# Modern day Narcissus.



## Spirit Freeman (Sep 18, 2017)

"He was proud, in that he disdained those who loved him. Nemesis noticed this behavior and attracted Narcissus to a pool, where he saw his own reflection in the water and fell in love with it, not realizing it was merely an image. Unable to leave the beauty of his reflection, Narcissus lost his will to live. He stared at his reflection until he died." -Wikipedia on Narcissus

Narcissus was so in love with his own image seen in the reflection of water that he was rendered unmovable and died while staring at himself. It was because of his own vanity that he became useless and ultimately died. Today our cameras and social networks have become the pool that Narcissus so obsessively became fixated upon. We obsess over our image reflected back to us on our telephone screen. This renders us immobile. Realize this and stop worrying so much about your reflection. 

-Spirit
Anarchy.Veganism.Unity.Freedom.


----------



## Odin (Sep 18, 2017)

A very apt metaphor... selfies are a slow death for the self obsessed.


----------



## Spirit Freeman (Sep 18, 2017)

Odin said:


> A very apt metaphor... selfies are a slow death for the self obsessed.


Yes I realized this while taking a picture earlier. Mythology can teach us a lot if we have the Eyes to See.


----------



## William Howard 2 (Sep 23, 2017)

I think it's worth mentioning that Narcissus had a nymph Echo who fell in love with him. From what I remember, while Narcissus stared at his reflection, the nymph, Echo, stayed by his side and gave him food and water to keep him alive. I think in the end she is the one that makes his dead body into a flower so that his beauty can be seen by everyone. 

I don't always agree with modern interpretations, but I think the story may be more of a somber tale about the pursuit of a focused discipline, and sort of a explanation of how knowledge is accumulated. 

It's worth pointing out that Narcissus wasn't actively cruel or mean, he was inwardly focused on himself and just ignored the advances of others, like they didn't even exist. That hardly constitutes as being a jerk and we even find that to be a noble trait. It reminds me of researchers who spend there whole life closed up in a room with books, being married to their career, prioritizing work over love or family. But I think in the end, through shunning those romantic advances, he leaves a greater legacy behind - the knowledge he accumulated, explained through the use of the flower. Instead of one person enjoying his body or mind, he leaves a lasting contribution that lives on, for all to enjoy.


----------



## Odin (Sep 23, 2017)

It's a matter of perspective if our dear Narc was solely focused on his own greed, entitlement and selfworship than you have a cruel stupid flake... 

If on the otherhand it was a true bedrock breaking inner search for the meaning of "I"... eh perhaps it could have merit.


----------



## William Howard 2 (Sep 24, 2017)

I'm kinda thinking now that Narcissus might be a victim of fate. How much control do we really have over how people feel about us? It seems like it's not our fault if another person falls in love. Another point, they only loved him because of his looks. The nymph Echo never even talked to him, so how could she have known his personality? And I don't think Narcissus choose to be beautiful, no more than we choose our genetics. He was forced to stare at himself as a punishment for his appearance, only after all his lovers advances were ignored. 

What if beauty is a curse, and maybe, out of recourse, the beautiful look to themselves after having witnessed the shallowness of others, only loving them for their body?


----------

