THE AGE OF NARCISSISM We live in an age of rampant and pervasive narcissism. It has infected and seeped into every corner of our society. It has become a common psychological condition of the modern person. It causes relationship dysfunction, it fuels runaway consumerism; drug+alcohol addiction; sex+porn addiction; abuse; cruelty; unscrupulous lying and manipulation; social aggression (ie. bullying, gossip);…, and the list goes on. It is the most foundational psychological problem of our time, and it’s everywhere.
So, I loved how you broke down how narcissistic people view themselves and why they choose this trait to protect themselves which I often read when looking up narcissism. It made me more forgiving towards them. I’ve lived and still love some narcs in my life. The fact that you believe it can be cured makes me relieved. I have high hopes for these types of people as well. Being that I’ve always been on the receiving end of their darker sides, I could only view them as monsters. I worked on myself mentally due to how scary they are to me. I would NEVER want to be this way towards anyone in my life. But then you talked about arrogance. We all use arrogance or pride to protect ourselves which is something I can relate to. So I see why forgiveness is so important. I wrote a thread about friendships where I learned to eliminate my ego. That process helped me kick the formation of narcissism within my self which is something I am very proud of. It’s a challenge everyday to fight off people who hurt us, but it’s even worse when you have to fight yourself to not become them.
This part you wrote stuck out to me the most :
“ They therefore see suffering as unrelated to sin, and they reject the sanctifying capacity of suffering to reveal truth and goodness itself”
Correct me if I don’t have the proper understanding about this…..
That part had me locked in because that’s exactly how I found my truth. I realized that my behavior came back to me in different forms multiplied at a capacity higher than what I’ve done. KARMA!… Karma may have awakened my fear of god and helped me with better decision making. Some people don’t connect these dots. Some never do, some at a later time. What makes a person able to connect dots? What makes someone link suffering to their own actions and behaviors? Some of us maybe take longer to realize this, but ultimately, I believe god truly has the upper hand on when and where the awakening takes place. He did it for me, he can do it for anyone right? The real challenge is having patience. They are but HUMAN BEINGS. We all make these mistakes. What ever the case, all we can do is pray! Thank you for writing this! I can’t wait to read your other threads!!!
So, I loved how you broke down how narcissistic people view themselves and why they choose this trait to protect themselves which I often read when looking up narcissism. It made me more forgiving towards them. I’ve lived and still love some narcs in my life. The fact that you believe it can be cured makes me relieved. I have high hopes for these types of people as well. Being that I’ve always been on the receiving end of their darker sides, I could only view them as monsters. I worked on myself mentally due to how scary they are to me. I would NEVER want to be this way towards anyone in my life. But then you talked about arrogance. We all use arrogance or pride to protect ourselves which is something I can relate to. So I see why forgiveness is so important. I wrote a thread about friendships where I learned to eliminate my ego. That process helped me kick the formation of narcissism within my self which is something I am very proud of. It’s a challenge everyday to fight off people who hurt us, but it’s even worse when you have to fight yourself to not become them.
This part you wrote stuck out to me the most :
“ They therefore see suffering as unrelated to sin, and they reject the sanctifying capacity of suffering to reveal truth and goodness itself”
Correct me if I don’t have the proper understanding about this…..
That part had me locked in because that’s exactly how I found my truth. I realized that my behavior came back to me in different forms multiplied at a capacity higher than what I’ve done. KARMA!… Karma may have awakened my fear of god and helped me with better decision making. Some people don’t connect these dots. Some never do, some at a later time. What makes a person able to connect dots? What makes someone link suffering to their own actions and behaviors? Some of us maybe take longer to realize this, but ultimately, I believe god truly has the upper hand on when and where the awakening takes place. He did it for me, he can do it for anyone right? The real challenge is having patience. They are but HUMAN BEINGS. We all make these mistakes. What ever the case, all we can do is pray! Thank you for writing this! I can’t wait to read your other threads!!!