster reliefs. Their sacrifice of time, effort and money deserves a recognition in our society.

How about those entrepreneurs who dared to live their dreams and in return brought huge investments to the country and created jobs for countless people? They mentor others so that the mentee can be better than who they are. Such selfless sharing of knowledge and skills will impact and change lives.

Now, shouldn't these be our benchmark in striving for social recognition?
Realistically, we cannot all be like these outstanding individuals.
But, if we promise ourselves to get rid of the shallow motivations and resolute to serve others first, then, I am sure we are on the right track to moving up in our society!