Joel Willits and George Ladd Need You to Need Them

I was unaware that George Ladd struggled so much with the need to be significant, but according to Joel Willits' reflection on the Ladd biography, he did. I really appreciate Willits' candor in discussing his own wrestling with this:

What drives us in our study? What compels us to earn MA's, ThM's and Ph.D.'s? What motivates us to write and present and publish? If I am honest I have been driven by much deep [sic] things than a quest for truth or a historical interest or even a spiritual hunger. While all these play a part in my motivation, a more profound and often unrecognized force is at work: my own insecurity and need to be significant. My need to be recognized and affirmed and to be viewed as a contributor.

Read the whole thing (which is only two paragraphs).