While the first century rabbi Yeshua ben-Yosef advised his followings to love their neighbours as themselves. there have been those throughout history who have loved themselves to the exclusion of their neighbours ( the names of several Hollywood famous persons past and present semen to mind ) . The really word used to depict this unhealthy type of self-preoccupation is self-love. which derives from the name of a tragic figure in Greco-Roman mythology who literally love himself to decease.

The best-known version of the tragic narrative of Narcissus. or? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? NAR-kee-sohs ) as he was known in the original Greek. comes to us from the Roman poet Ovid in his work Metamophoses. In this narrative. the nymph Echo efforts to salvage her fellow wood-nymphs from the wrath of Hera during those times that her hubby Zeus would come down from Olympus for dawdlings. Echo’s scheme was to maintain Hera distracted with changeless yak. therefore giving her sisters a opportunity to get away.

Once Hera realized she was being manipulated in this manner. she cursed Echo. taking her powers of address in such a manner that she was no longer able to show herself. but merely parrot the last words she heard spoken by others. Under this expletive. she encountered the beautiful Narcissus. boy of the river-god Kephisos and the nymph Leirope. Narcissus – aloof and self-involved by nature – was angered by Echo’s disablement that limited her to reiterating his words. believing she was mocking him.

Rebuffed and rejected. Echo pined off in the forests by herself. blowing off until nil was left but her voice. Narcissus was likewise barbarous to other supporters of both sexes. It was merely a affair of clip before one heart-broken suer called upon the Gods for retaliation. which came in the signifier of Cupid’s pointer. When Cupid – or? ? ? ? ? ( AY-rohs ) in Greek – shooting person in the bosom with an pointer. that individual would fall hopelessly in love with the first 1 they saw afterwards. For Narcissus. this was his ain contemplation in the H2O.

Unable to rupture himself off from the sight of his true love and unable to carry through his desire. he excessively wasted off. finally deceasing from exhaustion ( Hard. 2003 ) . In another version of the narrative. Narcissus kills himself with a blade. non recognizing the beautiful male child in the contemplation is really himself and believing himself spurned. The subject of amour propre taking to one’s ruin or incurring the wrath of the Gods is a common 1. non merely in Hellenistic literature and folklore. but in many traditions throughout the Mediterranean and the Middle East.

Even King Solomon warns in the Book of Ecclesiastes. “…vanity of amour propres. all is amour propre. ” In Genesis. the God Jehovah punishes worlds who presume to construct a tower to heaven by “mixing their address ; ” King Midas. prideful of his wealth and power. is given the gift of turning everything around him into gold. and winds up turning his darling girl into a exanimate ball of metal ; Promethius – in a legend reminiscent of the Hebrew fable of Lucifer’s Fall – presumes to convey persons the secret of fire. and is punished by being chained to a stone where vultures eat out his liver every twenty-four hours.

In the fable of Oedipus. inordinate pride leads to an early “road-rage” incident in which Oedipus ( unwittingly ) kills his ain male parent. with tragic effects for an full metropolis. This is non to state that one should non hold a healthy self-concept ; self-loathing is at least every bit detrimental as uncontrolled self-love. if non more so. Nonetheless. the character of Captain Kirk ( himself possessed of a big self-importance ) says in the authoritative Star Trek episode The Trouble With Tribbles: “Too much of anything – even love – is unhealthy.

” Interestingly. the histrion who portrayed this character. William Shanter. presently plays a function on the series Boston Legal who is the prototype of self-love and self-obsession. In the series. this obsessional self-love isolates him. even from the one individual who truly cares for him. The other side – and this is warning to all– is that it makes him susceptible to use ( in fact. Shatner’s character – Denny Crane – seems to acquire an about sexual bang from the sound of his ain name ) . Unchecked and unregulated by a healthy dosage of humbleness. egotistic self-love literally becomes a monster that destroys one from within and from without.

It is non merely this active. amour propre that is shown as being destructive ; it is besides the cold. unfeeling neglect for others that is shown to be a monster every bit good. and in fact. it is non so much Narcissus’ amour propre and self-obsession that leads to his decease. but in a broader sense. his indurate neglect for the emotional and psychological demands of others. From Narcissus’ Greek name. we besides get the word “narcotic” – a substance used to literally blunt the senses ( the first component in the name – ? ? ? ? ? [ NAR-kay ] really means “numbness” ) .

In this visible radiation. the narrative of Narcissus is non merely a prophylactic narrative against amour propre and inordinate amour propre. but one in which people are warned to be sensitive to the emotional demands and feelings of others. On closer scrutiny. Narcissus’ wickedness was non that he loved himself excessively good – this was truly merely the instrument of his penalty. His wickedness was is disregard for the feelings of others. Such neglect for others is declarative of immatureness and arrested societal development. It is normal for really immature kids to be egoistic. but it is a phase from which most people ( hopefully ) move beyond.

The “baby-boom” coevals ( born between 1945 and 1960 ) has frequently been accused of this kind of egotistic self-preoccupation. and if the actions and behaviours of current U. S. leaders – most of whom belong to that coevals – is any indicant. the accusal is valid. Possibly if more of them heeded the lessons of the narrative of Narcissus. the state – and the universe – would be a better topographic point.

Work Cited

Hard. R. ( 2003 ) . The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology. New York: Routledge.