His anathema and benediction...

He said to himself that it was not such a hollow world, after all. He had discovered a great law of human action, without knowing it - namely, that in order to make a man covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain.

When we start being too impressed by the results of our work, we slowly come to the erroneous conviction that life is one large scoreboard where someone is listing the points to measure our worth. And before we are fully aware of it, we have sold our soul to the many grade-givers, and allowed ourselves to become a pawn in their game. We become what the world makes us. We are intelligent because someone gives us a high grade. We are helpful because someone says thanks. We are likable because someone likes us. And we are important because someone considers us indispensable. So how does one break the wheel? How does one be free of the shackles which bind us to an uncertain existence? How does one not become a slave?