You should seek approval from yourself.

People striving for approval from others become phony.

I feel like I should be more in touch with the nuances of this game.

The only person whose approval yoy should really seek is your own!

When you do something, you should burn yourself up completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself.

When people get placed upon a pedestal - when they start chasing after that person on the pedestal - they become mannequin-like.