We like to be recognized. Having prestige seems to have only advantages, provided we know how to manage the interest we arouse. For many public figures, while they enjoy the financial and social comfort that recognition brings, they are less appreciative of always having to live up to their image and its demands.
Many people prefer to keep a low profile, away from the media, so as to preserve their business. This doesn't affect their self-esteem, which is based on their achievements rather than their image. Not having 1000 friends on FB doesn't mean you don't have value, nor does it mean that your image isn't important, but that it's a question of adapting it to what you want to be, do or have, and not the other way round.
In teaching, the prestige of some teachers enables them to be more demanding with their students. Sometimes there's a fine line between trust and the temptation to abuse it, as in the case of those ultra-popular teacher-influencers for whom teaching is tinged with more or less pedagogical staging.
The philosopher Cioran wrote: "I have known all forms of decline, including success", as if public recognition distracted him from his work, corrupted him and prevented him from being himself. Many directors and entrepreneurs will feel the same way: dealing with public relations rather than their own business is not necessarily their preferred activity.
On the other hand, some professions enjoy very little recognition and are discredited; working in them requires compensating for this lack by other means, such as social relations, training and support. Institutions and professions that are losing prestige are working to positively differentiate themselves on at least one level, which will become the foundation for the eventual improvement of their public image.
Even if the prestige of the teaching profession is not what it used to be, education remains the best response to the challenges ahead: with skills, knowledge and awareness, we can forge a decent future. The prestige of teachers lies not so much in what they know, but in what they are able to do: educate and train capable people, to the best of their ability.
Denys Lamontagne - [email protected]
Illustration: Statue of Albert Einstein - joaquincorbalan - DepositiPhotos
