So, what was so special about Narcissus? — Shawn
The story is interesting because it can be read in other ways than a cautionary tale against excessive self involvement. — Valentinus
Is the anger of Achilles only about his decisions or do they reveal something else? — Valentinus
What other ways can it be read in? — Shawn
The reflection is not oneself. The resemblance is an odd accident. A glimpse of a passerby that is wrongly understood as oneself. The fascination is with another. — Valentinus
It would be simpler if you said what you thought was the case. — Valentinus
Add in Phthonus (Envy) and Nemesis (Revenge) to the pool party. Sounds like a recipe for humanity. — Nils Loc
Proceeding from this, what's so special about thinking of one's self as 'special'? — Shawn
If you're gonna run the gauntlet (run in the rat race) you need a bit of a psychological bump (placebo) or a powerful anesthetic. — Nils Loc
A morale helper, a support cushion, a superhero mask, a dream to keep oneself alive? Imagine the terror of the opposite: the self as a useless, ugly and bad powerless piece of shit. The way mythology/ideology helps to guide and sustain us in a sad, absurd, chaotic world. I don't know. — Nils Loc
Narcissus was self-sufficient. He entertained himself in a reflection, felt happy with what he was doing, and deep down inside, while sitting there looking at himself... felt happy inside. — Shawn
Despite the harshness of his rejection, Echo's love for Narcissus only grows. What a nuisance! When Narcissus died, wasting away before his own reflection, consumed by a love that could not be, Echo mourned over his body. When Narcissus, looking one last time into the pool uttered, "Oh marvellous boy, I loved you in vain, farewell", Echo too chorused, "Farewell."
Eventually, Echo, too, began to waste away. Her beauty faded, her skin shrivelled, and her bones turned to stone. Today, all that remains of Echo is the sound of her voice.
An alternative version would spell a story of insecurity. — Valentinus
I believe that Narcissus wasn't necessarily insecure. I mean, who isn't insecure nowadays? My understanding is that Narcissus was simply expressing self-love to a greater extent than route aggrandizement or excessive self-esteem. What do you think? — Shawn
Gay or straight, Narcissus is a sick boy. A sexual deviation that some young men (men in particular) experience is the self-involvement of excessive solitary masturbation. They apparently have a lot more than the average amount of tension to resolve--sexual or academic or something else. The main feature of narcissism is very excessive self-involvement, to the point of isolation. — Bitter Crank
Maybe such people are born for real who are irresistibly beautiful and who do not need the help of agents and PR to attract admirers. I think these characters are more fictional vehicles than real. — Bitter Crank
Narcissus is the archetype of the addict. — unenlightened
He strikes me as the person of other people's envy, and the envied person. — baker
Self -concern and self-love, writ large, would be envied by those with equal self-concern, but without self-love. — unenlightened
Get involved in philosophical discussions about knowledge, truth, language, consciousness, science, politics, religion, logic and mathematics, art, history, and lots more. No ads, no clutter, and very little agreement — just fascinating conversations.