Dakota Beacon

Through their mythology the ancient Greeks explained the world in which humankind lived. It became a way of integrating their values into everyday life.

So it is with the story of Echo and Narcissus. In a word, the woodland nymph Echo fell hopelessly in love with Narcissus only to be rejected because Narcissus was head-over-heels in love with himself.

To elaborate, once upon a time, the nymph Echo spied Narcissus hunting in the woods. The young lad was so beautiful and appeared so sensuous that Echo fell deeply in love with him. As happened with other nymphs, Narcissus cruelly spurned her advances. Echo prayed that someday Narcissus, too, would feel rejection. Her prayer was answered.

Fatigued and thirsty from hunting, Narcissus came upon an undisturbed pool of water. Stooping to drink he saw his own image in the water and imagined it to be a beautiful water-spirit. Gazing with admiration at the bright eyes, soft locks of hair, parted lips, and glow of health he fell in love with himself. He could not tear himself away and lost all thought of food and rest as he gazed in rapture at his own image. But when he reached out to kiss the lips or touch the image, the apparition disappeared. “Stay. Please. Let me touch you.”

Narcissus was obsessed with a love that could never be consummated. In time he lost his youth and vigor and finally died. All the nymphs mourned his passing and they built a funeral pyre but Narcissus was nowhere to be found. His shade had already crossed the river Stix. In the place of the pyre stood a flower, purple in its center surrounded by white petals that bear his name to this day.

This is narcissism, but what is moral narcissism? The plight of Narcissus holds significance for us today. In Roger L. Simon’s 2016 book “I Know Best,” he describes it thus. “What you believe, or claim to believe or say you believe–not what you do or how you act or what the results of your actions may be–defines you as a person and makes you ‘good.’…You are what you say you are. You are what you proclaim your values to be, irrespective of their consequences.” We live comfortably in our cocoon of self-generated righteous ideals.

This becomes a modification of the Narcissus story above but the two are related. Whereas Narcissus stares into a reflecting pool of water and thinks he sees another person, people today see themselves as reflected in the pool of social context and deceive themselves as “good” people. As they admire themselves in society’s pool, they acquire a group identity. It is a narcissism of political and social thought. It is a narcissism of groupthink that makes a person assume they are better than they really are because they have the same ideas as their peers. It takes on the aura of a mutual reward system. There is no other way to be or to think. There is only one kind of idea and one kind of attitude to have. No others. If you have the right opinions and say the right things, you are exempt from peer pressure. You are a “good” person. No overt coercion is necessary, only the possibility of job loss, lack of promotion, and ostracism. Enter the cancel culture.

Interestingly, Simon goes on to identify Karl Marx as the greatest of all moral narcissists. Of all people, he knew best and, therefore, dictated to the rest of the human race how it should order itself. Far too many people still sing his praises! If Marxism, morphing into Communism, became the dictatorship of the proletariat, then we live in a dictatorship of elite moral narcissists who decide what is right and wrong and true.

In 1979 Christopher Lasch published his book “The Culture of Narcissism.” In total, he described American behavior patterns as largely narcissistic. Simon picks up on his theme. Coming out of the sixties and progressing through the eighties and nineties, what were once youthful rebels have evolved into today’s staid middleclass. Driving to Whole Foods in a Tesla struck a blow against world hunger as well as climate change! It’s all about good intentions. Follow-on results are irrelevant. From our cultural roots in the sixties, we are all narcissists today. It is only a question of degree.

Racism. If Caucasians apologize for their whiteness, for their white privilege, and support Black Lives Matter they may be exonerated. They may then be seen as “good” people accepted by their peers. Disregard the fact of Black Lives Matter riots.

Climate change. Admit that man causes the climate to change. That makes you a “good” person. Disregard Hollywood celebrity-activists flying their jets all over the world.

You get the idea. Narcissism denotes an excessive degree of self-esteem or self-involvement. Moral narcissism exists as an emotional reaction in place of rational assessment of a situation. This condition typically indicates a form of emotional immaturity.

Here is the travesty of moral narcissism. The emotional demarcation established by moral narcissism creates a cultural divide like no other. We are emotionally divided because we are ideologically divided. We so closely identify with our own ideals that we cannot see the world with clarity. Result? We end up living in silent separation from each other not willing to risk further alienation with friends and family. Relevant subjects never get addressed. Why? Because one or more parties declare “I Know Best” and no one wants to be cancelled.

Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)