Showing posts with label Narcissus and Echo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Narcissus and Echo. Show all posts
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Narcissus and Echo: Is hubris always necessarily a bad quality?
Often in society, hubris (excessive pride) is seen as a negative quality. For example, Narcissus’s hubris concerning his looks destroyed his life because he believed no one deserved his love. Although it has a negative connotation, sometimes in life we can use it to succeed. A great example of this is athletics. The world of sports is extremely competitive, especially at the professional level. Michael Jordan; a six time NBA Champion, five time NBA MVP, ten time NBA scoring champion, and two time Olympic gold medalist, is an example of this. Even when retired, in his hall of fame speech, he badmouthed former players, coaches, and management only to result in a standing ovation by hundreds of people. Some people feel he blames others for his initial basketball problems because he has/had too much pride. He has stated numerous times that he knows he is unstoppable and unbeatable because his skills are unmatched. I’m not saying that being too proud all the time is proper, but in certain situations Michael Jordan used his hubris to propel him to new heights and is now the most respected and famous athlete in the world.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
A Lesson from Vanity: Narcissus
Will Narcissus ever learn to stop being vain from his punishment or was his punishment too much of an exile so that he will never learn?
In a way I feel that Narcissus was deserving of death as his punishment for vanity because he wasted his whole life loving only himself and never doing anyhting to appreciate or help things more important to him. Narcissus is now in the Underworld and never will find true love in something or someone other than himself. It was a punishment well- suited for him, he could never reach love becaus ehe was too focused on himself.
In a way I feel that Narcissus was deserving of death as his punishment for vanity because he wasted his whole life loving only himself and never doing anyhting to appreciate or help things more important to him. Narcissus is now in the Underworld and never will find true love in something or someone other than himself. It was a punishment well- suited for him, he could never reach love becaus ehe was too focused on himself.
From "Narcissus and Echo"
Do we all live in a world of vanity?
- is beauty all that matters?
Narcissus was a narcissist so to speak, meaning that he knew and thrived on the fact that he was very appealing to others, which in the end was his own demise. He showed no passion or interest towards any other; only for the reason that he thought that they weren’t good enough for him. He recalled that many had loved him, but for his looks. That was the only judging basis he knew, because the only attraction Narcissus had was between himself and his beauty. But the untimely end of Narcissus was stated at the very beginning of the myth when the sea nymph Leiriope asked whether her new born son would live a long life, and the reply from Teiresias was “If he never knows himself”. Teiresias knew that once Narcissus gazed upon his own reflection he would fall in love.
But to answer my question I feel that vanity has a lot to do with succession. The proof comes from famous actors, and actresses, both in movies and in theatre ect, if you really think about it, there aren’t many un attractive performers. The same goes with singers and dancers, most of which are attractive. But being a famous actor isn’t the only type of success. But again you can look around at business men who are quite successful, a lot of them are attractive, it gives them a leg up because people want to listen to them. An example of a (not as attractive) successful person within the major industries is Bill Gates. This shows that sometimes there are unattractive successful people, but most succession I would say does include looks.
- is beauty all that matters?
Narcissus was a narcissist so to speak, meaning that he knew and thrived on the fact that he was very appealing to others, which in the end was his own demise. He showed no passion or interest towards any other; only for the reason that he thought that they weren’t good enough for him. He recalled that many had loved him, but for his looks. That was the only judging basis he knew, because the only attraction Narcissus had was between himself and his beauty. But the untimely end of Narcissus was stated at the very beginning of the myth when the sea nymph Leiriope asked whether her new born son would live a long life, and the reply from Teiresias was “If he never knows himself”. Teiresias knew that once Narcissus gazed upon his own reflection he would fall in love.
But to answer my question I feel that vanity has a lot to do with succession. The proof comes from famous actors, and actresses, both in movies and in theatre ect, if you really think about it, there aren’t many un attractive performers. The same goes with singers and dancers, most of which are attractive. But being a famous actor isn’t the only type of success. But again you can look around at business men who are quite successful, a lot of them are attractive, it gives them a leg up because people want to listen to them. An example of a (not as attractive) successful person within the major industries is Bill Gates. This shows that sometimes there are unattractive successful people, but most succession I would say does include looks.
Does Narcissus' punishment reflect on consequences of drug use?
Narcissus's punishment can reflect similarly the consequences of drug use. His punishment---turning into a narcissus flower and suffering---can reflect the pain of using narcotics. Just like Narcissus's love for himself caused him to grieve and destroy his mind, narcotics can also do just the same. No longer could Narcissus bare the sorrow of withdrawing from those around him such as Echo's love for him. Occurrences have shown how narcotics addicts reject those around them because of the feelings they loose and the unhealthy feelings they develop. Also as a drug user many become addicted after the first time using the certain drug; this is comparable to how Narcissus became addicted to himself after seeing his reflection for the first time. The captivation Narcisscus develops is beyond acceptable as he is totally unaware of the outside world. Like most drug addictions it doesn't end well; the addiction Narcissus had for himself lead to his demise. It is fitting that the flower Narcissus turns into is named Narcissus, meaning narcotics.
Confidant or egotistical?
In the myth, Narcissus and Echo, Narcissus is a character who falls in love with the reflection of his own face, developing a certain "self-love". He fell in love with himself and decided he couldn't fall in love with another, thus he then chose to kill himself. (This is an example of narcissism gone horribly wrong.)
Q: Is being narcissistic always a bad thing? Where is the line between confidance and overconfidance?
When thinking of narcissism, egotism, or overconfidance, often a negative connotation is implied. We think of people as being arrogant and full of themselves, but are we being too, perhaps, harsh on those who think of themselves as higher and simply better human beings than the people around them? There is no answer for this question, despite that the most common one would be most certainly "no".
People can think of themselves as better than others based on several factors, including intelligence, beauty, or wealth. Their high self-esteems are either based on what they think other people's perception of them is, or just facts. For example, if one is beautiful, they know it by hearing others say so, and if one is highly intellectual, such things as test scores and career choices can highly influence them in thinking of themselves as "higher quality" individuals. But do these people have the right to think in this fashion when they compare themselves with the ugliest, stupidest man next door? What if this man has enriched peoples' lives, given to the poor, and taken time out of his life to help those in need of his care? Is a beautiful, intelligent man more valuable than a caring, warm, affectionate man?
Q: Is being narcissistic always a bad thing? Where is the line between confidance and overconfidance?
When thinking of narcissism, egotism, or overconfidance, often a negative connotation is implied. We think of people as being arrogant and full of themselves, but are we being too, perhaps, harsh on those who think of themselves as higher and simply better human beings than the people around them? There is no answer for this question, despite that the most common one would be most certainly "no".
People can think of themselves as better than others based on several factors, including intelligence, beauty, or wealth. Their high self-esteems are either based on what they think other people's perception of them is, or just facts. For example, if one is beautiful, they know it by hearing others say so, and if one is highly intellectual, such things as test scores and career choices can highly influence them in thinking of themselves as "higher quality" individuals. But do these people have the right to think in this fashion when they compare themselves with the ugliest, stupidest man next door? What if this man has enriched peoples' lives, given to the poor, and taken time out of his life to help those in need of his care? Is a beautiful, intelligent man more valuable than a caring, warm, affectionate man?
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