My dear Narcissus

When you look in the mirror, whom do you see? Do you see someone who is perfect or do you see someone who is a good person, despite some flaws?

I’ve come to ask myself this questions several times this past week-always with regard to a certain person. First off, I don’t like this person. In fact, I think that he is one of the most ignorant selfish idiots who have crossed my path-yet I find myself constantly analyzing his behaviour thinking “you’ve got to be kidding me!” So the question arises: do you see yourself clearly?

This person is someone who has an opinion about everything and everyone and isn’t afraid to show it. As much as I enjoy someone who has an opinion, I don’t enjoy it when people think that their opinion is the only right one. That’s the thing with opinions- they’re subjective. A good argument is one, which way pros and cons and then decides based on the presented arguments. The person I’m writing about has somehow not understood this concept.

When you think you’re better than everyone around you, there’s a strong chance you’re either totally bonkers or seriously full of yourself- mostly it’s a combination of the two. People who think that they are what the world needs seem to miss one thing: no one needs them! We don’t need someone around us who is constantly belittling, making us feel unworthy of existing. What’s even worse, whenever something doesn’t go the way these people intended, they blame others (see my essay on the constant victim J )

The person who has inspired me to ramble on about this is such a person. He left a student group because the people did not want him to be chairperson for a semester. Instead of asking himself why people didn’t want him as their representative and president of the society, he simply left and joined a rival society. Argument: ”They don’t know how great I am” True, not everyone is going to love you-but when even your roommate says that you’re full of yourself and you loose a presidential election to someone who is 5 years your junior you might want to start asking some questions. Don’t get me wrong, I do believe that you should think highly of yourself and that you should hold your head high-yet when it starts raining into your nostrils, you have taken things too far.

When I look in the mirror, I see someone slightly neurotic who is a tad chaotic at times yet at the same time I see someone who is full of love, of joy and of compassion. You might wonder which mirror I’ve looked into? I looked into the most honest mirror one can find-the eyes of those around me. Our friends help us see ourselves clearly because they love us and they will be honest with you. Our friends shape us and we shape them- it’s a perfect symbiosis. Yet in order for that to really work to the best of your advantage, you’re going to have to let them tell you what they see. Sometimes it can hurt, sometimes you can question their judgement but you should always listen to what they have to say because their eyes are the mirrors to the world!

Don’t be like Narcissus and drown in your own image of perfection and flawlessness.