It's not ignorance to overcome our biology. It is possible to control our desire for status and to live better lives and be happier as a result.
Also different cultures are much more competitive about status: America is pretty extreme in this respect.
People in Europe claim it. I have lived in Africa, Europe, US and the Middle East. The only difference I saw is the type of games people generally engage in.
Geeks claim it, because they don’t engage in the typical meat world status game. But again, we just usually play a different game.
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And if none of the games are for you, dear reader, perhaps invent your own game.
This is a narrow view of status. In many ways, any type of validation you get from working with others can be considered status. Most animals achieve status through physical aggression, while humans (and chimps) achieve status through cooperation and contributing to the group. Our minds are wired to get pleasure from working with others and being validated and appreciated for our work. That is part of status. If you enjoy doing the work you do and it makes you happy, that's because your brain is wired for status. Nothing wrong with it. There are of course negative sides of status like conspicuous consumption, social media addiction, etc. But just because you learn to avoid the pitfalls of status doesn't mean you aren't playing the game.
Quoting @insickness above:
> Our minds are wired to get pleasure from working with others and being validated and appreciated for our work. That is part of status
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30883314
And for helping and being kind to others.
lol this is a good one. might have to steal it ;)
Among the better ways to "win" this game is to seek status in the metaphysical. In a way, this is "winning" through "not playing".
By some measures, I'm doing OK at it, if money is the scoring basis.
OTOH, I've lived with the same house/car/wardrobe for a couple of decades.
Do these oligarchs/celebrities really have more joy than I?
Maybe.