Modern identity is often built on personal achievements and external validation, making it highly fragile. Keller explains that in contemporary society, individuals derive their self-worth from their performance and the approval of others. This dependency on external validation makes people vulnerable to failure and rejection. Keller illustrates this with the example of a novelist who tied his self-worth to his writing quality, leading to a loss of objectivity and increased anxiety. He writes, 'When good writing was my only goal in life, I made the quality of my work the measure of my worth.' | Timothy Keller | Making Sense of God

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The Fragility of Modern Identity

Modern identity is often built on personal achievements and external validation, making it highly fragile. Keller explains that in contemporary society, individuals derive their self-worth from their performance and the approval of others. This dependency on external validation makes people vulnerable to failure and rejection. Keller illustrates this with the example of a novelist who tied his self-worth to his writing quality, leading to a loss of objectivity and increased anxiety. He writes, 'When good writing was my only goal in life, I made the quality of my work the measure of my worth.'

-- Timothy Keller