> Why can't there be both? I'm a social being and I enjoy knowing whether or
> not what I do is appreciated by others.
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Precisely the point. We enjoy both crafting our responses to this list and
that our contributions will be appreciated by others. It's hard to
disentangle or to assign priority to one over the other. If either condition
was absent, the work would be alienating, as involuntary and unrewarded
labour always is. Some may emphasize the instrinsic worth of satisfying
labour, others the respect and recognition accorded their effort by the
community, but they're not in contradiction to each other and you need both.
Artists, acholars, and political activists may regard their work as
important and meaningful, but become discouraged when they're ignored or
rejected by those they're trying to reach. The famous and wealthy are
celebrated by the community, but the frequent loneliness, depression, and
dysfunctional behaviour arising out of the often alienated nature of their
activity is a familiar trope.