Chasing Shadows: The Never-Ending Arms Race of Status, Education, and Power

Why You Will Never Feel Satisfied With What You Have

In a small town in Uttar Pradesh, a mother spends her days selling flowers outside a temple. Her earnings are modest, but she saves diligently, not for herself, but for her son. He hasn’t eaten in three days—not because there’s no food, but because he’s demanding something else: a sleek, expensive smartphone. Not just any phone—an iPhone, the ultimate status symbol. Finally, with a heavy heart and an empty wallet, she gives in. The boy’s face lights up as he holds the device, but the mother’s expression tells a different story. She’s not just buying a phone; she’s buying into a dream of status, of belonging, of being someone in a world that measures worth by the gadgets in our hands.

This scene from Ghazipur is a microcosm of a larger truth: humanity’s unquenchable thirst for power and status drives us into a perpetual race, whether it’s for the latest consumer goods, prestigious academic credentials, or cutting-edge military might. Yet, no matter how hard we chase, satisfaction slips through our fingers like sand. We adapt, we crave more, and the cycle continues. This is the essence of hedonic adaptation—the psychological phenomenon where the joy of new acquisitions fades, leaving us restless and wanting.

In this article, we’ll explore how this relentless pursuit manifests in three distinct arenas: the consumer trap of installment-plan gadgets, the hollow race for educational credentials, and the global arms race for military dominance. Each is a battle in the same war, a war we can never truly win.

The Consumer Trap: Chasing Status Through Gadgets

The smartphone has become more than a tool; it’s a ticket to social standing. In places like Ghazipur, families stretch their budgets to the breaking point, not for the utility of the device, but for the status it confers. The iPhone, once a luxury reserved for the elite, is now within reach for millions, thanks to installment plans and easy financing. Last year alone, 90 lakh iPhones were sold in India, with 70% purchased on EMI.

But here’s the catch: as more people gain access, the exclusivity fades. What was once a symbol of distinction becomes commonplace, and the bar rises again. Suddenly, it’s not enough to have an iPhone; it has to be the latest model, the one with the newest features, the one that sets you apart.

This is the consumer trap—an arms race of appearances where the prize is always just out of reach. People borrow, save, and sacrifice to stay in the game, but the thrill of ownership is fleeting. The moment you unbox that shiny new device, the countdown begins. Soon, a newer model will arrive, and the cycle will start again. It’s not about the phone anymore; it’s about signaling to the world that you belong, that you’re keeping up. Retailers and brands thrive on this hunger, dangling the next big thing just as the shine wears off the last.

Across the globe, from rural India to urban America, the pattern repeats: we chase the gadget that promises to elevate us, only to find ourselves back at square one, yearning for more. In this race, no one ever truly wins. The treadmill keeps spinning, and we keep running.

Degree Inflation: The Hollow Pursuit of Credentials

Education, once a path to enlightenment, has morphed into a race for paper prestige. Students across the globe are drowning in debt, chasing advanced degrees not for the love of learning, but for the promise of a competitive edge. A bachelor’s degree used to be enough; now, it’s the bare minimum. Master’s degrees flood the market, and even they are losing their luster as more people join the fray. In the U.S., student debt has ballooned to $1.7 trillion, with millions betting on credentials that no longer guarantee jobs. The result? A generation of graduates armed with impressive titles but lacking the skills to match. Many find themselves jobless, their degrees devalued by the very system they bought into.

This is degree inflation—a credentials war where the value of each new certificate diminishes as more people acquire it. It’s not about knowledge; it’s about outranking others in a game where the prize keeps devaluing. Students take on loans they can’t repay, betting on a future that never materializes. Employers, meanwhile, see through the paper-thin skills, raising the bar higher—demanding experience, certifications, or yet another degree. The irony is stark: the more we chase these markers of status, the less they mean. In India, engineering graduates scramble for jobs once reserved for diploma holders, while in Europe, PhDs compete for roles that once required only a master’s. The race for credentials has become a hollow pursuit, a chase for status that leaves many empty-handed, wondering why their sacrifices didn’t pay off.

The Military Arms Race: Power Through Superiority

On the global stage, nations scramble for dominance, wielding cutting-edge weapons as symbols of strength. In the Middle East, one country boasts the latest stealth jets—like the F-35—while its rivals wield older models or scramble for upgrades. The supplier, a global superpower, ensures the leader stays ahead, fueling a cycle where each advance prompts counter-moves. Israel, for example, received F-35s in 2016, the first outside the U.S., while the UAE’s approval lagged until 2020, with deliveries still pending. Saudi Arabia and Egypt, armed with older F-15s and F-16s, watch as the gap persists, upheld by Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge (QME), a U.S. policy ensuring its ally’s lead.

This is the military arms race—a high-stakes game where superiority is measured in firepower. But like the consumer trap and degree inflation, military dominance is fleeting. Each new weapon system offers a temporary edge, only to be eroded as adversaries arm up. The UAE buys Rafales, Saudi Arabia upgrades its F-15s, but the leader always gets the next leap forward—like hypersonic missiles or AI-driven drones. It’s not about defense; it’s about projection, about signaling power to the world. The supplier nations—U.S., Russia, China—profit handsomely, keeping the cycle alive. Yet, in this race, the finish line keeps moving. A nation’s moment of triumph fades as rivals close the gap, and the chase resumes, fueled by pride, fear, and the relentless quest to stay ahead.

Human Nature and Hedonic Adaptation: The Unsatisfied Core

From smartphones to diplomas to fighter jets, these pursuits all stem from the same hunger: the desire for power and status. At the heart of this restless drive is hedonic adaptation—the psychological trap where each new acquisition brings only temporary joy before fading into normalcy. The thrill of the latest gadget, the prestige of a new degree, the awe of a superior weapon—all dissolve as we adapt, leaving us craving the next fix. Studies show that after major purchases or achievements, happiness spikes briefly, then returns to baseline within months. This isn’t mere ambition; it’s a flaw in our wiring, a restless hunger that thrives on comparison and never settles.

We chase what we can control—salary hikes, job titles, arsenals—to feel ahead, but the race itself ensures we never rest. The French philosopher René Girard called this "mimetic desire," the idea that our wants are shaped by what others have. We see someone with a better phone, a higher degree, or a stronger military, and suddenly, that becomes our desire too. It’s a force as powerful as gravity, pulling us into an endless cycle of wanting, acquiring, and wanting again. Whether it’s a mother sacrificing for her son’s iPhone or a nation pouring billions into stealth jets, the pattern holds: we achieve, we adapt, we chase anew. In this cycle, true satisfaction remains elusive, a mirage that vanishes as we draw near.

Conclusion

The mother in Ghazipur, selling flowers for her son’s iPhone, the graduate buried in debt for a degree that doesn’t pay, the nation scrambling for the next fighter jet—all are soldiers in the same war, a war for dominance that can never be won. Greed and adaptation lock us in an endless chase; every triumph is a mirage, and the restless hunger—call it evil or instinct—never sleeps. We run faster, reach higher, but the finish line always shifts with every step. Picture it: the flower seller and the jet-armed nation, side by side, sprinting toward a horizon that recedes as they advance.

In this race, the true victor isn’t the one with the most gadgets, degrees, or weapons—it’s the chase itself. It defines us, drives us, and traps us. Until we recognize this restless hunger as the core of the human condition, we’ll remain its willing captives, forever chasing what we can never truly hold.