A Question of Identity

...and so it occurred to me today that I don't really know what it is that motivates me in life other than a vague quest for validation... but then isn't that what everybody is seeking? Perhaps the human condition is nothing more than the search for personal affirmation. Of course people find all manner of ways to satisfy their need for an identity of importance. To indulge oneself (by gluttony, greed, etc.) is to declare, "look, I'm worth it!" and such indulgence provides a short term sense of validation. Of course asceticism is just as much a way to validate oneself, essentially as saying, "I've overcome the need for material possessions (aren't I great?)!"

Well, I'll think I'll be contemplating this further but for now I'll be going to bed...