Author(s): Zan Boag (ed.)

Philosophy

Issue #5: Self

Remember Narcissus?

The tale has been told for millennia, a warning to avoid the murky depths of self-love. Yet in recent years something has shifted. Today there appears to be no stigma attached to bragging about one’s achievements; to the feeding of trivialities to followers, fans and friends. Has the ancient proverb “know yourself ” been hijacked and redirected, destination “love yourself ”?

It’s hardly surprising that many today suffer from a mild case of narcissism; the omnipresence of social media forces us in that very direction. We communicate with one another in the form of sound bites, by putting our (carefully managed) lives on display. There is no space for questions, just statements. No room for politesse, only wit.

It is all about me, me, me.

Who wins from this? What do we gain from swapping an ‘I’ for an ‘I’, other than a motley collection of competing narcissists revealing increasingly intimate details of their lives? As appealing as our reflection may be, we must force ourselves to lift our gaze, look around and see the ‘I’ in the other.

Remember Narcissus.